Malcolm, I'm sure you know this, but brick & mortar appliance stores have been living hand-to-mouth for many years, trying to compete with both big box and internet retailers. We found our SQ set at a local dealer (brick/mortar) for $120 less than AJMadison (online), and while the dealer's pre-sales knowledge and support were excellent, we didn't expect much in the way of post-sales support. Sure enough, when we called them several months later about replacing the softener dispenser, about as minor an issue as could possibly exist with a washer, they still brushed us off to SQ's national service contractor, who wanted to schedule an appt for someone to come out, look at the cap, order the part, then come BACK OUT two weeks later to install it.
So we said forget it, we called Ripon and told them this was beyond absurd, and when they figured out they were about to accrue hundreds of dollars in labor costs, to replace an agitator cap, they agreed to just mail us a replacement directly.
Point is, I'm not surprised by the attitude you got from your dealer, but you might be pleasantly surprised by the support you get from Ripon.
