Originally Posted by alcjphil

This sounds like a sort of BS reply. They don't address anything about the obvious failures of your chain and fluff you off by not recommending that you degrease the chain without actually saying that the product you used could damage the chain the way it was in your excellent photo. Shame on them for blaming the victim. At a minimum they should have at least sent you a new chain and gained some good will. And guess what? You have already bought a Shimano chain and if it serves you well, may not buy another KMC chain. At the manufacturer's level, a new chain might have cost them less than $5, pretty cheap good will
Your chain cleaning and lubrication regime have nothing to do with the failure mode of your chain and KMC said nothing to claim that it did