This is what I should have paid attention to:"Sure enough, the very first time using the tripod a tiny little piece on one of the plastic snaps that keeps the legs anchored to the center pole broke, allowing the leg to flop around freely with no bracing."Mine arrived today, nicely packed ... and with that little piece pre-broken at the leg end, not the center pole end.Gee Mom, I'd rather have broken it myself. Needed (note past tense) it for an awards banquet on 31 January. I have great faith in Canon, was gonna put my new Canon digital camera on top of it. I have gambled, and asked for a replacement, not a refund. I neither want nor expect a high end tripod at ~$40. I do expect it to arrive intact, and last a couple of years of infrequent use before it breaks.Keep watching this space! I will report on the delivery speed, and physical integrity, of the replacement.