Need help - LS-32-01 is behaving strangely

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

About a month ago, I installed a Seimitsu LS-32-01 in my bartop (so it's not like I've been abusing it for a very long time), today it started behaving in a strange way: first, it kept registering up on and off for no reason at all; nothing I did changed anything, then it suddenly stopped doing that. (The bartop is connected to my xbox360 via a padhack, is it possible it has anything to do with a faulty pcb?)

Then I noticed that left-down doesn't register properly when I move left and then left-down or when I move down and then left. I took a closer look at the micro-switches (haven't opened the stick up yet, though) and it looks to me like the switches register a bit too late - I have to really push the stick  further than usual for left-down to register.   

So, does anybody have any idea what's wrong? Do I just need to switch out the microswitches or should I swap the stick for a new one? I thought that Seimitsu sticks were of the highest quality & I can't imagine them breaking after just a month of use... unfortunately, I've had it lying around for a year before installing it, so I don't think the shop where I got it will give me another one in exchange for the old one...