This gets away from the OP, I have always found Phase One's setup a bit odd. No phone support, yes you enter a tech support issue and get a case number but still I have always liked to have to option to speak to someone. And most times they are responsive, being in Denmark and many time zones away.
The dealers I have used in the past Capture Integration and Digital Transitions have been very helpful but as a rule most companies stillhave a tech support line, and dealer support structure. I have no experience with Sinar/Lear/Hassiblad, just Phase One for medium format so I don't know if they offer a person at the other end.
Eric's point is well taken, as many times in the past I tended to lead by forum then go to dealer, however recently I have reversed this path. I also feel location is very key to this issue. With Canon or Nikon or any other 35mm most any city in the US will have a local knowledge base, however with Phase One, you are very limited to hands on learning, hardware or software unless you live near or in the Major US cities. This
more than anything else is what caused me to be forum first dealer second.
Actually the dealer presence on this forum has grown and that is a positive to me.
Paul Caldwell