There’s also the possibility that the filter was installed with a dry gasket and someone with hams for fists deformed it by really cranking it down tight. I’m still leaning towards a double gasket.
The problem is that they’re the ones who apparently have removed it and if it as double gasketed do you think that place is going to admit to it? Not in a million years. There’s a lot of money riding on the cause so it’s much easier and cheaper to say we didn’t do it.
If the lube tech sees oil all over the place and removes the filter to find 2 pooched up gaskets guess where one of them will disappear to…
This “my techs don’t make mistakes” should be taken with a grain of salt. I’ve worked for 5 dealers and one independent shop over the decades and I’ve never seen a mistake free shop; even one that was staffed with nothing but top line mechanics. I’ve made mistakes myself although granted never anything that led to the loss of an engine.