I'll let James chime in with details, but they are boxed up in the Axiom factory after Axiom does a QA. This pair obviously slipped through the cracks.
I've seen it before, where especially with loudspeakers they pass final inspection, then are boxed for the warehouse or shipment to the customer.
The problem arises in the boxing; whether it's a change in humidity or temperature, or just one of those things, but the plastic wrap or other boxing components ... styrofoam, cardboard, etc. ... generate a problem when in contact with the speakers. They get shipped and don't reflect the pre-boxing condition upon unboxing.
It's important that the manufacturer is contacted, which is the case here, since the problem is usually easily addressed by a change in procedure, maybe as small as waiting an hour or two longer before factory packing.