I heard a while back that the Bali Pops had the same problems, some were cut crooked, etc. The company claimed that it was because they were cut out of the country where the quality controls weren't in place. I have never purchased a Bali Pop due to that information.
Good luck with the solution and I advise you to keep at it, even though you have already cut some of the strips, I would go all the way to the top to get resolution!