I have an accuquilt cutter and a lot of dies. I have really enjoyed my cutter and the dies have worked very well for me. I think there is a learning curve to using the cutter and dies. That being said, I have found the Accuquilt Co. very good to work with and the customer service has been very helpful for me. Please don't give up on your new purchase, try the things that have been said also see if you can get new dies to replace those that are not working. My advice is to start slow and cut two or three layers of fabric. Please be sure to position the fabric correctly I didn't do that to begin with and I really had a mess. That fabric went into a scrappy quilt instead of what I wanted. However, since I now position my fabric the correct way I have been very happy and I love my cutter and dies. I cut more with the cutter than my rotary cutter. It has simplified most of my cutting needs. Good luck and let me know if I can help you. PM me if you like.