Second hand xpole xpert. Unable to set it up

I recently bought a second hand xpert pole powder coated (not sure if tht is relevant). It came completely taken apart... Even the bottom pole was taken apart. I put it bk together, I figured I did it correctly as the parts can't go together any other way. When I extended it to fit in, the cover part at the bottom rose up way too much. I took it down and removed the base and reassembled the pole again and now it won't extend at all. Please help guys. I am freaking out! Thank you