Buy tubes from Audio Research or not

Not to pile on, but when I tried to retube a VT100 mk2 through Upscale they were rude to me also, but more importantly they were rude to my amp! LOL. Anyway, when I retubed a VT200 a couple of years later I remembered Kevin's, um, "direct"ness and ordered tubes from a Canadian seller. The tubes were supposedly Svetlana SED 6550C's like ARC uses, but the pins were slightly thinner... Anyway, one of the tubes flared, damaging the amp. So while the tube seller was happy to replace the tube, I had to send the amp to ARC for repairs which cost me about $700, mostly for shipping. So, I now have a Ref 3 and Ref 110, and I will absolutely buy my tubes from ARC.

It's funny, I just talked to another tube supplier and I mentioned the experience I had with Kevin Deal. He says he here's that story all the time. He said he wonders how the guy stays in business.

Just to straighten out some misconceptions, retubing the VT100MKIII is a straightforward process that requires no special skills. Retubing the first two models merely requires that you follow some instructions -- or have someone with a little skill do the task for you. It's not a big deal, and it's certainly not a reason to avoid these fine amplifiers. Plus it's not as if you need to retube them all that often.

My story with Kevin at Upscale Audio is that I was looking for some primo 12AX7's for my VAC integrated amp. I placed a order on-line for a 'Platinum' pair of Pope's at $250 each. So he calls me the next day and says my VAC is a tube burner, and not good enough for his special Pope tubes. Funny thing is I've had this VAC for 6 months now, and it has not burned through any precious NOS tube I've put in it. I've currently had Telefunken's running for 4 months and counting....no issues. He was not rude, but basically told me that he was saving his precious Pope's for customers that bought gear from him. My question is then why advertise them to the whole public on your website? If they're not for sale, they're not for sale....if they are for sale, they are for sale. There should be none of this "you can order them, but you cannot have them" attitude.

Life is short, and I don't care to be jerked around. As someone who has over 30 years in this hobby, I have no time for clowns like Kevin Deal. Sorry Thsalmon, but one reaps what one sows.

Cheers,
John

Taters,
In your conversations with Upscale Audio, with regards to the tubes, at any time did anyone at Upscale Audio badmouth ARC or the ARC VT100 power amp?