I can't find it now, but I had read an article about the Hoffman Bali Pops where they addressed the sometimes inaccurate cutting of the strips. From what I remember it said something along the lines that the Bali Pops are cut by hand and that they (Hoffman) were aware of the sometimes not perfect cuts but they were taking pride in the fact that they were giving jobs to individuals in poor countries who other wise wouldn't have one. I think that is a honorable thing to do. Hoffman should be immune from the wrath of people who are unhappy with the accuracy of pre cuts. They know theirs are not perfect and have come forward to say as much. However, the other manufacturers pre cuts should be perfect as they are cut using a machine that is computer driven. It happens though and no amount of quality assurance is going to change it. There is no way that the manufacturer could look at every single layer cake, charm pack or jelly roll strip. The manufacturer is always willing to help if you find that you have unusable pieces. Just send them an email or call them.