You know... for some reason I keep thinking about this problem. I'd venture to say that your rod rubbing on the crank case is a fairly recent occurrence. I really doubt it could have been doing it from day one. Here is why:

1- It had to make noise or give some other sort of indication.
2- Metal pulled off would have migrated to other areas and caused damage. Maybe this took out the bearing?
3- In order to make a mark, you have direct metal to metal contact. This means no room for an oil film and would have generated intense heat. This in turn would have cause the rod and crank case to eventually seize to one another, especially after 30 flights.

Regardless, Hobbico has some pretty good customer service so they'll hopefully take care of it.

Do you have pictures of the old bearing? Do you see pitting or flattening on the balls or races? any evidence of it locking up and the crank spinning in the inner race? When bearings are dry they will feel a little sloppy and noisy. They need an oil film to work properly. They can also be stained in a glow engine. I've seen people condemn perfectly good bearing because of this. Since your new sealed bearing is packed in grease, it won't fee sloppy or noisy.