I was one of the Rockets KS backers. I sent my Rockets to Andy 8-9 months ago for a warranty claim. My Rockets had a Nashville vacation, lol and were at the factory far longer than I was told the turnaround would be. I sent them in because I started hearing crackling quite often (not consistently) in the left monitor. After getting them, it took longer for Andy to check them than the two days I was told. A week later, he told me he couldn't find any issue after supposedly checking the IEM's top to bottom, and he suggested the possibility that maybe it was the device I had them plugged into (i.e. like a broken sound card, driver that needed updating, etc.). When I replied back with confusion and explained that it was happening in every device I owned (i.e. laptop, MP3 players, iPhone, stereo, etc.), something in what I said apparently clued him into rechecking the jack. In the end, he found an issue where the jack needed to be replaced and wire connection (presumably to the left driver) repaired. The repair itself took another 4 weeks because the workers who do the overmolding for the jack were way backed up with jobs. From the time my Rockets arrived, I'd say it took like 8 weeks until they were checked, rechecked, repaired, then mailed back.
However, since I was nice and patient, Andy tossed in some free eartips and brushes when I asked him if I could pay and have them shipped back with my Rockets to save on shipping -- he didn't ask me for a dime, and there were a bunch in the box, along with a spare waterproof case that I didn't even ask for. The fact is, I think this Andy guy has a lot of jobs at the factory (based on his company profile, mentions of his work during the KS campaign by Dale, etc.), and the warranty turnaround is also partly dependent on other factory workers too. Apparently, there isn't one warranty unit with a few workers that 100% handles claims and repairs like at other larger headphone brands. Dale's factory may be pushing out Fender branded products these days -- but I doubt their team has grown much more. That probably puts even more stress on this Andy guy. He's really nice, but I wish there'd be three or four people helping him! Again, I'm just supposing here!
Point is, if you didn't get yours back yet, they will return -- at some point. I know it's tough to be patient when you're not getting replies. Maybe he's on vacation or just has way too much to get done. I love my Rockets. They are my most used, everyday pair of IEM's. I hated being without them for so long, but they were worth the wait. The day I got them back from Aurisonics, my ears were like "Ahhhh, that sounds and feels good!" They've worked beautifully since. Try to get back in touch with him. If all else fails, I could try digging into my inbox for another contact email I had for another staff member who was very responsive during the KS campaign ,if she still works there. Let me know.
