The issue with the defective core books seems to be a highly limited occurrence, with perhaps a few score books out of the full first printing being affected. There are four copies of the SR5 core book in my household, all from different segments of the print run, bought at a combination of GenCon, online, and flgs purchase. Also, the copies present at all 14 game stores in my area are free of this defect (I suggested that the owners/managers check their stock for this defect upon arrival because of the posts here), to the tune of roughly 50 books. Replacement stock obtained recently (and most likely from the second printing) have also been in excellent shape when checked.
I would suggest, Gardensnake, if you have a local store you buy books from, that you ask if it would be alright for you to inspect the book before purchase so you can check the spine and binding yourself. If this isn't something it's possible for you to do, I would still suggest that there is a far less than 1% chance of your getting a faulty copy, especially now that stocks are well into the second printing in most places (particularly online sources).
As for the lack of a forum response from a CGL or Topps representative, it has been suggested that this could very well be due to legal concerns or restrictions. Such things often require that all involved parties agree to only communicate directly with one another regarding the issue in question.