Many years ago it was allowed to run for time only, unless the dog had faulted, then there really was no point. The biggest problem was that handlers would drive insanely hard, missing contacts, blowing out of weave poles and knocking jumps. Not only was it ugly, it was not safe.
I agree that it is not the handlers fault if the clock malfunctions, but instead of running for time only, perhaps they could be granted a rerun even if the first time around they had no faults.
Yes, they will likely push harder and may get a faster time but like someone above said, in a double run formatted trial that often is the case.
The handler would have the option of taking a Q and SCT or rerunning and risking faults.
Just my 2 cents knowing the history
Becky