None of that is an uncommon practice. Many manufacturers have purchase requirements in order for a dealer to carry their brand... from Automobiles to fast food franchises, guns, and computers. In the late 80s/ early 90s (maybe still?) Ruger and S&W would not deal with any distributor who wanted...
Whenever I stop in to the factory store, they always seem to care about their customers... and are super friendly too.
Maybe they just don't like yankees :joyful:
Some folks act like Traxxas is the only company who ever took steps to preserve themselves and their position. Apple computers, in the early days if you wanted to be an Apple retailer, you could NOT price them lower than Apple allowed. If you own a gun-shop and want to be a KImber dealer, you...
You can find batteries on Amazon with TRX connectors, or you can buy TRX connectors and install them on any battery, so I don't understand why the dealer would be changing them before the sale.
If they were replacing connectors and the customer had an issue with their ESC and contacted Traxxas...