You could say that I have known Stephen for somewhere around 36 years. Your buddy can't call him up, blow smoke for a bit and get free parts. (Trust me I've tried

) He could get a discount with a legit business. Besides ORD has an anti-wrap bar setup that works well. Why would they be testing a new one?
Parts are not tested by any Tom, Dick and harry that calls up. They are run on company vehicles, sold to close and trusted customers and usually pretty well tortured by the time the average everyday customer calls and orders them.
I say your buddy had a conversation with Stephen. What each of them says that conversation was about are two totally different things.