All this should come as no surprise to long-term Technics customers. Technics (UK?) have a long history of this sort of cavalier attitude to both dealers and customers. Back in the days of the 3000, they constantly maintained that there were no upgrades which actually existed in the form of replacement EPROMs. Dealers were advised to dissuade customers from enquiring about upgrades.
Hers is a little tale which you may find interesting. A few years ago I ran a User Club for Yamaha keyboards. Although the Club was truly independent, Yamaha recognised it as a valuable addition to customer service. On one occasion they invited my and some members to spend a day with them in Milton Keynes. We were asked about our keyboards and our hosts took careful note of all our suggestions for improvements, some of which appeared in later models. At the end of the day, I was provided with a large box containing 30 tee-shirts, 30 digital watches, and 30 hand-made Japanese fans. All of this with no strings attached.
Compare this with another little story. A pupil of mine was the proud owner of a Technics keyboard with which she entertained many old-folks homes, etc. Her father contacted Technics to ask if they would consider supplying her with a tee-shirt or baseball-cap to wear for her concerts. He was more-or-less told to sod off!!
Could it be that Technics attitude to dealers and customers contributed in some small measure to their demise?
Mike O'R