I've had similar experiences with BladeHQ. I ordered one of their exclusive S35VN Elementums when they first came out. The one I got had a "wet noodle" detent. So I reached out to BHQ. The conversation went back and forth with three different reps. Questions were not answered. There didn't appear to be any communication between those reps. Including confirmation, multiple instances of the same message from them about the strict rules and possible penalties of their return policy, and a complaint from me about the process, there were 19 messages back and forth!
During that grueling process, I reached out to WE in case things didn't pan out. The customer service was top notch. They instantly put me in touch with their US Rep. The US Rep was friendly and helpful. He clearly explained the process and gave me an expected window for parts and service. I was just about to send it to WE's rep when BladeHQ finally came through. I contacted WE's US Rep, who told me that it would be simpler just to get the refund from BladeHQ. So I did.
BTW, I should also point out that my last three orders from BladeHQ were poorly packaged. They were shipped in soft envelopes which allowed the knife boxes to get all crushed up during shipping. One was a fixed blade from Kizer. The inner plastic shell was broken and the tip protector had slipped off as a result. This really irks me because BHQ charges for shipping. There are other retailers that use good, protective, rigid cardboard boxes and ship for free.