I'd definitely try it just in case I was unlucky just got someone in customer service who was following the book to the letter. Like I say, this hasn't happened to me with other repair requests with eBay stuff.
(the crash wizard on their website will take you 5 minutes, tops too)
I swear they're getting tighter. They fixed some touring shorts I bought cheap off eBay last year, no questions asked.
This was a full proof of purchase job before they'd even look at it.