I tried to salvage enough for a few tries at making a sprinkler, gave up on getting that many and tried with enough for one try, the 4 boxes of parts. It didn't take the parts from me, but I thought it was because I failed. I don't have the required skills, have part of them and thought maybe if I tried often enough I would succeed as happens a lot in other cities, but I tried many many times only to fail over and over. I never thought it was a bug, but I didn't realize if you make something it still doesn't take the boxes either. So yeah, it would be considered using an exploit, I do believe, and should be reported. Go ahead and do that, I've given up on reporting things myself, having reported things to no avail, I quit bothering.