Hello Brett, We are sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction with the product. Regarding heat retention many surfaces including Trex can become uncomfortably hot to walk on in the hot days of summer (this also includes concrete, wood decking, sand, etc.). Trex Technical Services conducted a heat absorption study on various decking products, including pressure treated wood (stained, unstained, and painted to match Trex colors), Trex, and competitor boards (both capped and uncapped wood-plastic composite). In our studies lighter colored boards were found to be slightly cooler than darker composite boards, and the color of the decking board regardless if it’s made of composite or wood is the most significant factor in the “heat retention” of the board. The study also showed that pressure treated wood painted the same color as Trex was actually hotter than Trex in the same test conditions. With that said Trex recommends always wearing shoes on extremely hot days. Also please remember care needs to be taken with children (especially toddlers and babies) to ensure their skin does not have extended contact with the surface. I hope this helps provide some insight into your concern. Thanks, Tori - Trex Customer Care Team