Hey Lillyroger, your cynicism can be, in my opinion, sometimes justified.
Machine manufacturers can make a great machine, but have to (or have chosen to) outsource their sales and service to independent franchises. These are, by definition, indepenent companies with their own management and workers.
Even though the manufacturer closely dictates how the dealers go about their business, a company is, as I am sure you all will agree, only as good as it's people. I've been both an employee and a customer and have dealt with fantastic people who knew their job inside out and would call customers from home to ensure their needs were being attended to, and people at the opposite end of the scale who errm.., wouldn't.
I suppose my point is, some companies get that yellow and black (or orange, green, red ...) stripe over their door and think that automatically makes their every word gospel . Yes, the have access to all the latest and greatest technical information, but it still needs a human to interpret this and apply it to a customer's needs, and if that human isn't in the building, then it's only a building with a stripe over the door...
(What is a church?)
Wow, I've just re-read this and I sound even more cynical than you. I really should say that I have met many many more good, capable people than bad ones.