I received the replacement cooker today.
The new unit has no smell. I can’t smell a thing unless I stick my nose right against the black portion but, even then, it just smells vaguely of rubber and plastic, whereas the smell from the previous one filled the room. So, all good, totally happy with that.
The plastic cap on the replacement unit was removable with some effort (and rubber gloves). After getting it off, I locked and re-opened the cap a few times, and now it moves a bit more easily, so I can deal with it without putting on gloves. Again, all good, I’m totally happy with that. (I also went back to the original unit and tried again to remove the plastic cap and, no matter how hard I try, I still can’t budge it.)
I have to say that my support experience has been very positive. I received the replacement quickly and without fuzz, no questions asked.
BTW, just for fun, I placed both the old and new unit into the same pot of water, set them both to the same temperature, and turned both of them on. The reading for the actual temperature on the two units is identical. No disagreement at all, not even to 0.1 degrees Celsius. It appears that the thermometers are very precise.