I think the greatest indication of the validity of the man's complaint was AC's reaction when they were contacted by the CBC: a full refund, plus a $200 credit to boot. Had they really thought they had a leg to stand on, there would have been at least some resistance.
Look, that AC's website (and IT in general) is garbage is one of this board's most established clichés. It should not be the consumer's responsibility to double-check, work around and generally pay (either in time, effort or cold, hard cash) for AC's IT failings. The only way AC will improve anything is if it costs them money.