To be fair, that is the model most tech companies operate on. That is how Returns work with SnapAV
Most model trains are produced in limited quantity. They sell out quickly with very few spares left (try to get spare parts from companies like BLI or Scale Trains). Yes, tech companies which sell electronic devices produce large product runs, have plenty of spares, and consider their products as throwaway items.
Model RR manufacturer a tech company? I wouldn't think so. As I see it, they operate on rather tight budget. Sending out new models to replace defective (or slightly defective) models seems unlikely to me. I recently found out that ZIMO actually replaces some components on defective DCC decoders. ZIMO is more of a tech company than BLI, yet they bother to actually fix those highly integrated decoder boards..