I you had no steering does that mean you were using 4s without an external bec or rx pack? 4s is too much for the internal one.
If you had a bec then you should still have steering even if the esc is gone.
When I burnt my first quark I received the replacement one 11 days after I first e-mailed them (to Australia). The second one was 3 or 4 weeks from me sending the burnt one to receiving the new one.
I think you've got something there. I thought since the Quark is rated for 5s, I didn't need a BEC. I don't see why the esc would blow, I would have thought the rx would take the hit. Does that mean the internal BEC will fry from trying to regulate the voltage rather than allow an over-voltage to pass?