Tobibrocki

Yeah, I heard of Bosto's bad Customer Service, seems to be that a bit of luck has to be involved when purchasing their devices as some on YouTube seem to be quite happy while others aren't. Sucks that the 22HD didn't work for you, they don't seem to do much Quality testing of the devices, just package them and send them out, cutting costs at every corner. Couldn't they at least replace the Unit to a working one if they didn't want to give you back the cash? =/
As far as Manufacturers for Cintiq Alternatives go, Huion and Monoprice seem to be having the best customer service from the bunch with Yiynova also somewhat in the boat. Who knows, maybe these names will one day be on the same page with Wacom, but with the difference that it's about good products for less money.

Coming back to the Wacom's Cintiq though, to be honest, anything lower than 12" is to small in my honest opinion, 13" is already borderline for me in terms of surface space (get's a bit difficult to do finer details smoothly without zooming in for example, noticed that just yesterday while coloring something that will hopefully be finished soon, when zooming in, the paint wasn't everywhere in the corners or along the lines), if anything Wacom should lower the digitizer quality from 2xxx pressure levels back to 1xxx (if that helps to make it more affordable), reduce the fancy rubber coating on the thing (that dirt and stuff seems to stick to like glue) etc. but not the screensize and resolution, a "Cintiq Basic" for under $500 would be a real kicker for hobbyists like myself! All it needs to be is be of a good enough quality to last several years and be all around solid and practical, it's a tool afterall, but off course it shouldn't look like something cheap, you have to see it a lot when you work with it, might as well give it a nice smooth design. ^^
Wacom could pull it off if they wanted to do it, but I think, as long as the 13HD exists it most likely won't happen, but they could always gradually lower the 13HD's price tag as the years go by, slowly turning the 13HD into the affordable unit hobby artists always wanted.

I'm not sure if I'm correct here but I think the Companion seems to be a standalone device, not like the Hybrid that can be also used as a Cintiq on a Desktop PC if I remember correctly. You might want to look that up if you plan on hooking it up to a PC too!

Also, glad you liked the Chibification! ^^

PS.: I have actually four serious complaints when it comes to the Cintiq 13HD, I thought it would be good to let you know about them:

1. Cursor Jump Issue: Yes, it happens to me a lot, I try to reach a small menu point at the screen bottom in photoshop and when I reach the last few pixels of sensitive screen area, the cursor will diappear from the bottom and reappear at the screen top, if I click in such a moment I drag the program out of "maximized" window mode which is really annoying. It also happens when scrolling with the cursor, suddently I scroll in the opposite direction because the cursor has jumped to the top because I reached the screen bottom. This happens only when pressure sensitivity is active, if you use it on the desktop or in a browser it won't happen. =/
I made this quick image for Wacom's Forums so that I could give them a idea of the issue:
 

2. The Stand is flimsy and pretty bad, setting it up is annoying, I would've preferred it if there was a metal stand you could order from Wacom that can be angled via the push of a lever or button like with other Tablet Monitors.

3. No Screwholes or attachement to mount the device to a Monitor Arm!! You have to cobble something together yourself if you want that.

4. Cable is pretty thick and short and it comes out on the side which can get in your way pretty easily. Wacom should offer a longer cable and a "corner" connector that you can rotate and/or twist so it is out of your way, this would be very helpful if ones desk is small.

That's all the things so far that I have noticed with the Cintiq 13HD, great device, but not perfect. =/