I had the same thing happen to me but within weeks of buying it so I complained and they sent me a replacement.I used to own the L'Occitane branded Plisson synthetic. While the tips were very soft, it irritated my skin when splayed during regular use. Also, the knot came unglued from the handle pretty early on. So it was a dud for me, unfortunately
Now that you mention it, if I splay it, I do find that it irritates the skin so I only splay when starting out to spread the cream, other than that it’s most side-to-side brush strokes. I thought that would be the case with all brushes. But you are suggesting that’s not the case with Wald.
Hope they offer a more traditional handle, then I may be tempted to get one and try.