Well after a long battle Akona decided to back their product. It was a struggle but they finally came through. I ended up getting a store credit at my LDS where I purchased it. I wish that this had been a smoother experience. I have a lot of Akona products and have generally been happy with the quality. The main issue in my case was an immediate dismissal of the issue and me being blamed. In the posts above it became very obvious that this was a manufacturer issue. In any case they have done what was right. I do appreciate the fact that this is over. The end....