Disappointing

As of Tuesday morning my Skullcandy earbuds... WAIT. They look just like that. Just like that. The bad guys are in there (pointing anywhere). Thank you Danny Madigan. Thank you. There is a problem with the buds. That problem that seems to occur to all headphones/ear buds I have ever had with enough usage and passage of time, has occurred to my recently purchased new ear buds (days short of 4 months). It is at the jack end, when the sound changes based on the way one flexes the cable. I went to the manufacturer's website and filled in a warrant request and expressed my mild disappointment. The response coming in under the 48 hours given initially as the response time. It was more like 5 hours. Here is the official response :

Hi (insert BOLD field name scrapped from entry form)

Your RMA request #15815 has successfully been entered into our system.

We have received your warranty information and have entered it into our database. Please clearly mark your RMA number on the outside of the package you send it in.\n\nIf you have headphones please cut the jack off the end (the part that plugs into your I-pod, mp3 player), place the jack into an envelope and mail it back to us at the address below. You can discard the headphones themselvs. If you have a defective MP3 player or Backpack please ship the whole unit back to us at the address below.\n\nSkullcandy Inc,\n1441 W. Ute Blvd Suite #250\nPark City, Utah 84098\n\nPlease feel free to contact us directly with any questions regarding this warranty claim. \n\nSincerely, \n\nThe Skullcandy Team\n\nP.S. YES PLEASE CUT THE JACK OFF THE END OF THE HEADPHONES!

Sincerely,

The Skullcandy Team

Okay. I believe I remember reading somewhere that cutting the end off the ear phone was standard procedure. (please someone correct me if I am wrong)

Okay :

You're sure now?


P.S.A YES PLEASE CUT THE JACK OFF THE END OF THE HEADPHONES!

Okay :

I know I paid significantly less for these earbuds than I did for the previous two (Shure and Westone), but its been only 11 weeks. It wasn't that much of a difference. Sadly, the timing is infinitely bad as well. My magnanimous transfer of my previous headphones (also twice repaired, but half because of product design) has left me with the dreaded iPhone earbuds. I think they were made for hobbit by hobbits. You have to have short arms and large ears to appreciate them. The buds require the ear canals of Andre the Giant. Most of the time they just keep popping or slipping out. The enjoyment is further diminished by the length of the cable. It is short enough that when I hold it in either of my hands it keeps popping out the earbuds. So I am reserved to wearing shirts with pockets (and looking slightly ridiculous) or wearing a jacket, and a jacket in 80 degree weather is torture. So it will next week before they receive the snipped jack and probably at least another week to get a replacement, not to mention the waste of some cabling. Makes you wonder about the quality. Anyway, I dread the 2 week exile into auditory purgatory. Maybe when I emerge, the hardship I walk away from has somehow strengthened me. Something, something.