Lots of comments and experiences on this thread. There are several points thast emerge.
Firstly, engineers seldom make good business people. There again neither do accountants.
Secondly- and something we can all agree on- the woman at Theoben (the person I christened the Daystate Sales Manager)should never have been employed to pick up the phone or anything else for that matter. She was truly appalling and Ben and Dave must take the blame for not sacking her at the end of her first week. If they wanted a 'gatekeeper' to shield them from idiot callers they should've employed someone competent to do the sorting. Whenever I had cause to ring Theoben I always asked for the other lady by name and she always gave me top notch service.
Thirdly, covering the period of BTAS, it is unfortunate that any warranties given in that incarnation cannot be exercised or enforced. However although the odd item got through the bulk of the work done there was of a high standard and the guns involved are still working fine. After all, air rifles even precharged air rifles, are not all that complicated and most issues can be solved by other people. This is not an excuse but a recognition that people retire and businesses go bust or cease to trade.
Fourthly, covering the period when Ben worked at Milbro, people on here should be aware that Ben certainly had important family issues to deal with and it is fair to say that his mind was elsewhere some of the time. Again not an excuse but a reason. The Metisse is a case in point. I recall the advertising blurb saying it could operate as a PCP and a CO2 powered gun when it should've been stated that it could be set up EITHER as a PCP OR to run on CO2. To anyone disappointed that you couldn't just switch your power source I ask-why on Earth should you want to operate a quality air rifle with CO2? It beggars belief and yet I recall quite a few comments regarding this as selling the gun under 'false pretences'. Perhaps it was but who cares? Surely no one spending a grand on an air rifle was expecting to run it on CO2 bulbs? Perhaps some were but I've yet to meet one. Anyway the Metisse was a commercial failure so anyone owning one is in line to make a good profit from a scarce item.
Ben was a gifted engineer who had faults. At least he left us something really good to remember him by. The Rapid was and remains a superb air rifle capable of giving many years of great service. For that we should thank him.