From my experience - nearly 40 years horticulture - companies that ARE reputable, caring, good, etc do NOT require you to send things back. Over the years I have learned my lessons and realized that in every case that I dealt with that REQUIRED you to send something back, the company sucks and their stuff is poor quality. A couple of companies out there require you to not only send back the plant, but also send back the original shipping label.
BTW, I agree that those cuttings were way to small. Even I with my minimal knowledge can see that.