So, the telephone tech support is about what I would expect (I mean, if the guys on the phone were really top-notch experts, wouldn't they be working in the field?), but the support that is available through the local rep can be outstanding.
I think this is the crucial point. Only the most altruistic engineer would wish to make a career of answering technical questions if they had the option of actually applying their knowledge and expertise.
It's my guess that tech support phone-answerers don't command a premium salary in any company.
And I suspect that they must develop a level of cynicism toward the people that call them, as the majority of callers probably express their problem as ambiguously as the majority of problem posters on this site.
I was told not to give up the 'magic', so the company would get the service calls.
If I were to diagnose to the chip level the company I worked for would not get a board repair.
I have/had a problem with that, Yes the company I worked for signed my paycheck, BUT, I felt that when I working on-site that I was working for my customer. strange dicatomy.
I STILL don't know how the phone tech service people could wrap themselves around every problem.