To put this to rest, I reported the problem to Amazon AND bought an official replacement cable within the first week of ownership. Amazon couldn't have cared less. I've worked in the customer service industry and I don't generally have problems getting these kinds of issues satisfactorily resolved. When I quit Amazon Audible (books) and again when I stopped buying Kindle booksthey asked me why, I explained that the charger connection made the using the tablet frustrating. "Okay" was their second response to lost business.
My take is how they choose to handle their business is "their business". Every time someone asks me about my Kindle I tell them the unvarnished truth, that's the part of "my business" that was left to me when Amazon repeatedly decided to drop the ball ("let's use a worthless charger connector, blow off the user experience and save a few pennies", "your Kindle operation is frustrating? OK. Have a nice day.", "you bought a new cable and it still doesn't work? OK. Have a nice day.", "you're leaving Audible?" OK. Have a nice day.", I hope you get the picture