I think you were mostly right. It was a customer service issue that left you feeling unsatisfied.
It's the difference between empathy or not. "Oh no! Sorry that happened to you - we'll get you booked as soon as we can! Versus "That's a shame, we're pretty busy but we'll probably get to it...
I recently made an order (Canada) and I understood the difference in the two MIC top prices to be sound-deadening. If you select the cheaper one and scroll down, the sound-deadening box is unchecked.
I'm not experiencing any dead stock in my area. Only a 2 door manual left on the lot and 3 sold...