"Her response reminded me of a victim in an abusive relationship. "

You hit the nail on the head Marie. These are people who are emotionally invested in Woo and feel dependent on them. In their minds they need Woo and therefore will accept whatever comes their way.

It's like an abuse victim getting smacked in the face and then being grateful later on when their abuser apologizes. They quickly forget the smack but remember the apology.

I think the minds behind Woo feel this sense of power and therefore act in this totally illegal way and abusive way because they believe they have the control here. Just like an abuser feels control over his victims. If they believed they would be held accountable then they would never be smacking their victims around in the first place. That's why abusers typically don't start smacking their victims around until after they have gotten control over them.

In their minds they must believe these people are not going anywhere so they can do as they please and just backtrack if, and when, the outrage gets a little too strong and then apologize, as in this case.

They keep control by making people afraid of turning against them and losing the very thing they need, their products. Just like a batterer makes their victim feel they cannot financially survive without them if they go and report them to the police.

It's about creating a dependent relationship and then exploiting it.