Did you register the card? Sometimes they'll do sneaky stuff like that, for example with XFX you have to register the product on their site within 30 days of purchasing it to get the lifetime warranty. If you don't do this it the warranty is only 1 year I believe. Always have to read the fine print.
Anyway glad to hear they're at least sending you a replacement fan.
edit: Sounds like you did, and even if you didn't, if it's within the 1 year warranty period there's no reason for them not to rectify the situation. That's just bad that the guy you talked to was so uncooperative.