Kashrus Alert!!! Replacements.com

Mimisinger

Thu, Aug 21 2008, 11:30 am

happyone wrote:

Replacements has many items that are brand new as well. You can call them and ask if the original labels are intact. If you get a decent person on the phone they'll actually inspect each item for you.

From the website:

Can I specify that I would like only "never used" china?

Since we inspect and grade each piece for quality before it is inventoried, we do not separate pieces based on new or previously owned status. Rest assured that any piece you purchase from us is fully guaranteed and comes with our 30-day, no-questions-asked return policy.

Meaning, everything is all together and there is no way to determine what is new or not. They are only guaranteeing that it's in good condition.

Mimisinger

Thu, Aug 21 2008, 11:33 am

I'm sorry. But you're very holy to deal with this. Those who would rather just pretend it's not a problem etc. are the ones with the real problem.

When I was over my sil's house for shabbos, she was doing something that I thought was usser. I didn't want to say anything because a) the embarrassment factor and b) she's much more learned than me. Anyway, I said something anyway, she asked her dh and she couldn't do it anymore.

I was apologizing right and left, because it's not such a huge deal and I was embarrassed, etc. Anyway, she said, "what, I should do something usser on shabbos instead? I follow halacha, that's it." I thought that was very holy.

tovarena

Thu, Aug 21 2008, 12:11 pm

I know...it is a matter of doing the right thing vs. doing the easy thing. It's funny because in DH's single days he used to do some mashgiach work, and as a result he has a very keen eye for things like items without hechshers and whatnot. We have been in plenty of homes, even rabbonim, where he noticed an item that had no hechsher (usually things that used to have a hechsher but didn't anymore). By and large, when he very carefully points these things out, it's usually very appreciated.

The good news is that I just spoke with DH and while we'll call the rav when I get home, he really believes that this is going to be a case of sfek sfeka. Since we don't know if they were buying used dishes 8 years ago, and even if they were, we don't know if the dishes we got were used, and add in the financial burden, hopefully it won't be a problem. Sigh...better to know and ask - at least my mind will be put to rest.

Motek

Thu, Aug 21 2008, 1:08 pm

amother wrote:

Why would you want to use someone else's dishes? I would rather have cheaper dishes than expensive used ones? I never understood how people bought on ebay used baby highchairs or things like that.

Take a look at the "Taking Clothes" thread in Misc. Wink

Raisin

Thu, Aug 21 2008, 1:15 pm

Motek wrote:

amother wrote:

Why would you want to use someone else's dishes? I would rather have cheaper dishes than expensive used ones? I never understood how people bought on ebay used baby highchairs or things like that.

Take a look at the "Taking Clothes" thread in Misc. Wink

Well, obviously people do not buy second hand dishes etc for kashrus reasons. but other stuff - some people are not made of money. Strange, but true. Some people would rather spend their money on tzedaka and tuition then on brand new stuff that they could get as good as second hand.

Amother, you ONLY ever eat from your own dishes that only you personally have eaten from? What about at peoples houses, weddings, etc? Do you have seperate dishes for guests, and yourself?

Starhavah

Thu, Aug 21 2008, 1:33 pm

Mimi. Thank you so much for the alert!! It would never have occurred to me that replacements.com had used stuff. I thought it was all new overstocks and discontinued stuff. I am sorry you learned this the hard way, but thanks for the warning.

Mimisinger wrote:

I called our Rabbi about this. He said that was a kula by Rav Moshe Feinstein that had to do with Baalei Teshuva who had already had the dishes and it would be a huge financial loss for them. So he doesn't think the kula holds by us because we're not suffering a huge financial loss. additionally, I asked about dishes from grandparents who weren't kosher. He maintained that the kula wouldn't cover that as well.
Ask your LOR

Wow. The Av Beis Din in Boston allowed me to keep my grandmother's dishes that I inherited (actually my mother "bought" them with her share of the inheritance and gave them to me as a surprise). Although, they did have sentimental value, I could not afford to replace them and they were stored for more than a year. So maybe all three together made it ok. Anyway, ask your LOR since sentimental value figures in for some Rabbis at least.

Star Havah

tovarena

Tue, Aug 26 2008, 11:53 am

YAY! So after MUCH back and forth with our rav and a shabbos with plastic dishes, our dishes are mutar! Cheers

I don't yet know the halachik reasoning that went into it, but I was a very relieved person when we got that phone call last night. Phew! Mimisinger, thanks for brining it to our attention!

sky

Tue, Aug 26 2008, 12:39 pm

Mimisinger - I didn't understand from your post if you could still return the dishes.

If you cannot you could try self cleaninign them. My mother once left her set of Mikasa in the oven while self cleaning and they came out very burnt. She washed them off (it took a bit of work) and they really look as good as new (accept for some black spots on the bottom).

Its an idea if you are stuck with the dishes.

sky

Wed, Aug 27 2008, 10:02 am

Mimisinger wrote:

Oh, he said the only way to use these things would be to reglaze them or put them
in the oven to self-cleaning, but I think that would ruin the china.

I only wrote it because she said she could put them in a self-cleaning oven to kasher but that it may ruin the china. It may - but it may not. If the dishes will be a loss anyway it may be worth trying. It is a lot of work so maybe it is not a help ?

mumsy23

Wed, Aug 27 2008, 10:37 am

tovarena wrote:

YAY! So after MUCH back and forth with our rav and a shabbos with plastic dishes, our dishes are mutar! Cheers

I don't yet know the halachik reasoning that went into it, but I was a very relieved person when we got that phone call last night. Phew! Mimisinger, thanks for brining it to our attention!

I'm pretty sure that batel be rov applies to this case.. I think I remember learning about it sem. The exact example was if you treiffed a fork and it accidentally got mixed in with your other cutlery and you had no way of knowing which was the treif one- I'm pretty sure Rabbi Bulman said that in that case you do not have to do anything.

tovarena

Wed, Aug 27 2008, 11:12 am

mumsy23 wrote:

tovarena wrote:

YAY! So after MUCH back and forth with our rav and a shabbos with plastic dishes, our dishes are mutar! Cheers

I don't yet know the halachik reasoning that went into it, but I was a very relieved person when we got that phone call last night. Phew! Mimisinger, thanks for brining it to our attention!

That definitely may be part of it. Apparently the final issue was even more complex than that - our rav learned it with his rav and said his head was swimming. But DH learns with him on Wednesday nights so hopefully we'll get a complete run-down tonight.

Mimisinger

Wed, Aug 27 2008, 12:01 pm

Thanks, we were able to return the dishes. I didn't want to self-clean them because they have a silver band on them that would melt off. And, I don't know how to reglaze them so I couldn't do that either Smile

Emee

Wed, Aug 27 2008, 7:54 pm

I just wanted to add that I also ordered from replacements and the first time I called I asked them if there was a way to tell if the items were knew or used and the woman said is it for kosher reasons. I said yes and she said okay in that case I can look in our warehouse and let you knwo what we have that is new. And when we ordered from them the glasses came with the original stickers it even had the name of the origianl store that sold them.