I know, not only does R/M charge you now, but they also limit you to 5 replacement part requests per year. I found that out when I couldn't make their internet parts order form work and I wrote them instead. I got my part free, but the slip of paper that came with it said any further part orders would cost and I couldn't request replacement parts more than five times in a year.
Its great to see a company have such confidence in their product, but the problem isn't the product its what goes on at qality control and if you've got someone working your quality control that sees it as "just a job" well, anything can get through.
Yeah, AMT's customer service is a joke and a half, found that out a few years back when they forgot to pack the clear parts sprue in my kit. I called them and first they tried to tell me that the kit was out of production and had been for five years, they had no satisfactory answer when I pointed out that the copyright notation on the box and instruction sheet was for the year I was calling them in and the kit showed up as a new release in their catalog that year. Then they gave me the runaround about going to point of purchase (which had gone out of business) when I told them that, they said "just cut the bar code off the box and sent it to us, we'll provide you with a replacement kit" "What are my kit choices for replacement?" I asked "Oh, we'll just send you something of equal value"
No thanks.
Some of the best customer service I've found comes from Airfix. They get stuff to you quick, even overseas. Very sincerely appologize if a kit is out of production and they cant help. I had one kit that had parts missing (1/72 Handley Page Hampden) and they couldn't give me replacements as it was out of production at the time. That note came to me in a big package along with their 1/72 Vickers Wellington as compensation for not being able to help me with the Hampden. I don't know if they still go to such a length as that, but it was a fair trade off with no runaround or increasingly surley "Customer Service" reps when I push for better answers
In defence of the cost factor R/M put in. I know of countless modelers that take advantage of a manufacturer's offer of replacement parts, and ask for extra parts from a kit under the guise of "replacements" when they want them for conversions and there was nothing wrong with the original kit parts.
Its another form of theft and shoplifting and it costs us all.