They probably only said that you had to buy another one if you wanted it sooner than the time it would take to return the defective one, have it evaluated (a day or two), and then ship back the replacement. If you are not in a hurry then I'm sure they didn't expect you to buy a second item.
It is unfortunate that even when a defective part is going to cost a company tens of thousands of dollars in lost production for each day the replacement is delayed during the return for evaluation process, it is the customer's choice to either wait for the evaluation and determination of warranty status or buy another unit to get it sooner. That's the way it is due to the thousands of times that a product was damaged somehow after it left the factory or supplier and the customer just didn't want to take responsibility for the damage that either they caused or to file the claim with the shipping company that might be responsible, if it was sold F.O.B. shipping point. Or as StephenB pointed out the customer is given a replacement and then never gets around to returning the defective unit once it is removed.
To combat this abuse factories or suppliers simply have you return the defective product for evaluation before they commit to giving you a replacement, at their cost, under warranty. If you need a new unit sooner, then you have to buy one to hold you over during the evaluation process. If it was a washing machine from Sears they would also want you to commit to a $40 - $75 service charge for the service technician to come out and tell you if it was under warranty. Or you could take the washer to their service center to avoid the field service charge - your choice.
Simply returning it for a refund after it is found to be defective, in effect returning the replacement unit, will likely result in a restocking charge and you won't get a 100% refund. If they accept a return at all.
Have a great holiday Chris !
