Dismayed by Nib Work

[Phthalo]

I recently bought an Omas here in AU, and the store was taking the very wet and wide 18K Omas 'M' nib down to an EF. The Omas model (Princess) is discontinued and it was the last pen in stock.

 

The pen arrived in the post today, and I am really upset with the nib work their in-house person has done.

 

1. The nib does not write like an EF at all - instead it writes like a F-M.

 

2. The nib is very scratchy.

 

3. Under a 10x loupe, the nib looks plain bad - messy. The tipping material is uneven, one tine is lifted, and there is roughness all around the tipping material and point. Quite frankly it looks like something *I* could have produced - it doesn't look like something from someone who is supposed to know about nibs.

 

http://www.ciar-roisin.net/photos/omess/img_7088.jpg

My new "Extra Fine" ground nib. Note uneven tipping.

 

http://www.ciar-roisin.net/photos/omess/img_7096.jpg

The "Extra Fine" from the side - see the lift in the tine?

 

http://www.ciar-roisin.net/photos/omess/img_7081.jpg

For comparison: The standard, untouched Omas 18K 'F' on my other Princess.

 

My question to nibmeisters is - what do you think of it? Does it look as bad as I think it is? It sure as hell doesn't feel right.

 

The pen is fully paid for (and it wasn't frickin' cheap), but I feel the work is just appalling and that they have wrecked the nib.

 

I am waiting to speak with the store owner, but I don't know what to do. If this is the nib I get after four weeks of waiting, how can I possibly trust them to fix it if they ask me to send it back? What will I end up with next time?

 

It's an utter disappointment.

Edited October 2, 2006 by Phthalo

[kissing]

I could probably even get better results using nothing but a brown grocery bag

 

So sad to hear what has happened I'm looking forward to what the real nibmeisters have to say about this <_<

[Phthalo]

Tell me about it. I cannot believe they honestly think this is how an EF nib is ground and should write.

 

I keep dwelling on the issue and getting more and more irritated. When the store owner calls it's going to take every ounce of my self-control not to go off at them and fling words about like "half-arsed", "amateur" and "(Potty Mouth)"! I have a short fuse with an Irish temper to boot, and I'm fuming.

 

In addition, they posted it minus the entire Omas box, kit and caboodle, and sent the lone pen in a padded envelope! Words (other than swear ones) escape me.

[saintsimon]

Send it off to Dillo. That's possibly the fastest and most economic way to improve the nib.

[OldGriz]

Send it off to Dillo. That's possibly the fastest and most economic way to improve the nib.

No offense to any person on the site that does nib work, but that would not be the way I would fix this problem

 

The shop that supplied the pen and did the work is wholly responsible for making sure the pen is as the customer wanted.

If the shop can not or will not make good on the pen, then a complete and full refund should be forecoming.

The nib has been badly reground, and needs to be done properly.

[French]

I agree with OldGriz on this one. I've sent a few pens to Dillo for nib work, and he does a great job. However, the issue at hand is Phathalo has already paid for a custom nib job. The store should either give him a pen that writes the way he requested, give him a new nib and refund of the customization price, or give him a total refund.

 

I think I would present the options to the store owner and listen to what he is willing to put on the table. I think a reasonable businesman would realize satisfying you on this would probably lead to repeat business, while 'hanging you out to dry' will certainly lead to losing a customer and losing potential customers.

 

 

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

french

[corniche]

Hello Phthalo,

 

It looks like you got a raw deal there my friend- I think I could have done a better job with a nail file! Sorry, don't mean to make flippant remarks when you just got the shaft.

 

I do agree with OldGriz though- the store got your money and so the store has the obligation to do right by you. You should not have to part with more of your hard-earned money to correct their incompetence.

 

One thing though, don't let your Irish temper take over; take it from me, I know. Be as congenial as possible, (you know, honey-vinegar-flies), but if after that, if they still won't do right by you; then you have nothing to lose and you can let your Irish temper fly! At least you'll get that satisfaction.

 

Best of luck to you,

 

Sean

Edited September 29, 2006 by corniche

[Phthalo]

I know going back to the store is the right option, even though I have no faith in their nib-person's ability! I also must take up the missing box and packing issue with the store as well, as that was just pathetic.

 

I have been persevering with the nib this evening, but it's rubbish - it catches on the paper and makes that awful scratching sound on the page.

 

It will be interesting to see what they suggest to me. If they insist I return it, I guess if they make it worse they can order another nib unit and have another attempt. They actually told me they were thinking of ordering a replacement nib a week ago, which makes me wonder if they knew they had made a mess of the grind...

 

Thanks for the comments everyone, they are much appreciated. The store owner won't be calling me until tomorrow or Sunday, so I have had time to cool down and look at the issue more rationally - I'm still angry, just not crazed-ranting angry.

 

Laura / Phthalo

[Lee UK]

I'd have to agree with OldGriz and the others too. It's up to the shop owner to rectify the problem not you. I don't know if you paid by credit card or not but as a last resort you may be able to return the pen to the shop (recorded delivery) saying it is not of merchantable quality and get the credit card company to make a chargeback to the vendor, speak to the credit card company first to get their advice. Also I would not lose your temper with the shop owner too soon as he would be more likely to get defensive and refuse to do anything about it. If you are a good customer he should be eager to rectify the problem anyway. Good luck.

 

Lee

[JimStrutton]

Another vote for Old Griz :ltcapd:

 

He is dead right on this one, you paid for a job and you did not get that job. Whilst I am confident that Dillion could fix it, that is not the point, it is the retailer that should have supplied you with the correct job.

 

Boy am I in a mood today :bonk: Must be the rain or summat

 

Jim

[Chris]

I don't know what the Au law says, but in the UK you would certainly have a claim for a total refund as the product is not (imo) of merchantable quality, plus a good proportion of what you paid for (the box etc) is not present.

 

Decide what you want (to keep the pen and get it rectified, though it might mean a new nib, or a refund and start again) and stick with it, being sweet and reasonable all the way.

 

If that doesn't work, deck 'em ! (Just joking, honest!! You just have to be firm, very firm, and make clear what you will and will not accept.)

 

But I'm very sorry to hear of this sort of disappointment as it always takes the shine off of a lovely item.

 

Chris

[PinarelloOnly]

Since you are sharing your bad experiance......I have to ask, why didn't you buy it

with the nib it came with and then send it to Omas for a nib swap? Your chances of

that are gone now. You haven't stated it but I am assuming it is brand new.

 

A simple email to them and you can get a nib swap here in the States as long as

the nib is un-used. I'm sure in AU they have the same policy.

 

Also, US price on that nib is close to $200 and I doubt the vendor is going eat it

and get you a new one.

 

Good luck on a charge back on your card. It's hard to do that on custom work

which was ok'd by you. Sorry, if I sound harsh but just stating the reality of your

situation. Most vendors that have sold something that is a custom job know they

can't sell it again so, if you get any type of refund even if it's store credit, consider

yourself very lucky.

 

Scott.

[KendallJ]

Ouch, that looks like a scratchy nib!

 

Great pics by the way. It looks to me like they ground the sides of the nib down, didn't bother to do any radiusing of the edges. If you look at your first picture, you can distinctly see the edges at the base of the nib. That is unacceptable. All grind edges must be radiused. Even a change in the radius will cause a scratch. If you look at hte good nib, you'll se it looks fully radius all the way up hte side of the nib.

 

Even though one nib is taller than the other, they look symetrical with respect to the slit and it looks fairly well aligned at the writing surface.

 

I agree that it is the responsibility of hte shop, but remember that this nib grinding stuff is somewhat craftsman-like. They may not have the technical ability to get it right, or it may take multiple tries to get it right. In the end, they should get you a stock OMAS XF nib or pay for a real nibster like Richard to do the work.

[wordherder62]

At this point I'd take it back and simply tell them to order the correct nib from Omas and swap it out. They've trashed the nib redo. The tines being separated like they are show the pen was properly adjusted and tested before it was shipped out to you. As far as F v. EF, that's always going to be an issue of interpretation but it should at least write.

 

I'd get them to get you a factory EF nib and take it from there.

 

Richard

[Dawn]

Oh my god Laura they trashed your gorgeous pen! Your right to be fuming I would be too.

 

I hope that when they call you they sort it out quickly and professionally for you.

 

Let us know what happens.

 

Dawn

[Phthalo]

Since you are sharing your bad experiance......I have to ask, why didn't you buy it with the nib it came with and then send it to Omas for a nib swap? Your chances of that are gone now. You haven't stated it but I am assuming it is brand new.

A simple email to them and you can get a nib swap here in the States as long as

the nib is un-used. I'm sure in AU they have the same policy.

 

Hi PinarelloOnly,

 

The problem is that I think Omas have not had a distributor for Australia for a couple of years now. You cannot buy or order a new Omas anywhere in Australia, and the two or three stores around Australia that used to be authorised dealers have still not been able to get distribution. (This is what a previously authorised Sydney pen store told me about three months ago, and apparently the situation has not yet changed.)

 

Also, the pen is from 1994, and the Princess model was actually discontinued maybe five years ago (or more), so the pen was NOS, the last one in the store. They had forgotten they had it actually. Believe me, if they had offered me a genuine Omas EF nib I would have taken it! All they offered was a re-grind when I said the M nib would be no good to me.

 

I will confirm with the store owner the state of Omas dealership, as it makes me wonder where they were going to order a replacement Omas nib from in the first place. Maybe they were going to get a store out of AU to order it for them?

 

I really like the idea of pushing for a genuine EF nib. Since they suggested they could somehow order one, I'm going to see if I can get them to pursue that avenue. I really don't want their in-house person to have another attempt at re-grinding my nib.

 

No-one has yet returned my call, so I will phone them in a couple of hours and we'll see what happens. I am in a much better mood this morning, so hopefully the conversation will go well.

[meanwhile]

Ouch!

 

Their mistakes aren't at all subtle. Like Kissing, I feel I could do better myself (my biggest triumph - ha ha - was descratchifying a M snorkel, and making it F on the other side). This thing isn't even approximately round!

 

My suggestion is that you hassle the store owner, and if possible face them with expert opinion based on the photos. (Griz might count as someone with quite a reputation for custom pens, even if he isn't a nibmesister?)

 

In the UK I'd take them to small claims court (where you don't need a lawyer but claims for damage are limited to low thousands of pounds) if they didn't cooperate. Is there an Oz equivalent?

[meanwhile]

PS - The mis-alignment on that tine is dreadful! I can't see how they had the nerve to let this leave their shop. A pen with its nib in this condition, whether customized or not, is not fit for sale. If Oz law is anything like UK, they wouldn't have a leg to stand on. If you used a credit card company, do contact them.

[Phthalo]

Yep, we have the small claims court, but I don't want it to come to that. Hopefully we'll just be able to sort some kind of new nib arrangement out.

 

No-one from the store called me today, even though I called just after I opened and asked that the owner contact me. I'll have to call again tomorrow. I hate chasing the owner on the phone like this, as I keep getting the same staff on the phone, and they probably think I'm just a difficult customer!

[meanwhile]

Yep, we have the small claims court, but I don't want it to come to that. Hopefully we'll just be able to sort some kind of new nib arrangement out.

I've found that if you tactfully make people aware that you're willing to unrelentingly hound them - and that you will take matters as far as you have to - they're much more willing to settle earlier.

 

My approach, if they are not initially cooperative, would be "I can see how there are two sides to this situation, and I'm very willing to listen to yours. I have a pen that is visibly damaged - there's a visibly misaligned tine, and that's actually something a nibmeister charged to repair! The nib should be smooth and it has sharp edges and it's faceted! Hopefully we can settle this between ourselves, but I do feel very strongly about this, and I'm willing to get expert opinion from some of the world's best nibmeisters that shows the pen IS damaged, and to use tha in small claims court unless we settle this now. But I'm sure there won't be a problem and that you'll settle this on the basis of fairness - and as I say, I want to hear your side of things too."

 

The key to a good negotiation is to show people unpleasant consequences as early as possible, in a way that doesn't cost them face. I'd strongly suggest taking thise photos to any meeting, and adopting a position of NOT settling for letting them "fix" the pen, unless that's what you really want. They botched the job, so you're entitled to your money back.