I assume he is referring to the tension between the issur of lashon hara/ mesirah and the fact that so many frum people get burned again and again. For years molesters used/abused this sentiment to continue to operate in our communities. Baruch HaShem things are shifting in that area. Yet in other areas bad actors are rarely reported and even more rarely publicized; it is almost impossible to find unbiased ratings and reviews of a frum product, service, or practitioner. Investors or program operators that scam frum yidden can, and often do open shop again and again, sometimes under new brands or names, and people who aren’t well connected and in on the behind the scenes rumors get scammed again and again. It is indeed a serious issue.
The fact that so many monopolies operate, especially when it comes to the kosher food industry, resulting in quality issues and predatory pricing practices that harm the frum consumer is related to the same issue.
I was thinking about this a couple weeks ago after buying a heimishe crockpot from a frum store. The owner mysteriously warned me to lower the pot to the lowest setting over shabbos. I asked if that was to prevent the food from burning and he evasively answered “just make sure to lower it to 1 and it will be fine.”No other 8 quart models were in stock so I reluctantly purchased it. The first couple weeks we dutifully lowered it before shabbos. The following week we forgot and left it on 3, halfway between one and five.
On shabbos sat I noticed the cholent bubbling furiously to the point of burning. On Motzai Shabbos I confirmed with an infrared thermometer that the base was operating on scathing 475 degrees no matter what setting the knob was turned to. I took it back to the store and he told me “ I warn every customer to turn it to one for shabbos or the thermostat will break!”
He begrudgingly replaced it. There is no contact info for the company. There are no ratings or reviews since it is a heimishe product. Nothing in the instructions says it can’t operate on the highest setting. I have no idea if the unit is a fire hazard since it obviously cannot handle its own temperature output. I switched to a known brand instead.
The Dekal pesach counter covers is another example that comes to mind.
https://www.jta.org/2022/04/27/ny/a-company-thought-it-had-a-winning-passover-product-then-things-got-stickyהתורה חסה על ממונן של ישראל. I wish there was a halachicly acceptable way that would bring badly needed transparency to so many dark corners of the frum marketplace to enable people to spend their hard earned money on products and services that actually perform.
