I feel your pain. My first set of Motorola blister pack GMRS radios would not work across my living room. Not a fault of GMRS. One, or both of the radios were DOA. Replacing them solved the problem.
Still, hand-held radios of any ilk, especially with factory rubber duck antennas, are not very efficient for distance communications. If I may suggest, consider replacing the rubber-duck antenna with an after market antenna. If you are operating from inside a vehicle, consider an external window mount or a mag mount antenna stuck on your vehicle roof. Operating a hand held with an antenna inside a vehicle greatly reduces your effective range.
One final thought. Sometimes it isn't the distance, it's the landscape. Buildings, hills, etc. all affect your range. Sometimes moving to another location, preferrably higher, might help. Sometimes just taking your handheld radio upstairs makes all the difference.
