Sandra and Owen couldn’t believe that they stained their new Gourmet Settings flatware just by washing it with mild soap. Disturbed and worried about the rest of their 40-piece set, Owen wrote to Gourmet Settings asking for advice. He didn’t expect the company to respond by dishing out such deliciously honest and helpful customer service.

Sandra writes:

Our former flatware situation was pretty dismal, albeit design-y and pretty. Each piece was heavily weighted on the handle, so whenever resting a fork on a plate, it would be a guarantee that it would fall on the floor. (a pain when having company over!) The search for new flatware was vast but we ended up going to Bed Bath and Beyond, which had some great affordable choices. We chose to buy two sets of Gourmet Settings’s “Non stop” 20 piece set, so we would have 8 complete settings.

We were quite pleased with our purchases – we loved the design. However, immediately after hand washing our new flatware (we do not own a dishwasher, unfortunately), with Method hand soap (very mild), and air drying the set, two of the teaspoons and one of the dinner forks went discolored in several spots. The fork got the worst of it, spotting over the majority of the surface into dark grey patterns. We tried to scrub the affected spots with a soft nylon brush, even resorting to try to scratch the spots off with our fingernails, but it was clear that it could not come off – some of the spots seemed almost burned into the flatware as if we threw corrosive acid on it.

Concerned that about the fate of the rest of the sets of flatware, we decided to contact the manufacturer regarding the issue. The back of the Gourmet Settings packaging was of particular interest – they gave a number and an email, and to specifically contact Jane. This was almost unheard of to us – printed right on the package, talk to Jane if you have a problem? Okay, so we filled out their online “contact us” submission, and outlined our problem.

I just purchased two sets of your non-stop 20 piece (28-501) from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Although I love the design, immediately after hand washing with method dish soap (very mild) and air drying two of the teaspoons and one of the dinner forks went discolored in several spots. The fork was particularly bad, with large sections of the surface area turning a dark grey color that wont scratch off with a fingernail or scrub brush. Please advise. Thanks for your time,
– Owen

Gourmet Settings responded within day.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention.

We do offer a replacement warranty against manufacturing defects and will be happy to replace your flatware.

If you can send me some digital pictures – one of your receipt / one of the entire 8 place settings and a few close ups showing the defects- to info@gourmetsettings.com

Please include your full name / address / phone number etc. – we will take care of it and let you know your options for new flatware.

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Jane

“We followed her instructions, set her the photos, and again, within a day, got an email back….”

Good morning Owen,

Thank you for your information and photos. I’ll arrange to have more flatware sent to you from our WA warehouse. Please allow for up to 10 days for delivery ( either by UPS or FedEx ground service)

I’m sending you the Non Stop pattern – but from another batch of product – it’s actually a 65pc set/ service for 12/ hostess set. You should have no issues with this particular set.

If you need more information – please don’t hesitate to let me know. Thank you for allowing us to make this right.

Best Regards, Jane

“We were completely blown away by this- we were just expecting a few replacement spoons and forks, but they definitely went above and beyond with their response to the problem.”

Hi Jane,

Thanks so much! My fiancee and I were heartbroken when we finally found a nice modern pattern that suits our style and it discolored. The design is really top notch.

It is a rare treat in this day and age of chat bots and automated service phone lines to get such excellent, personalized customer service. You made my day!

I will be sure to recommend your products to everyone who will listen.

Have a great one 🙂

– Owen

Hello Owen,

Thank you for your kind words….. they are very much appreciated.

Our thoughts are that we’re only selling knives and forks – how hard can it be to make sure our customers are happy?

I appreciate that you’re willing to give us another try – I’m sure you’ll be happy with the new set… but know that you can let me know if you do have any issues or questions?

Enjoy!

Best Regards,

Jane

Sandra concludes:

Well, Owen and I are definitely happy, and wanted to share this amazing example of a company that has stellar customer service, the integrity to make up for their mistakes and stand behind their product. I highly recommend their products (no more falling flatware!), and am now a Gourmet Settings customer for life! Gourmet Settings is a Canadian company, maybe a few American companies can take note?

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