Sounds like something suspicious may be going on. However, depending on the distribution scheme, it may not be GimmeDigi causing the problems (though there should be some type of quality control process before an item reaches the end-consumer). Either way, no point in speculating, though something is pretty "off" with latrine getting a prototype RB.
I purchased Cato and Eva both through GimmeDigi. Neither were hatched and there wasn't anything that made me feel as though the box and/or item had been tampered with. (Unless Cato not smelling strongly of paint is a sign he received airing out somewhere?)
Both their batteries came relatively fully charged. Eva's was fully charged and when I received Cato I only had to charge for about an hour.
I will say that the PleoWorld Profile does not work for Eva. It rejects her serial and security code, so maybe I'll consider contacting them in a few days to ask about that. And there is no "sticker swapping" going on (at least from the obvious looks of thing) and the sticker and foot do match.
The only "tampering" would be that Eva is on the next firmware up as she does not go into the sleep position. But, this comes back to the whole operational scheme - is Eva just "fresh off the line" so she's updated or was she removed from the box and upgraded along the way?
Ultimately, I have not had any negative experiences from GimmeDigi.
Side note: For those of us who are particular about correctly spelling company's names, it is GimmeDigi not GimmIeDigi.