Warranty...good,bad and the ugly

So we should forget sound quality, features, looks and now buy based upon warranty and repair services? If the warranty is that important, then you're saying you expect problems with the item right from the purchase date. If that's the case, then why buy it to begin with. A good warranty is a nice to have feature, but not the reason to purchase.

Missioncoonery, maybe I'm reading too much into it, but from the way you wrote the original post, you still have issues with McIntosh. One more time, who was the dealer who took you down the path? Make a difference and put him out of business!

no one's factory warranty covers damage in shipping.

Lets just forget this post..obviously im not making my post clear...

I had NEVER had a piece go bad, with the exception of a power company glitch taking out my amp, until fairly recently.
I bought a CA840c CD player and it was defective out of the box. My DEALER sent off for a new one and loaned me there DEMO for the duration. The 2nd was ALSO a no-go and we cracked the case right AT the dealer and wiggled an obviously loose edge connector back into place. Solved.
Cambridge could have cared less. When I sent them a nice note suggesting using 'shock watch' sensors (CHEAP when bought in bulk) on all single shipments I was blown off.

The 'cynic' view?
1. Some dropouts are acceptable to manufacturers.
2. Let insurance worry about the rest
3. Executive bonuses for large companies depend on profits
4. Some gifted hobbyists who go into business don't know what they are doing. no matter how good what they build sounds
5. Low production volumes are expensive to maintain.
6. If you follow Missioncoonery's thought, you'd better be willing to PAY for it. Bryston is perfect example. Using premium long MTBF components and top-notch design ain't cheap.

Roy Johnson from GMA told me a couple of years ago that the reason he changed his lifetime warranty regardless of owner was due to shipping damages. The speaker's cabinet may look perfect but the inside XO and woofers get jarred pretty good. Bryston changed their's due to some black market units...as long as you have a copy of the original receipt from an authorized dealer, you are good to go for 20 years on most of their products.

L