You are right on target, John.
If I have a problem with a widget I purchased from some vendor, I gotta take it up directly with the vendor.
Most assurredly, I can't use someone else's space in the newspaper to tell the world about my side of the experience.
The best I could do is talk to whomever will listen--e-mail, regular mail, telephone, whatever, but I can't expect anyone else to rpovide the venue for me to speak--responsibly or otherwise.