Although I am sorry to hear about your issue with Aqueon, I have a positive note to pass along...
About a year ago, I was given a tank that included a 300 watt heater that was not working. Even though I did not purchase it or have a receipt for it, they sent me a knew one. Since then, I have purchased another 300 watt heater from Aqueon based on the professional handling of my situation. I hope there is not a general problem with the heaters since all three of my tanks have Aqueon heaters.