Allied accepted return of the item and issued a full refund of item cost + sales tax, but did not reimburse any shipping. This is pretty much what I expected would happen. It wasn't a joy dealing with their customer service department.
For anyone buying high-dollar equipment, I would highly suggest Techni-Tool. I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences with them and love my local rep. They will readily wheel and deal with you on pricing and the customer support is extremely fast and responsive. My price inquiries and dealings with Holly usually get responses within the hour and always before the end of business that day.