Do I have to be a wizard to use polymer clay?  Or did I just get a bad batch?

I bought a big block of Cernit online because: a) It’s advertised as being soft and easy to use right out of the package and b) It’s one of the stronger clays when fired.

This block is super hard!  I tried conditioning a small piece for TWO HOURS to no avail.  All I managed to do was to make it a little stretchier, but it certainly never reached a level of “extreme softness” the internet tells me I can achieve.  I tried kneading it, rolling and folding and rolling again, stretching it, squashing it, heck I even stuck it in my shirt for 20 minutes.  NOTHING!

I called Blick (where I ordered it) and they said I could get a refund, but that I have to talk to the product information office first.  I’m going to call them today.  If anyone has experience with Cernit, let me know.  If it is indeed supposed to be soft and malleable right out of the package, I would love a first hand account that I can share with Blick so they’ll approve my refund.