Here is a picture of the Olfa mat I bought that started peeling. After contacting Olfa I was told the mats are not guaranteed and no replacement. It's new, started peeling a few weeks after I bought it, so the new ones may not be made the same way as the older ones. I would think if if was a bad batch Olfa would have at least owned up to it. The customer rep was very defensive and said I was cutting wrong and that was why the mat was peeling. ? No more Olfa mats for me until they go back to being quality.

cutting wrong?????

for pete's sake

I can't believe the rep said that! Did you ask to speak to a manager? If I don't receive courteous assistance I always ask for a supervisor - it helps ;)

I have a Friskars that peeled but it peeled about 4 yrs after I started using it.

May I make a suggestion? I purchased a June Taylor mat and have been as happy as can be - no peeling, no lines left after cutting. The surface is not smooth and the mat, itself, is a bit thicker than Olfa or Friskars, so maybe that's the secret. It was well worth the price - used a JoAnn coupon :thumbup: which then made it 40% off the normal price!

Just my 2-cents.

I have several June Taylor mats, I really like them to take to class and workshops. I like that they have handles on them. I have Fiskars mats and they are great. I have several old Olfa's and they are still going strong.

I did speak to the higher up person, I got an email from Olfa, saying I was cutting wrong but if I would mail at my expense the mat unrolled to them they would send a replacement. The cost of shipping the big mat flat would be more then the cost of a new one. I would think Olfa would want to see the mat and find the problem to prevent it from happening again. I was way wrong.

I'm surprised Olfa won't replace your obviously defective mat. Perhaps you should write a letter or email to the company president and include the pic of your mat. I'd also include who you talked to and what they said. It would be different if the mat was old, but for it to start peeling like that after only four weeks signifies (to me, at least) that it's defective. I'll bet if you go straight to the top you'll get a more satisfactory response.

Edit: I posted this before I saw your last post. I still think you should go straight to the company president. It's worth a try, at least.

That is horrible. I got mine when I started quilting. If anyone was cutting wrong it was me. They should have taken care of you.

I figured Olfa had enough chance to make the matter right so now I will show future customers what problem they may have with Olfa.

What a shame!! And how the heck can you "cut wrong" on a cutting mat???? I've had my Olfa for years and it's starting to show wear but maybe now I won't buy the same brand...

June Taylor mats are available at Walmarts at a decent price. That's where I got mine.

I can't believe they didn't replace your mat! :shock: Olfa used to be known for quality and for great customer service. Evidently they aren't as great anymore. Did they get bought out or outsource their help? :(

Cutting wrong? roflol, does the mat include the directions for the correct way to cut on it? I would be contacting the big wig at the company too.

My first Olfa lasted over 15 years, the second only two and a half. Now I buy the cheapest I can, usually at quilt shows, and if they only last 2 or 3 years, I don't mind. The last one I bought cost €20, and is doing very well, no signs of wear at all after a year.

Let the head honcho know that you have notified the other quilter on this connection and they are passing the information on to their quilting groups. That should get some attention. They don't want publicity.

ha. i'd keep complaining. go higher!
they may not be made as well, but that's not your fault. i've had one for years and years. i have two actually side by side now.

Can you take it back to the store where you bought it? I would rattle the pillars of hell if they didn't do something about it. I think there are well over 3000 members on this site. Do they really want to screw with us. Maybe we should all send them emails & complain about their customer service to our friend.

OMG. I just bought a new one from JoAnn's. My husband had used an exacto knife on the old one I have had for 20 years and had damaged it.

I went to Olfa.com Start here and let them know that you belong to a quilting forum with 3000 members and will be letting those members know how this was handled. Good or bad.

OLFA Customer Service
OLFA Offices - Hours:

Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm EST

Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm EST



Phone:

(800) 962-OLFA (6532)



Fax:

U.S.: (800) 685-3950

Canada: (866) 509-9902



E-mail:

Use our e-mail form.
We will make every effort to answer emails within 3-5 business days.



Corporate Office:

World Kitchen, LLC.

OLFA - North America Division
5500 N. Pearl Street, Suite 400
Rosemont, IL 60018

I was out of town at a store sale when I bought it. It's Olfa's policy that cutting mats are not guaranteed or replaceable. Just remember that when buying a mat.

That is a load of crap. Did you buy with a credit card? Some cards have that clause where if you get a defective product they will make good on it.

Cande, That's the info I used to contact Olfa. Here is the last email I received from them when the courtesy replacement clause was added. lol

Ms ********
I am unsure of why this may be happening to the mat.

From what you have described in your e-mail, it sounds as if channels have been created in the mat. By this I mean that certain areas of the mat have been used for cutting a little more and therefore there are more cut marks within a small area. When this happens, grooves are created (cuts are close together) and then eventually the cuts join together creating a flaking/gouging effect. This is also caused because we do not cut at a perfect 90 degree angle so when multiple cutting occurs in an area we actually create grooves which will eventually loosen off. Although all cutting mats are self healing, one has to remember that the mat only closes the gap created after a cut...it does not seal/adhere itself. We do recommend using the back side of our mats for general purpose cutting (when the grid lines are not required) to help prolong the life of the mat.

Unfortunately our mats do not have any type of warranty or guarantee; however, as a one time courtesy to you I will replace your mat providing you send me the one you are having an issue with.

Once I receive the mat from you I will issue you your replacement.

Please send the mat to the following address:

World Kitchen LLC
C/O OLFA Customer Service
1200 South Antrim Way
Greencastle PA 17225

I have a Fiskars that has cracks all over it from lots of cutting, 1st my mom then me. I duct taped it on the back & marked the grid where the cuts are & guess what. It ain't peeled yet. That can't be true. The only reason I quit using it is because I had put the ironing pad on it & pressed something & it kinda warpped it. But it still hasn't peeled.

Being rough, does that dull your rotary blade faster with the June Taylor mat?

I wonder if it froze, which would make the surface brittle? I've never seen a mat do that.

It peels off in strips like scotch tape when the end is stuck to the roll. The green is very thin. Beats all. I guess I could peel all the green off and have a very white mat. LOL.

It is defintly poor workmanship. May have been a bad batch.

BelaBoo, you said they wanted you to send them the mat. Since it is defective, can't you roll it up & put it in one of those mailing tubes. I don't think it cost a lot to mail.

I've never had a mat peel like that. Just wondering, were you using a rotary cutter or an exacto knife? Some cutting mats are for rotary cutting only.

I have had my Olfa mat for about 15 years and have done tons of cutting on it. It has lots of cut marks but has never peeled. I just assumed that it was the same material all the way through. I have a crack on the edge where I lifted it up whild it was cold and it bend where I had hold of it. I taped over the edge with scotch tape.

I would email Olfa back, send them the image you posted here and ask if you could send a small piece of the mat back instead of the complete mat.

I'd be willing to write a letter to them! My first Olfa mat lasted just about forever. I finally bought a second one and my sister, who was learning to quilt, used it and cut these long furrows in it with the rotary cutter. It was only a few weeks old at that point and I could have cried. Instead I turned it over and made sure not to let her use my mat ever again. (We live in different states so it isn't like it's a big issue, but still!) After using it for many years I bought a third one and that one just didn't seem to last long at all. I turned it over and the back worked so much better than the front. Now I wonder if it wore out quickly due to their not making their product as well as they used to. I now need another mat and I'm just going to buy the biggest one I can find at Joann's with my 40% coupon and not worry about the brand label. If Olfa won't stand behind their products, I'm not interested in handing them my money. PBBBTT on them!!

And of course they don't want us to turn the mat over and use it. That would extend the lifetime of the mat and they'd make less money. Duh! I've never had a single issue with using the back of my mat and it doesn't dull my rotary blades any faster either. I say if the front is getting too worn, turn it over and use it that way for a few more years. Fie on them!

I was just in JoAnns on Sunday and the lady at the cutting counter was telling another customer to buy an Olfa cutting mat. She said she wasn't a quilter, but she heard they were great. I told her that pretty much all the mats at JoAnns were going to give her about the same performance. It was the rotary cutter that would matter most.

I actually bought a fiskar mat two months ago because it fit my table better. I liked the color better as well. :)

I bought a small Olfa one a few months ago and it warped. I have it sitting flat on my table by a window (that is always shut), but it is winter and there is no way it got hot or cold enough to do that. My Olfa (which is about 15 yrs. old) was sitting there too and did not. I figured it was something I did, or didn't do, not the mat's fault, but now I am not so sure.

I wonder... "where" this new batch of mats is being manufactured. Could it be another example of a company out-sourcing a job to a third world country that produces poor quality results?

Lands End's quality clothing is no comparison now that they out sourced. Sizes, material and workmanship changed drastically. On another area of this forum I read a post about the quality of fabric from Kona being of poorer quality for the same reasons.

I guess the old adage of "Buyer Beware" is true. Our only option is to yell loud and use our wallets to send the message. What good is cheaper materials if they are poor quality?

Frankly, it ticks me off!

Olfa wanted the mat mailed flat, this was in a phone conversation before the email. And I would not be paid for shipping (it was my fault the mat peeled).
I only used a rotary cutter, Olfa one, on the mat. Every cut seemed to cut the top layer of the mat, looks like green ribbons.

I'm over the mat situation. LOL. I use it as a mat for underneath my sewing machine. I just won't buy another one.

Another cutting mat question, Several years ago I bought one of those white cutting board tables from Hancock Fabrics that fold up like a Duncan Pfife table. I bought the white cutting mat and the ironing board cover. I do not use the ironing board cover because it is just too cumbersome to keep changing tops but the cutting mat does not seem to like by cutting blades any more. Does anyone else own one and do they just get worn out over time and need to be replaced? It is not in bad shape, it just seems kind of brittle compared to my Olfa mats.

Mine is called a Duraheal made in Japan. I bought it about ten years ago at Joann's and it's still in great shape.

Every LQS worker in my area will tell you (or anyone who'll listen) not to buy the white mats. For some reason they are harder on the rotary blades and will dull them faster then any other kind of mat out there. I'm not sure why but after using theirs during a class, I can certainly agree and have vowed never to use one again. Blades are simply too pricey to have to replace often!

I have an Olfa, and it has never peeled. I don't think I will buy another one after reading this.

where did you purchase your mat?

I was just at Joann's today and was looking at their mats; boy before I even got to the isle they were in, I could SMELL THEM!! Nope, I didn't buy one either.

What's your opinion on the pink and yellow ones (Fiskars) from walmart?

Does anyone have a mat like this? If so what do think about it?

It is a fiskars, yellow on one side, green on the other.

My 1st was a Fiskars. Mom gave me her bigger one. I almost wore the Fiskars out, rubbed all the markings off. HAd a lot of years but still good. I think I would go with it.