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Alltrue Is Recalling the Tea Kettle From Their Winter 2020 Box Due to Burns

MSA
ByMSAJun 25, 2021 | 40 comments

Alltrue has announced that they are voluntarily recalling the Gramr brushed gold tea kettle that was included in their Winter 2020 box (when the brand was still known as Causebox) due to a potential safety hazard.

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According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "The kettles can expel hot water and/or excessive steam during use, posing a burn hazard." Health Canada has likewise issued a similar notice about safety hazards with the kettle.

In a FAQ on their website, Alltrue recommends that you immediately stop using the kettle even if it appears to be in proper working order. The brand is also promising subscribers "an Alltrue account credit of $20, valid toward Alltrue subscriptions/renewals or any other purchase on the company’s website, including in Alltrue’s Add-on Markets, which offer curated assortments of socially-conscious products." If you purchased the kettle from Rose & Fitzgerald, you'll be fully refunded your purchase price, including any taxes and shipping.

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40 comments

Jeanette

Damn!
Yup. They sent me a new one because the lid wouldn’t come off the first. And the second shorted out my stove because the water shot out of it when it boiled and got under one of the burner knobs !

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Brenda

I saw people posting on their FB page when boxes were being received during that sub period, and they stated small fires, etc, so I just use mine for decor and a watering can. (I have 3 because they had to send 2 replacements; 1st one had scratches and residue that could not be removed, 2nd one had scratches, both were yellow gold and not the rose gold advertised, so the 3rd one is pristine).
My plan was to sue that one to just add teabags in with hot water from the electric kettle just to make a pretty addition to having a tea party. I’m not disassembling any to send back for $20. That’s silly!

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shoplessjess

My husband tried to throw this away a couple of days ago lol. The top got stuck on and when I tried to boil water it would overflow the water onto my stove. Glad they acknowledged it’s a faulty product.

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Cynthia

Anyone catch when we will be getting our labels? I requested one yesterday (Friday) and was hoping it would be sent quickly as I’m going on vacation. I hope CS doesn’t have to approve each one individually as that would take months!

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Beth

this safety issue should be a banner on the home page.

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Molly Honey

No way! This is hilarious!
Sorry, but I told you so. This company is going down in actual flames. And then in True form they don’t do anything to credit the people who bought it… unless you jump through hoops, and then it’s not a true credit. This company is so awesomely horrible. They don’t care about their customers in any way shape or form. Never have. I wish they would just quit already. Why are they continuing this train wreck. Please Alltrue/Causebox Go Away!

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Mountaineer95

“…in True form…”

I see what you did there. 😉

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Jennifer

There admitted in the email sent about it that “Rose & Fitzgerald” did not design, source, or manufacture the kettle, despite it being branded as a Rose and Fitzgerald kettle.

So it looks like what happened is that Alltrue/Causebox/Gramr just bought a license to slap the brand name on a kettle *they* sourced and had made on the cheap. Hence the whole “brand partner” thing for them is a cover so they can vastly inflate the RV and pretend the items are branded.

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Stephanie

I would love a lot of these companies to disappear….cough cough OuiPlease I’m looking at you. But Alltrue/Causebox brought in almost 12 million so I doubt they are going anywhere soon. Sadly they have a bunch of subscribers who buy into their “do go mission”. Just like GlobeIn which is rebranding their name too.

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Meg

This is so not a surprise and hopefully a wake-up call for sub boxes everywhere. Maybe they will learn that they can’t just create their own cheap versions of products and hope for the best. There is engineering and testing that must go into making these goods. I’m hoping there is also a hefty CPSC fine associated with this recall. The sub boxes thought they could just fly under the radar and get away with selling subpar products but looks like those days are over.

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Stephanie

Exactly and here’s the thing, a bunch of people must have complained about this for one of the government orgs to look into this and recall it. There was probably people who were seriously burned/hurt by this product. And this “artisan company” Rose & Fitzgerald doesn’t do a good job ensuring their products are safe. Seems they too were in it for a fat paycheck.

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Cam

I’ve read that R&F just agreed to brand licensing but they did not design, manufacture, or source the kettle- basically they weren’t part of the process at all! And I’m positive they’re not the only company that has agreed only to brand licensing while Causebox/Alltrue produced cheap items with their name… I’m thinking of all the faulty products in previous boxes now. It makes me wonder how much the box has truly supported these ethical, artisan brands in question. It seems like this model has only hurt both brand’s reputations! Very short-term gains in the end.

Also Beth

I believe they said that something like 131 US customers and 20-something Canada customers reported issues, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the number is much higher and they’re just counting outright injury reports (vs. cosmetic concerns etc., since I know there were a lot of those as well)

Ks

Yup. Sub boxes get away with dangerous subpar products while falsely claiming buying those products helps artisans.

I had a GlobeIn baking pan explode on me and the GlobeIn group attacked me saying I just don’t know how to use ceramic bakeware 🙄 GlobeIn gave me $10 credit AFTER I unsubscribed.

Cause Box does the same thing.

I am pretty much completely over sub boxes at this point.

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Alexa

This box is a hot mess. I feel really stupid for getting sucked in by the Spring Welcome box and at this point, I’m really just hoping they stay in business long enough for me to get my Winter box and then peace out.

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Ks

Same. I love my Blendjet but I could’ve just bough that alone 🤦🏼‍♀️

None of the “cause” boxes actually do anything significant.

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Cynthia

So is the credit applied automatically? I received the email, but the FAQ doesn’t say what to do. I guess I’ll use the credit at the market or for an intro box if one pops up because I have decided not to renew.

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Sherri

No. Follow the link to the safety info (small link at bottom of Alltrue/Causebox’s page). There is info in there about how you have to remove the handle and send it back in a pre-paid shipping envelope you have to request from them. Once they have confirmation that you have disabled the kettle, i.e. they receive the handle, they will give you the credit.

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Cc

Seriously. I disassembled a baby rocker that was recalled and shipped it, but I got a check for a full refund.

This is messed up that it’s recalled but you get credit to their shop. Like, how full of themselves are they?

Lana

If they are making you do so much work it should be a $20 refund, not a credit imo

Cynthia

Thank you so much! I can’t believe I missed that.

amber

Awful lot of hoops to jump through just to get a measly $20 credit. What a joke

Kristina

I believe you have to disassemble the handle and mail the handle back to them to receive your credit. They pay for postage, but you still have to physically disable your kettle (and prove it by sending back the handle)

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Jamie

Funny how the $98.00 retail value becomes a $20 credit. I guess this is the closest they will come to acknowledging their retail values are crazy inflated!

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El

OMG that’s a really good point!

Why not a $98 credit?

And having to disassemble the kettle to get 20% credit of stated retail value is ridiculous.

Another commenter made a great point that many, many safety concerns need to be reported before a recall is typically issued. Scary.

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KB

Thanks for pointing this out! Bahaha

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Christina

Agreed, but the main issue is that they sold us a box valued at >$250. This was half the “value” of the box. So if we’re getting a $20 credit, the value is well under $250 and we’re not getting what we paid for.

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brooke

Agreed! this box is a scam

Beth Ellen

Agree the values are inflated. But to be fair we only paid $30-$50 for the box depending on whether there was a promotion.

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Jennifer

I’ve only used mine once for heating water. It’s pretty, but the design is sloppy so the steam doesn’t come out right and it’s hard to pour without spilling. But I’ve used it for watering plants, and can repurpose as a planter perhaps.

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Sasha

What does this mean for people who received this in their box, but have canceled and no longer have a subscription? I would assume you can only use the credit in the add-on market… during add-ons.

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Sherri

Correct.

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Tamara

Mine is packed up for a move to our retirement home later this year so I won’t be returning it. It’s so small for a tea pot anyway, and I thought the finish looked like it would discolor with heat exposure. I plan to use mine as a pretty plant waterer for delicate plants like African violets. Or I might use it as a display item as part of a tablescape when having tea with a friend. It was very poorly thought out as a tea kettle!

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Glen

I use my kettle to water succulents and it’s great for that, makes my window shelf look so nice too, and the finish hasn’t been disrupted by this use. I never understood how they were pitching this as an actual tea kettle, it never looked right for heating purposes imo.

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greygrrl

This is such a great idea!!! Mine has been in storage since received, but it would be perfect to water my little succulents!!!!

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Kelly

It’s baloney that you can only get an Alltrue credit for this, and not an actual refund. Is that even legal? Whatever, I haven’t used it, it’s just a display piece.

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Sherri

Agree. Summer was my last box and I’m not renewing, so my only option would be to use the credit in the marketplace, where I’d be limited to an item $15 or under (shipping is $5) if I don’t want to spend any additional money (I do not!). Somehow a $10-$15 item from the marketplace doesn’t seem to make up for a “hero” item from the box.

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Katie

Well, I always thought it would make a cute flower pot.

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SMc

Well, can’t say this is a big surprise.

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Julia

Yes. It’s the crappy design. The handle is too close to the spout. When you’re pouring, the steam will “right itself” vertically and come right up your hand.

Some designers are so about “concept” that the word “functionality” is completely alien to them.

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