The problem I see that Heathkit had was their warranty. There was no way that they could warranty the kit would work and many got frustrated and gave up.
At least the electronics shop that I bought from, which was run by hams when I was a kit, guaranteed that your kit would work good.
I am almost sure that was not Heathkit but the shop.
Anyway, however bad you were at soldering and your workmanship, or your failure to read directions properly they told you what to to to fix the problem.
I built depth finders, a color TV for my parents, a clock radio, a stereo~~~ so many projects. I started with a gift at age 11. It led to my career in electronics for the US Navy as a Civil Servant working on the nuclear subs.
I never built any ham gear as that was before the bug hit me.
As evidence that many would not tackle the kit, think about how many unbuilt kits come up for sale today on the internet. Many amps and transceiver kits are out there today and bring big bucks on these auctions.
I would not want to work the customer service desk today at a kit company as there are too many people that will not read the instructions on their equipment they own.
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