Yes, it's kind of ironic that ARC was one of the last companies to establish an online/email contact. You established these relationships with their customer service department because you had a conversation with them and in the process felt like you knew each other on some level. I have only limited experience with their new procedures but at least in my case, so far, the system seems to be fairly efficient. I sent in a 100.2 power amp for a checkup and handled the entire transaction online. They acknowledged receipt of the amp and have periodically updated me on the status within the service department.
In my experience with customer service departments, if their primary communication contact is by phone they usually are not as careful or thorough with their email communications. Likewise if they are using an automated system they are not so prepared to provide technical information over the phone. In the case of ARC they had technically experienced people answering phone calls from customers. Now, it appears then people answering the phone are customer service liaisons rather than technical experts. This is not uncommon and not necessarily bad but does appear to represent a major culture change for ARC.
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