Kevin, I'm certainly not going to argue with your experience. What I do find disturbing is that a lot of folks would bash a manufacturer for every glitch it can be blamed for. I own mostly Futaba & Hitec equipement plus the occasional JR (Expert) servos. Just recently, hordes of people have bashed Futaba to kindom come for a 9C software bug as well as some really frivalous cosmetic imperfections. Never mind Futaba has acknowledged the bug early and invited any owner finding fault with their radio to send it in for free service.
Likewise, Hitec has been similarly responsive to customer complaints. I think if one has sent in "defective" equipment for service and gotten none, then one has a legitimate reason to complain.
Also, people need to understand that these new digital servos and programmers run on firmware, and as with anything software related, bugs are an inevitable fact of life. Living on the cutting edge and chasing after the latest and greatest do have its drawbacks, no?
I bought the 9C right as it was introduced, and so I end up with one that has the software bug. Oh well, one of these days I'll send it for a chip swap. I accept the risk that comes with chasing after the latest and greatest.
Think about it this way on Hitec: does Futaba, JR or any other maker sell a servo programmer? NO!!! The fact that Hitec has an aggressive new product intro campaign may mean some products get pushed out the door with a little less than perfect testing, but it also made a lot of people happy to be able to do something not otherwise possible - program digital servos.
I don't make excuses for either Futaba or Hitec. They both did screwed up on some instances, but I don't remember any company that hasn't produced poo-poos at least some time in its history. The RC business is a cutthroat one, and the pressure to produce/innovate faster and cheaper sooner or later will get even the best of them.