Despite having placed several previous orders with R&S including having a customer number, they insisted that: "Per our main office in Germany, could you provide us with an official document like a W9 which shows the company name and address?"
I brought this to the attention of the rep that had previously taken my orders & was told they would check on it. No one even had the courtesy to get back to me.
What these companies may not consider is that the little guy with a lab in his basement works for somebody - and maybe that somebody buys a lot of stuff.
In the last couple years my employer has spent close to a half million USD on test & measurement products. The majority of that business went to Keysight with the rest to Tektronix, Anritsu, and Viavi (Aeroflex)
Sorry, R&S, but if I am not good enough to do business with - why would I recommend your products to my employer - or to anyone for that matter.