<p>I made an online purchase with local store pickup for 12 place settings of porcelain dinnerware from Crate and Barrel. I spent the last 2 hours unboxing and inspecting all pieces. I was disappointed in several individual items and have sorted and resorted the place settings trying to come up with at least 8 settings that are unblemished. Am I being too choosy or is it the nature of porcelain? Has anyone else found the quality to be as disappointing as I am finding? The majority of the flaws I am seeing are: surface scratching probably due to stacking prior to packing and shipping as the “foot” of the plates on the underside are unglazed (2) Brown/black spots (like pepper) in the actual porcelain, and (3) flea bites or dimples either on the surface or the underside. Three bowls had crazed crack on the interior and one mug had a chip…these 4 pieces I feel comfortable bringing back to the store and being able to claim they are damaged. But for the others I am beginning to wonder if my expectations are unrealistic. I bought these because the online reviews were so positive with claims of resistant to chips, scratches, and marks. These pieces supposedly are made in Portugal and each individual piece retails for between $6-10.</p>
<p>I have some good porcelain from C&B, it is totally glazed and excellent, no unfinished sections. I also have some stoneware from C&B that has inconsistent glaze and some flaws in it.</p>
<p>Thank you for your input. I think I’m going to have to make the return trip and look for other options. As these were meant to replace my everyday dishes, I fear that these scratches and blemishes now will eventually stain and look horrible in a few months time.</p>