Didn't expect so many replies so fast, let me make a few points here.
I urged him not to buy Norinco, he is just getting into the sport and isn't going to drop top cash on an expensive AR.
Yes he should have review the stores return policy however I have never seen a local gun shop treat a customer with such blatant disregard.
The Warranty is not offered by the store, it is a 1 year warranty offered by the distributor.
Yes I am aware that with warranty issues owner always pays shipping however this was a KNOWN DEFECT that should have been rectified before these even went to the shops. It is not a case of a firearm breaking down it is a case of NS co. not doing their job to make sure these springs were swapped into the firearms going out to their wholesalers.
Also, NS said they can't say for certain it is a spring issue and they require the entire firearm to warranty work on it.