SME,respect for the customer

yes, this does, indeed, manifest excellent customer service. what makes your case particularly remarkable is the fact that the postage incurred likely cost much more than the value of the metric allen key, which could have been purchased for about 50¢ at an auto parts or hardware store. 'course it's better for resale to have the "whole original sme kit." -cfb

I went through a similar experience with the same company. Earlier this year I purchased a new SME V tomearm. During setup I discovered that the "standard" mounting screws were not long enough for my "thick" armboard. I checked the SME website and discovered that a "long" mounting screw set is available. I sent a note to SME requesting pricing and shipping information. A week or so later a small package containing the long mounting screw set arrived from the U. K. in my U.S. mailbox.

And.........People wonder why we pay seemingly large sums of money for audio equipment. :-) Doug

Doug, it's not the case with all hi-end manufacturers, unfortunately! My own customer-service experience with SME has been superlative too; in the old days, I had sent them a check in advance for an extra part for the V (i.e., nothing was missing from the kit - I needed something extra). I duly received the part AND the check in a week's time with a thanking note!

Funny how there are companies that totally stand by the consumer (Classe and Conrad Johnson are exemplary for this) while others just don't give a darn (I had a short in a Kinergetics/Chiro subwoofer amp just a few weeks after the warranty expired... sent it for repairs, they charged $100 labor to look at the unit, full shipping costs and then told me that the unit couldn't be repaired... the kicker is that the amp probably cost about $200 to manufacture).