Lagostina review with an open letter to Lagostina regarding truth in advertising with Chinese made products promoted as “made in Italy.”
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A Lagostina Review – An Open Letter to Lagostina: Shame on You
Edited Oct. 2020: I’ve had to remove all the screenshots of the 1 star reviews, however, you can easily find them on Amazon. Questioning the fact that there are so many good Lagostina reviews? Maybe this is why.
Dear Lagostina,
It’s time for us to part ways.
When your PR company first contacted me to work together, I was over the moon. Lagostina, the Italian company with a reputation for quality, Italian-made products, wanted to work with Christina’s Cucina. I was totally on board because I thought our brands were a perfect match for each other. We had so much in common: high standards, a reputation for quality, and our Italian backgrounds.
If it wasn’t for my mother’s Christmas gift to me, who knows when I would have discovered the truth. Lagostina is no longer Italian, and most of your products are not made in Italy. Although, the biggest issue for me is that your company is not clearly presenting this information on your website or other retailers’ sites.
The discovery
My mother says I’m difficult to buy for, so when she saw how much I loved my Lagostina pots and pans, she bought me an entire set for Christmas. However, it was upon opening the box that I spotted (in tiny print, on the very bottom of that massive carton) “Made in China”. I cannot adequately express how I felt when I saw those three words, not to mention what my mother’s face looked like when I uttered them out loud.
Cooking rapini before I knew this was made in China.
I’m not alone: the typical Lagostina review.
I knew we were not alone in feeling deceived after reading several reviews on Amazon’s site regarding your company’s products. Below is a recent Lagostina review, and the reason for my choice of words in the title of this post. This customer’s explanation and why she is upset is exactly how my mother and I felt. I think Lagostina should truly be ashamed of this deceitful advertising practice. (Note: I disagree with the reviewer on blaming Amazon as they cannot possibly oversee every single product on their site.)
Since opening that box of cookware, I have spent a lot of time researching Lagostina’s US website and have yet to see the words “made in China”. When I first called Lagostina, I informed your representative how disappointed and upset I was, but there was no apology. I asked him if they could replace the Chinese made items with Lagostina’s Italian made counterparts, but he immediately refused, stating:
“They are not defective.”
Perusing Amazon’s Lagostina reviews gives a different viewpoint, and it’s rather shocking, to be honest.
Keeping vital information from consumers
The next day, I spoke to the Lagostina representative’s supervisor and explained my situation to her. She did have a response to the fact that most products are not made in Italy. She informed me that “Made in China is printed on the box”. I pointed out the fact that there is no box to read when ordering online. To this, she had nothing to say.
The verbiage on Lagostina’s “About” page, clearly leads the reader to think that your products are made in Italy. If you go to your website, see the photo at the top with the “made in Italy” stamp on the cookware? I would hazard a guess that after reading your “About” page (see the photo and text below), most people would come to the conclusion that Lagostina is an Italian company making solely Italian-made products. Sadly, I now know that this is not the case.
My mother had called Lagostina before I did. She explained that she had bought a set of Chinese made cookware for her daughter who was promoting the products as “made in Italy” on her website. Their response? “As a writer/blogger, she should have done her research.” How can one come upon information that is non-existent, or not clearly conveyed where one would think to find it?
The Lagostina Company is no longer Italian
There isn’t a significant difference in price between the Italian made and the Chinese made products, either. Actually, on Amazon the Chinese made pastaiola pot is about $5 more expensive than its Italian counterpart. It’s simply unfair not to inform your customers where your products are made. In fact, I just recently discovered that Lagostina is no longer even an Italian company:
“Groupe SEB (a French company) include All-Clad, Krups, Moulinex, Rowenta, and Tefal. According to the Groupe SEB website. They have faced considerable competition from low-price Chinese competitors, but have managed to maintain a constant sales level. A large proportion of their product lines are now manufactured in China.” -Wikipedia
I met my friend, Marie, for dinner the other night and she told me she had spotted a Lagostina pan at her local TJ Maxx recently. She remembered me telling her about the Lagostina brand, so she purchased it. However, she informed me that she immediately put it back in the box in order to return it when she spotted “Made in China”!
Lack of transparency continues
My contact at the PR company was also surprised to learn that most of Lagostina’s cookware is made in China. Luckily, she was much more understanding of the situation I was in. She agreed to send one of my giveaway winners an Italian made piece as a replacement. The PR rep also sent me a pastaiola pot that is actually made in Italy.
My number one priority is being honest and forthright with my readers. Now that I know that most of Lagostina’s cookware is made in China, I have no choice but to pass on the information to my followers. I also don’t like feeling as though I was purposefully misled. It is an understatement to say that from my perspective, Lagostina’s reputation has been tarnished.
I felt compelled to write this letter as a Lagostina review. Your customer service representatives seemed to not want to hear what I had to say, and I needed to let you know. I do hope that it has some sort of impact in the way that Lagostina (US) presents products on your website. Online customers researching on what they think is an Italian company’s site have the right to know where the cookware is manufactured–before the box arrives at their home bearing the words, “Made in China”.
Sincerely,
Christina Conte
To My Readers ~
I apologize for the Lagostina review posts that I wrote last year informing you that the cookware was made in Italy. As you can see from reading this letter to Lagostina, I had no idea that most of the pieces were made in China. Lagostina’s Heritage Collection is their only cookware line that is still made in Italy (at the time that this was written).
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Nice to hear that some people out there are offended by a brand advertising italian quality buy made in China. Nobody cares anymore because we are so used to seeing “made in china” . It’s a pain in the ass but I use lodge cast iron for most my cooking. I also have an all-clad. Yes maybe companies should be more upfront about where there products are made but hopefully the result is the consumer paying more attention to where things are made.
I wouldn’t say anyone is “offended”, it’s false advertising we’re upset about, and I’m not sure “nobody cares anymore.” Cast iron is fabulous, and once seasoned properly isn’t really a pain. It has health benefits, too.
I agree, companies absolutely need to be more responsible in clearly stating where their products are made.
I have a set from Lagostina – One of the pots is peeling and they refuse to replace
How Do I go about this ?
Any help is appreciated
Hi Ateka, I would suggest going through your credit card company if the place you bought it won’t help. Sorry to hear this happened to you, too! :(
I have never been so dissatisfied with a product.. after four uses . The pitting and discolouration is awful. And they will not accept returns for refunds. I have essentially wasted over $300. Shame on you Lagostina.
So sorry to hear this, Stephannie. Try going through your credit card company. With documentation of the date of purchase and damaged items, I bet you will get your money back. Let me know if you do! Good luck!
Thanks for this. I came across this article while shopping for a new set of cookware. I will avoid Lagostina now. Super disappointing and thank again for clearing this up
Thank you for writing this! I was just looking this morning for a few more pots. I bought my first ones about 15 years ago, and I love them. I will be very careful or look for another brand when purchasing today. I wonder if this is the reason William Sonoma stopped carrying them.
And a second thought…
If your set was purchased from Amazon, are you absolutely positive the pots you got aren’t a knockoff?
There are plenty of sellers on there that sell junk in convincing packaging for just a few bucks less. I just about got caught in that trap last week when I was shopping for replacement cutting wheels for my Fiskars rotary cutter… convincing packaging… almost.
Yes, 100% positive it was not a knockoff, it was made by Lagostina and customer service confirmed it.
Lagostina Hammered Professional Stainless Steel Cookware Set, 12-Piece.
I bought these Professional 12- pc Stainless Steel Hammered Pots for my Wife as a Surprise.
She loves cooking so much .
The Hammered effect is Breathing Taking and she loves showing her pots of to our Company after our Awesome Meals .
The Hype about these Magnificent pots were Grand but once we tried them out, to our Surprise, everything stuck to the bottom off the pans/pots.
I would NEVER RECOMMEND this BRAND to Anyone.
After contacting the Supplier about these Problems Pots/ Pans.
The Supplier would NOT Do ANYTHING for us as they were on Sale the Supplier stated.. ❓
I paid almost $499.00
(on Sale) For the PROFESSIONAL LANGOSTINA 12-pc Set.
Very, Very DISAPPOINTING:(
A Waste of $500.00
Michael B
Did you try putting the purchase in dispute with your credit card company (assuming you bought it using a cc)? I hope that’s still an option because you just have to prove that they are bad quality (you can use my post as evidence, too) and I bet they will side with you! Good luck, Michael. I’m sorry you were also duped :(
I bought my first Lagostina set in 1991 and the sales clerk was kind enough to advise me about the difference between “made in Italy” and “designed in Italy” aka made in china. In 2000 when I was shopping to replace the set I no longer had, I did notice the above advisement and acted accordingly. Just this past week I borrowed a stockpot from a neighbor (whom by the way always “buys the best”) and sure enough it was Lagostina. When it didn’t work on my induction cooktop, I looked at the bottom and it was stamped Lagostina Italy, but when I looked at mine it had made in Italy as well as a list of functional uses.
It’s unfortunate that you had to learn about this the hard way, and I would have been none the wiser and just as upset as you if that clerk hadn’t educated me, but I also don’t think it’s entirely fair to put all the blame on the company, after all there is very little truth in any advertising, which is why the term “buyer beware” has been around since the inception of commerce. (And that goes triple for on line shopping).
Take care
I disagree, Christina. If you go to Lagostina’s website, it is set up to clearly dupe the consumer. It’s called “truth in advertising” and just because a lot of companies don’t promote their products clearly and honestly, doesn’t mean it is okay to do. I would say that my mother and I are more aware about reading labels and not being “taken” than a lot of people I know; this was off the charts dishonest, in my opinion.
Did you read what I wrote about the company’s response, too? How can you read the box from top to bottom when you are purchasing something online? They took no responsibility for the Chinese made products, which is also wrong. Like you said, your neighbor’s pot has Lagostina Italy stamped on it (one would assume that means it’s made in Italy, but it’s not). This kind of twisted misinformation has to stop and I believe writing my letter to Lagostina has helped many people in not being duped.
I have three Lagostina Accademia pieces I got a couple years ago through the Amazon Europe sites. Those were made in Italy at the time, has that line moved to China, too?
I honestly don’t know, Kay. You’d have to research it.
I purchased a set of Lagostina Martellata a couple years ago and, sadly, did not see Made in China on the box or I would have sent it back. I was, however, very disappointed in the quality control and the poor customer service from the company. Two of the lids were dented, one on the edge and the other in the center near the handle. To get them repaired or replaced, at the company’s discretion, I would’ve had to send them both the pans and the lids and then wait 3-6 months to get them back. No thanks. Never again with Lagostina.
Wow, that’s so bad! The bad reviews never stop :(