I understand that vendors failing to live up to their side should be brought to light in a courteous manner but sometimes that isn't an option.

I've had a few run-ins myself where the polite and tactful approach got me a "sorry you are SOL" email in return. Only after I smeared their name across every forum I cared to post it on, did they finally honor their warranty and make good on their product. We all know of companies skimming on product quality knowingly only to increase their bottom line. To me, these types of companies don't deserve the tactful approach.