brake light problem

Every car is different I guess. After replacing my switch, I had no brake lights at all. After a lot of foul four letter words and then some thinking, I found I had to tweak the metal rods even on the brand new piece. Using two needle nose pliers, I bent the ends away from the plastic in order to make better contact with the contacts on the inner piece. Someone else wrote that the stuff from China is junk, and now I have to agree. On my 69 swinger, jumping wires at the connector at the base of the steering column quickly prove the wires and grounds were good. Had to be in the switch and contacts.