I think that forums like this have leveled the playing field between vendor and buyer.
In the old days the big bad vendor from far away could beat up the poor little customer who really was pretty much powerless to do anything about it.
Now with forums like this to air his grievances, the little guy has a lot of leverage that he never had before.
Any company that hopes to remain in business and maintain or enlarge its market share is going to do its best to avoid negative publicity.
So if you have a problem, it's to their advantage to meet you at least half way.