Bar, there is a saying that perfectly fits the situation: "If you want to do something, youll find a way. If you dont, youll find an excuse."
They found an excuse, I found a way

Did they give you alternatives? Again your way might not have been viable.
You are close enough to them the RMA shouldn't take but a day or two max just send it in!
No alternatives were offered. Liam was very adamant over the phone, not even giving a reason why a BTC deposit is not a viable option. He just said: "we are not going to change our RMA procedures" in a way that made it clear they don't want to work with their customers.
Sending it back is a risk I am not willing to take: it can take 3 days, it can take a week. The lost revenue while my machine is offline will never get recouped back from the increased hashing performance. At least not at this stage.
We've all made them rich so it isn't in their best interest to try and please us anymore. They already have what they want ( our money ) and once companies have your money they get compliant.