Why I Will Never Again Purchase Any Pfaltzgraff Product

My husband and I purchased two boxes of Pfaltzgraff "Taos" dishes in 2011 from Kohl's. It took us several years to notice that some of the dishes were not, in fact, microwave and dishwasher safe. I found this out slowly because sometimes the dishes would go through the microwave and dishwasher just fine, and sometimes they would burn my hand after being in the microwave, or come apart in my hands as I removed them from the dishwasher. For example, I sustained a blister on my index finger from grabbing a plate that had been in the microwave for 120 seconds (two minutes) at half power.

The back of the plate where the dish that is cracking from the middle
outward claims to be microwave and dishwasher safe.

In 2015 a plate broke in half as I was taking it out of the dishwasher. I don't mean it fell from my hands and shattered on the floor. I mean I reached down in the dishwasher, grabbed it, and half of it came up in my hand, while the other half remained sitting in the dishwasher. Later, a mug handle broke off the same exact way. When I examined the break, it's a clean break that fits right back together. It was then that I began noticing that some of the dishes were cracking from the middle outward. It wasn't happening with all of them though. I surmised that one box of the dishes that we bought was microwave and dishwasher safe, and one wasn't. 

On the left is one plate that is beginning to crack from the middle outward, on the right is a closeup. The crack looks vertical, but actually it's emanating outward in an X shaped pattern, but the intersecting crack does not show up well in pictures.

I took these concerns via email to Pfaltzgraff immediately, noting the differences in quality and the burns I had sustained from removing some of the dishes from the microwave, and made sure to include pictures of the cracking plates. I never got any response. I continuously checked my junk mail to make sure it hadn't been marked as spam, and sure enough, nothing. I then took to twitter and again received no response. Finally, after stating my concerns on Facebook I got a canned response that was identical to every other person's Facebook complaint, "Hi (name), we're sorry for your experience and want to make this right. Please call us at 1-800-999-2811."

I couldn't find my exact post, but you can go to the Pfaltzgraff Facebook page by clicking through the post below. The response they left Sara Ann is exactly the same as they left me. Also, have fun scrolling through the scores of other dissatisfied customers with similar horror stories about so-called "microwave and dishwasher safe" products including rusty flatware and plates with completely cracked finishes and mug handles that come off in your hands.

Hello Pfaltzgraff.I received one of your flatware sets awhile back and recently broke it out to use them in my new...
Posted by Sara Ann on Wednesday, November 18, 2015

It took me from November until now (February) to make the time to call them. (Why do they have other customer service outlets if they are just going to force everyone to call?) After spending a significant amount of time on hold (seriously, I literally had time to clean out my closet while listening to their godawful hold music) I spoke to a very pleasant and determinedly unhelpful representative who informed me that because the dishes were five years old, the only recompense they would offer is 30% off replacement dishes. So, no, they really don't care to make it right, despite what the social media intern is stating on every single complaint.

This mug handle cracked cleanly at the top and bottom and came off
in my hands as I went to take it out of the dishwasher. 

I was particularly not impressed with the offer of thirty percent off dishes that may or may not be microwave and dishwasher safe. I asked her if five years is the standard lifetime of Pfaltzgraff dishes and she said no, but since no one else had had problems with this line (seriously, no one?) they wouldn't be offering me anything more than that. I said no thank you, I think I would rather just resolve to never again purchase Pfaltzgraff brand dishes than to spend more money on dishes that might burn me or fall apart upon being removed from the dishwasher. She didn't offer to let me speak to anyone else, she made no excuses and basically said, I'm sorry, that's all I can do.

This is the same mug as in the above photo showing how the handle is completely broken off, but cleanly, because the ceramic split before the handle came off.

What did I expect? Honestly? If it were my company and someone contacted me with this issue, I would ask the dishes to be sent back to me so I could test them, and then I would send them two new boxes of thoroughly tested new dishes. The manufacturing stamp on the back says "China" and we all know the level of quality of the products produced in China. It seems clear to me that one of their factories was using inferior materials. 

I will be pursuing the possibility of making a complaint with the office of the Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, since it seems obvious to me that Pfaltzgraff is selling products that are not what they claim to be and in fact could be injurious (through burns sustained and cuts from broken dishes). This surely constitutes some sort of fraud. I will be certain no Pfaltzgraff dishes ever end up in my house again, and I hope you will think twice about spending your hard earned money on a product that used to be a very good quality brand name.