At the end of the day, it's about customer service and customer relations.
**My TenTec customer is THEIR TenTec customer.**
Professional repair facilities track fail modes, part usage, etc. I would think Tentec does this ( hopefully, anyway).
Very often there may be a known issue which eliminates the need to troubleshoot, since doing so would be like reinventing the wheel. The manufacturer ALWAYS has better information and insights into THEIR products since it is a much bigger pool of information.
**Most manufacturers will check that database for a shop working on their equipment.**
...and yes, I do give basic advice on the phone from time to time.
Parts availability is a big issue as well.
Why? It looks better for the manufacturer if the customer has the option to have the radio repaired locally. It seems like the manufacturer still cares about the customer after the sale that way. Better for future sales.
On the other hand, if the company is a real uncooperative hassle, nobody will take the equipment for repair and the customer will have buyer's remorse.
These are the facts as I see them. This may be part of the reason why they are struggling.
Now they know, will they change?
So, to summarize, you are upset with Ten Tec because you called for free technical advice, and didn't get it.
You say you expected a professional courtesy, although there is no way for anyone to know if they knew you were a professional.
You claim that they should have, or have access to, a database of shop(s) working on their equipment, with no information (other than your opinion) that said database actually exists.
You don't know what parts, if any, they currently have in stock. Are you aware that the previous owners, RKR, before selling the remnants of the company to N8WFF, liquidated the bulk of the spare parts and NOS inventory? That Mike didn't buy a working firm and simply have to pick up the keys, but has had to build the company back to a functioning entity? It doesn't happen overnight.
There is no evidence that the company is "struggling." They simply haven't fully re-entered the Amateur Radio market yet, but they are succeeding in other markets, and the profits from those other ventures is what is slowly funding the return to the Amateur Radio market. The man has a plan. You may not agree with it, and it's certainly taken him longer than he had anticipated, but it is happening. Or was until the pandemic shutdowns hit Ten Tec like they hit just about every other firm in the country, to one degree or another.
I'm sorry you didn't get everything you felt you were entitled to. But to slam the company and question their existence because you didn't, well, that seems excessive. Par for the PFC course, but still excessive.