I would suggest that you not feel guilty about buying the welder over
the Internet....it is here to stay and will be the main method of
purchase in the future. There are many businesses that are learning a
hard lesson when it comes to competitive sales and timely support after
the sales because of changing buying patterns.

The dealer being a factory authorized dealer/repair depot is on the
hook to do the warranty work. Their foot draggin is a thinly veiled
attempt to punish you for not paying hundreds of dollars more to them
for the welder. You may also want to realize that they get paid less
for factory warranty work than for what they charge for out of warranty
shop time. This means no one will fall over themselves to put warranty
work ahead of a better paying job whether or not you had bought the
welder from them. I would have a discussion with owner noting that you
expect the warranty work to be on a timely basis and make it clear to
him that Milller is in the loop as to knowing when and how it will be
done. And just so you don't feel singled out, Miller/Lincoln are having
a difficult time with their support centers because of the transisition
to a more competitive sales environment where the "we've always done it
this way" shops are dragging their feet. As their monopoly of the local
markets slowly slips away (welder purchases on Internet, gas supplies
at Home Depot/TSC), you will see the less responsive shops close.

TMT