Chainsaws

Chain Brake Band Broke... 2nd time

I generally love Huqvarna chainsaws, I own three now, a 460 Rancher, 372xp and my newest, a 550xp. I own 60 Acres and have been doing a lot of clearing, as well as log building and of course I heat with wood (and I live in northern Minnesota). Needless to say, I use my saws all the time, and since I got it, the 550 is the one I usually reach for. I had my rancher for about a year before I bought the 372 and then I just bought the 550 this spring when I decided I wanted something a little lighter. SO HERE'S MY PROBLEM. The chainbrake band just broke on my 550xp after only about 4 months of use! This is not an isolated problem either. About a year after I got my Rancher (right before I got the 372) the same thing happened to it, the chain brake band broke in the same location. I believe this to be a bad design flaw. I understand that I could take my 550 in for warranty service but last time I did this with my 460 and it took the dealer over 2 months to get my saw back to me! That is just ridiculous! I can't wait that long, I need my saw as soon as possible. The dealer also charged me $20 for something I didn't even ask him to replace! I could have bought a new band and replaced it myself for that much.... Anyway, I also purchased this saw from an online dealer so I'm not even sure if the local place will honor my warranty, and I live 60 miles from the “local” dealer! Basically I'm writing this because I don't want to use my saw without a chainbrake and I know I can easily fix it myself if I have a new band. I also know that the band is covered under the warranty and that Husqvarna therefore owes me a new band anyway. I would like to save myself the time, the trip, and the trouble by skipping the middle man (dealer) and just have Husky send me a replacement band and I will install it. I have pictures and my saw is registered. Please contact me via email and I will send the Serial Number of my saw and my mailing address. If anyone in the engineering department is listening, you should really consider beefing up that chain brake band..... it is a very thin piece of metal that has a demanding job.