In my case I have purchased products from companies that have a "direct to consumer" distribution model; but I definitely researched their pre-sales support and their repair models.
+++1 for Alvin Chee and Vinshine Audio (Denafrips distributor in the US). Before I ever bought any Denafrips equipment, I reached out to Alvin to ask a bunch of questions about different products. He answered every single email within 24 hours even though he is in Singapore, and they were well thought out, answered my questions directly, and gave me honest feedback on which products were worth the extra cost....and even which ones were not. I now own Denafrips: Iris DDC, Pontus II DAC, Hades pre-amp, and Thallo amplifier.....and could not be happier with my decisions. Denafrips has a US based repair center in Texas, so no need to ship faulty equipment to China.....though I've never had to use that service.
I'll also add Buchardt Audio in that category. Before I purchased their speakers (I own a pair of Buchardt Audio S400 MkII speakers), I sent emails to Buchardt asking questions about service and repair and asking advice on speaker choices. I received several responses from Buchardt, including a couple directly from Mads Buchardt himself. Each response was received within 12 hours (even one over the weekend), and I felt were honest and direct. PS: Buchardt speakers punch WAY above their price point IMO. They have a 45 day trial period, but I knew I was keeping those speakers within a couple of hours of having them set up.
Since I am willing to use a direct to consumer distributors, the pre and post sales are extremely important. I have also not purchased from some distributors, because I could never get a response...even after several emails. I'm dealing with such an issue right now. I'm interested in purchasing an audiophile quality passive switch box (2 amplifiers in, 3 speakers out), and found what I think is the perfect product. So far no response to 3 emails over a 2 week period of time. Crickets