Look, I'll be the first to say that LBS's for the most part have pricing that is at times ludicrous. But with that does come the expectation that service goes with it.
I just bought a new Gary Fisher. I had a choice of buying it from an LBS at MSRP, or another LBS that was $70 off. First LBS offered free tuneups for life, second offered a free after 30 days. I paid the extra $70.
As it turned out my bike shipped from Trek with a mismatched rear wheel. LBS called on Friday, filed a warranty claim with Trek, and paid to have a replacement wheel sent overnight, It was in and installed on Monday. Trek handled it well, the LBS was great, and I'm a happy cyclist. To me, that $70 was well spent. It's all in how you perceive it and what you expect.
eBay? I expect to recieve what I bought. I understand that any issues are probably going to be mine. ANY manufacturer makes mistakes, but in this case we're dealing with a specialty part on a 2 year old bike.
Several years ago I bought my son a pro-level BMX bike. He shredded the matching seat right around the same time it went to the next years production. The LBS didn't have it, and Specialized said it was no longer in production, ie: unavailable. Does this mean I should be a Specialized basher? Far from it, I have three in the garage. These things happen.
-Roger