Not good enough, Ernie Ball...

[Oljetter]

I have used Ernie Ball acoustic strings since 1981. So far no major gripes, until yesterday when I bought a set of Hybrid Slinky Bass strings from a local dealer. Once installed, I found that the D string (.65) had a winding imperfection at approximately the third fret . This is in the shape of a sharp bulb like thickening in the string which renders the string unplayable in that position.
I am not a happy camper as I am booked for a gig tonight and this is what's awaiting me - a dud string.
At the price of these strings one would really expect better from Ernie Ball. What more can I say? Bad experiences lead to moving on to different brands. In 45 years of playing music I have never encountered anything like this.

 

[Fro]

This is your first dud string you’ve ever seen in the 40 years you’ve been using Ernie Ball strings?
And because you bought your first dud string, out of all the Ernie Ball strings you bought in 40 years, you decided to never buy another Ernie Ball string?
I’m guessing your single aren't you?

 

[beej]

Have you tried contacting EB and letting them know, and resolve the issue for you? That's why they have top-notch customer service folks.