Since you just bought them, they must be the newer pads so 1st gen. excuses don't apply.

I have blown up two pair of HE-6 by my own mistakes. Both were well out of warranty. The first pair was replaced at no cost, shipping included. The second pair was going to be sent free and I would not accept it unless I paid for them. I was charged $130 or less than 1/10th the cost of a new set. Each set I was instructed to keep the accessories (pads and fittings) and just return the headsets.

If you look at the pads, you can figure it out pretty easy. If the tabs are too flat, bend the tab out so that you can guide them under the groove. If you start the first tab with the pad angled slightly off axis, you can have three of the tabs in position a slight movement to proper alignment. Then it's doing what's shown in the diagram above, slightly bending the last tab under the groove.



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Customer service has been great for me.. they even apologized for not responding over the weekend (which is completely reasonable that they didnt respond over the weekend.)

Hifiman provided me excellent customer service with my HE-400; they graciously were willing to fix the treble problem even though it was outside the global recall period, and covered shipping both ways.
Raven's illustrations were also exactly what helped me swap earpads. It's not easy, but it's doable.
OP have you ever learned a second language before? Non-native speakers of ANY language will find nuances of tone, implication difficult, so be understanding of Hifiman. If it's true you threatened and swore at them, then you should not expect good service. Everyone has a right to work in an environment free of this kind of harassment.

Thank you for the positive comments. HiFiMAN is working on redesigning the HE Series headphones to make them more serviceable. 
 
Peter

Zero problem with he500, hifiman customer service whatsoever . The HE's are built like tanks. Pads are not the best design but won't break after a week use and several removals/reinstallation.
@op, stick with the $10 headphones, they will have better pads and customer service behind them.

tmraven said:

  Yeah something like this-- rudimentary drawing-- is how I fit the last two tabs into my slot.
 

Click to expand...

damnnn, that is some mad artistic skillz right there.
 
the terrible 4 tab design you guys are talkin about... is that what is on the current revision of the HE400? I am a bit iffy to swap out the earpads b/c I don't wanna break em =S

The infamous terrible design was on the last iteration of the hifiman pads.  The current tabs are pretty easy to get on and off.  As seen by the picture I manhandle my pads but so far have not broken a tab.

tmraven said:

  The infamous terrible design was on the last iteration of the hifiman pads.  The current tabs are pretty easy to get on and off.  As seen by the picture I manhandle my pads but so far have not broken a tab.

Click to expand...

I can see from your hand-draw picture that Oh my, you have big hands! ...must mean you have big "ears" as well, huh? =P

I think they're pretty average size.  The cups of the HE-400 aren't that big.