Ipod chargers breaking down?

The charger for my Ipod Touch stopped charging last night – the red light still came on but no charge came through. Tried to see by twisting it if maybe there was perhaps a loose connection, but to no avail.
Worked perfectly for 14 months.
Ive since heard from a friend that the same thing happened to them and they now have 2 just in case it happens again?
Are these things not built to last? From reading other stuff on the net it doesnt seem to be uncommon for them to fail.
Whats the Flutherites experience?