"Eurocopter truly believe that this problem belongs to the operator and not the manufacturer"
What an incredible statement... no wonder everone slags Eurocopters support.
We had a 427 go AOG recently, parts sent straight away and in Czech with 48 hours, aircraft serviceable next day. It is very hard to fault Bells customer support, but then I have found it the same with most US companies.
What is the support like from Eurocopter USA?