There is no comparison between a car and a $200 fishing reel.
Besides, when you buy a new car, do you look under the hood? Get on a creeper and check out underneath? Examine the brake pads to make sure they're new? No...I doubt you do, because there is a certain level of inherent trust between the customer, dealership, and manufacturer.
I'm pretty sure he played with the reel before he bought it anyways. He might have missed Quantum's mistakes, but in the end, they are Quantum's mistakes...not his.
This argument is like blaming a girl for getting assaulted because she was wearing a short skirt.