Hi
I am sorry to hear you are not happy with the poles. We sell hundreds of pairs of this model per annum, without any problem. You would have been welcome to call us and we could have advised and/or directed you to helpful videos.
The twist lock on the bottom section can withstand up to 60kg of downward pressure, if tightened correctly
To make the poles small enough to fit in the travel bag provided, you simply pull the poles apart and they fit neatly in to the bag with a total length of only 45cm
Once again, if you had just given us a call, we could have advised accordingly