As a former repair center guy, I have a different angle on this.

Dealer agreements usually prohibit online sales, we know that. Many agreements also make reference to your "normal geographic area", so if you sell all your gear in Cleveland, and suddenly sell one piece in Tahos, New Mexico, as a person once said, "The red flags may go off".

Will this be found out by McIntosh? Likely not. That is, unless it ever needs service under warranty. At that time, the original sales invoice must be produced to establish the fact that it was purchased less than 3 years ago, or whatever the warranty period is.

At that point it gets interesting. So this thing installed in Tahos came from Cleveland? How did that happen? The paperwork has to be submitted to Mac and that's when you find out whether McIntosh is serious about their dealer agreements. Heaven forbid the servicer in Tahos is also the same dealer that had this guy for a client and treated him indifferently. He will heat up the phone lines in a hurry.

My main electronics brand is Integra, and I would not accommodate another dealer in this fashion unless I first contacted my rep and the national sales manager, and had their written approval beforehand. Integra enforces their agreements.

As another person said, "We can talk about this until the cows are blue in the face". Reputable dealers who value their brands won't want to get involved.