Yeah, it has been a pretty bogus deal. I know there were some furniture and appliance dealers offering the same thing in the midwest. I always looked at it as too good to be true. The hoops you had to jump through to get your money back were nearly impossible. Plus, it was all tied to an annuity so you had no guarantee how much, if any, of your money you'd get back.
Master did push it pretty hard, but I think some dealers for other brands did it as well. They just did not have the mfg pushing it.