Offering to replace the item lets the company know about the situation, and they might be able to use it for advertising.

I'm not being cynical here (imagine that!) -- offering a replacement is an excellent way to keep updated on what worked, what didn't work, and possible improvements.

Few companies are bright enough to figure that out (now I'm being cynical).

Good idea! And I'm glad to see that Doug is right on top of things... as usual.

Sue