WOW, I have 4 lamps made by them and never had a problem like that occur. Can you take it back from where you bought it?? I had a problem with the standard Ott bulb not fitting into the lamp. Customer Service told me I need to buy a special bulb that would fit that lamp (which was also very expensive and could only be bought directly from them). My best friend who can fix anything looked at both lamps and just drill out two small sections and now I can use the standard Ott bulb.