Sounds like the situation with my first pair of cycling shoes. Bought some Diadoras that would take SPD, SPD-SL, or Look style cleats. Started out with SPD pedals and there was no problem.

When I upgraded to a Look-style knockoff from Nashbar, for whatever reason, a couple of the bolts weren't long enough. I just took the bolt to Lowe's and got a longer bolt of the same size and ground the tip down to the proper length. Sounds like that may work for you as well.