Wusthof Wood Block and Steel

It's supposed to be free, and it's poorly made!
Let's start with the fact that the box this is packaged in says "Your Gift with Purchase" in big black letters. Where I come from, that means this is a giveaway item when you buy something else, and the 79.99 "value" they base the $39.99 selling price on is completely arbitrary.

Now that I've established that this is supposed to be free, therefore couldn't possibly be worth $39.99, let's discuss the product's quality.

The seams where the wood pieces are glued together(we don't expect it to be one solid piece of oak) are uneven, and no attempts to sand them down have been made. There is glue on the sides of the block that apparently dripped out when the pieces were put together that wasn't cleaned up and is now a permanent part of the block. It just won't come off.

Then there is the putty. Yes, putty. In the places where the wood wasn't whole, or there were knots or other imperfections, they slopped wood putty into the spaces. Not smooth, filled, color-matched putty, but...

Wüsthof should be ashamed!
Well, I could not believe my eyes when I opened the package from Amazon. My girlfriend said she would not keep even garden tools in the knife block.

I will start with the good part though. The steel is a nice made-in-Germany piece (which can be had in Europe for about ten-twelve euros).

Now the bad part: considering the price amazon sells both items together, the block is valued twice as much as the steel. I do not like to use harsh words but the only word that could describe this block is 'junk'. Made-in-China no-quality-control-whatsoever junk in a knotted ordinary plastic bag. It is made from poor-quality wood and it looks like it was 'stored' outside in the rain for a month or so, then broken apart by throwing it into a wall and glued back together by a blind one-handed man in a hurry. Don't get me wrong, I am not talking about the fact blocks are made from pieces, the one I received was literally broken apart and glued back.

Now, I do not know what to do: return this to...

Exactly what I expected
It's a shame when people rate products based on the defective example they received. Sure, consistency in workmanship is a consideration, but don't think bad things don't happen in transit.
That said, I really like this block. It is exactly what I needed and I couldn't beat the price (free with purchase of 3-peice starter set). And, it HOLDS MY 9-INCH BREADKNIFE, as well as the 3-peice starter set and steel. It came to me in great shape and feels solid. It's a lot heavier than I thought it would be. I plan to add kitchen shears and leave the other 3 slots open for knives I decide I need later.
The only thing missing is a place to put steak knives. You'll need a separate steak-knife block or a larger block to accommodate steak knives. I'm single and don't need many knives. I gave four stars instead of five for the small size that may not work for many people, and as stated above, the lack of space for steak knives.
: )

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