Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Initially, I was quite impressed with this item. However, after 3 months of normal usage, the product slowly stopped opening. I read many posts here, and did all what was suggested, with no luck. This lead me to email the company. Initially, I was given a bunch of steps to perform (which I have already tried multiple times). If these steps did not work, I was to email the company back stating such. I emailed them back and was told the product would be replaced..... Great right? Not so much, I would have to pay to ship the top back, plus pay 9.95 for return shipping. I estimate the total costs of shipping to be approximately 25-30 dollars, if you include the box and material. Well, I figured I'd email customer service representative and explain I should not be responsible for really any shipping charges, or at least cover one way. Below is the email I received, I feel as though it speaks for itself: "Thanks for calling to express your concern. Usually the lid will last at least 3 years under normal operation, but the life cycle really depends on the volume of usage as well as the practice in operation the unit. If someone has ever forced open or close the lid by hand, it will cause the breakage on the hinge or might result in malfunction on the mechanism of the lid. As a manufacturer, we provide limited warranty to our products. Warranty is basically a free repair service and we cover the labor cost as well as replacement cost if the unit is not repairable; however, the shipping is not included under warranty which it's a general practice on the warranty offered by most of the companies." In conclusion, I guess I will be trashing this product and buying something that will last longer. I really did not believe I would have many issues with this product, sadly it was a waste of money.