Hi, this is McKenzie from Simpson Strong-Tie. We appreciate your feedback and are very sorry your experience with our APA21 was less than ideal. The APA21 is considered a light rafter tie with DF/SP loads at 200 uplift and 120 F1 directional loading. Depending on your application an APA4 or APA6 might better suit you needed load requirements. We know that's frustrating and want to help. We ask that you reach out to our Customer Service team at 800-999-5099.