Every city/town has at least one or a few independent audio equipment dealers. The first feature is to look for one that has a top notch in house repair capability. These type of places do exist. Many of them have a small inventory of new equipment but may have access to order from a lot of manufacturers. You may find that these type of businesses accommodate customers in a more humane way than the mega operations.
Why are brick and mortar HiFi dealers so bad?
I have rarely found a reasonably decent HiFi dealer and I live in the New York metro area where there are probably more per capita than anywhere else. I've been to a lot of shops and I'm tired of the smug attitudes, the lousy customer service, weird return policies, etc. Friends state that the owners are jaded because people come in and listen to a bunch of gear and then go buy it elsewhere or pre-owned on web sites like Audiogon. If that is the case, figure out a better sales strategy or shutter your store. I've moved onto Music Direct and Audio Advisor and Upscale Audio. Buy it and try it on your own system in your own listening room with a money-back guarantee. If you know a decent HiFi retailer, please pass it along.