In reply to Kai:
My devices (2 Micro Juls and 2 Mega Juls) all were from the 1/13 or 2/13 batches.
I've already returned them to my local Edelrid rep (Scarpa N.A.) and they are replacing them with devices from the non-affected batches.
Hoping for better results going forward, as I really like the performance of the Jul devices, other than the faulty wire. (And the Micro Jul is the only device that really works well with my super skinny Edelrid Flycatcher ropes.)