Hi Lennier,
Yep, had the same response from both Smiths and Kobo.
Currently got an open issue with Kobo asking if these "scratches" are a fault or whether I have just been unlucky with the several I have had/checked.
All I wanted to know was if it was worth my time trying to find a good one.
Strange, but they have stopped answering me
It's been over a month from my original email.