Does MB do anything to enhance the appearance of a pen sent in for service, say give it a little polish before they send it back to take care of light scratches?

I went to the repair center and waited while they worked on my pen. I wanted the nib adjusted so that the ends of the tines were perfectly matched( it was a found pen) The pen had lots of bad scratches and was a big mess. I could have paid a lower price for just a nib adjustment, or the standard flat fee and get the whole thing done over. I paid the fee(55$) and got a good as new pen for it.
I would say that if you pay the fee, anything that needs attention will get it or be replaced so that the pen is as new. They brought my very shiny,perfect pen out on a velvet covered tray and gave me a converter, some cartridges and a drawstring bag for it. I also got one of those pen enema things to flush out the pen too. Quite a swanky waiting room with a big pen display, it was a great experience and its a great pen, a 144 Classique, its on the small side but for 55$ how can you complain?

Wow. It sounds like if you go to the pen center in person, they really give you first class service. (bring the pen out on a velvet tray?!).

Too bad only a tiny proportion of the US population will have an opportunity to use the repair service in person.

I sent my 149 for repair for the broken piston in december 2006 and got it repaired perfectly three weeks later with a warranty of one year and functionning perfectly. Indeed Montblanc service is first class.

I sent my 146 in to Montblanc for a new nib in January.
I wanted the fine replaced by an XF. I got back a brand new
pen with the exception of the cap, which is the original,
but the whole pen looks brand new. I didn't think there was
anything wrong with any part of the barrel, but I don't mind
getting a new one! I also got back the old nib. Apparently
they tried to grind it to XF and the iridium broke off of one tine,
so they replaced the nib but still sent me the old broken one.
All this for $55 plus shipping. I prefer the look of the newer
two-tone nibs to the older all gold nibs and I like the fact that
the cap is original because the pen is souvenir of a trip to
Germany. The pen was around DM300 at a time when the
exchange rate was about DM3 to the dollar! I have to say
that the pen writes much more smoothly than it ever has
even though it started out as a medium nib, which was
exchanged for a fine nib a year later, and now it's an XF!
I'm very happy with Montblanc service.

Ted

I had a good experience with MB too. I went to the customer service center in Brussels (first called 2 days before to say I was coming) and I was helped immediately, got a cup of coffee, and the technician explained to me what he was doing while fixing the problem. It was an easy operation covered by the guarantee (the pen was a Montegrappa cosmopolitan, that is serviced by MB too) of course. But in the end I left the centre, happy with a perfect pen and a bag full of glossy MB and MG documentation.

I called their service department today to ask for their address; I'm sending off a Meisterstuck Le Grand to see if its real or not. Anyways, they seem like a good bunch.

Evan

Sounds like they do it right. I never did send mine out for the letter but I will soon. Ive sent them an email and will send them out after I get a reply.

I also went to the repair center today, as I worked around there. I wanted the ink flow adjusted on my 146. They charged me $55. After 2 hours, I picked up the pen. In addition to the ink flow adjustmant, they replaced the piston and the feed. The pen is now a very smooth writer. What a service!

I got an email yesterday from service saying they want $65 along with my pen if it's out of warranty, and a credit card # to charge for replacement parts.

My 149 and 144R may have a fetish. Is the "enema" a good idea, and if so, what is this device?

Fred

Repair centre? Where? Is there one in Canada?

i am also very happy with the MB service in the Netherlands. I got a piston replaced on a 146. The pen came back polished and in a nice MB plastic tube. Also when i bought the Von Karajan and the shop didn't have the right packaging, i contacted MB and they got me the box,cd etc, delivered to my door in 10 days with a nice handwritten thank you note. I was very happy with their service.

Nikolaos

just brought my boheme in for a nib change.. saw on the website that they will exchange it for free if bought less than 6 weeks, provided the nib is in a good/excellent condition.

I got mine on the 2nd Jan and I found the medium nib too thick for me.. I called up 3 different boutiques and they gave me different info..

Boutique 1: "You have to pay for the nib unless the exchange is within 7 days of purchase.. price to be advised after the service center people have inspected it" - even though I protested that the website states 6 weeks...

Boutique 2: "You have to pay for the nib exchange because you didnt purchase it from the boutique itself." (well i got it from an authorised retailer from my country, with papers and all!), which i think is BS

Boutique 3: "You don't have to pay unless the nib is found to be in a worn and bad condition" - this lady actually ran a check with the name of the retailer and confirmed that I am eligible for the FOC nib exchange..

I sent it in today, and will probably get it back in 2-3weeks.. keeping my fingers crossed - I have no idea if I have to pay still. It's not bad service to me, but it is all just very strange!

I sent my 149 to Montblanc service in Spain for a nib adjustment.

For 45€ I get two weeks later the pen perfectly polished (I really don't now if the barrel is new), the nib was replaced, I knew the old nib after 15 years writing with the same nib. The bill say: "Nib cleaning and adjustment".

It's incredible.

This is what the service center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania advised me.

Fred

Thanks for confirming that! Keep my fingers crossed now. I should hate to pay 10-20% more for impatience! (I should have waited for the stock to arrive...)

That's the nib. You will still have to pay a flat labor rate, though.

Fred

The Montblanc Service Centre in Canada is:
4610 Eastgate Parkway, Unit 1, Mississauga.
I'm going there tomorrow, I'll let you know how it is.

Great service at the centre. Had my CoolBlue Starwalker fixed under warranty, and a 144 with cracks fixed for flat rate 70$CND. As people have mentioned before, for the flat rate they fix whatever is wrong with the pen with the exception of the nib - I believe thats an additional charge.

I dropped the pens off on monday afternoon, and they were ready for pickup tuesday afternoon.

I was planning on bringing my 144 to the new store at K of P Mall. The section has a stress crack. The nib is fine, the pen works, but looks "warped" when capped. I wonder what Bethlehem charges for a new section?

UPDATE: I took my pen to the new "boutique" at K of P this past weekend. The store is in The Plaza (section C), by the upper level food court. The staff there were professional and courteous. Ana and Burt were on hand to help me out with the service order for my 144. Yes, it is going to the Bethlehem office.
I can pick it up at the store when complete, or have it shipped to my house for an additional $10.
I will let you know the outcome!

PS- I even bought some ink cartridges there! It is a large store with pens, watches, jewelry, and accessories.

Well, three weeks went by- but I finally got my pen back!

For $48, I got a new section put into my nib. My old one had cracked at the feed. This replacement has a plastic section with a metal thread going into the barrel. The pen is as good as new!

Two side issues- the reason it took so long was that the K of P boutique failed to let the service center know that I authorized the repair. I called the Bethlehem center on Monday to get a status report. They told me they were waiting for my approval! I told them K of P called me over two weeks ago to get the approval. But the center had not heard from them!
I dealt with Renee when I went back today. I told her that the store failed to follow through. She was pretty indifferent to this, as well as my other concerns.

I also was surprised to see I got a new converter from MB. This was cool, except I was also surprised to see a spring in this converter (instead of a bead!). She told me this was standard in MB converters. My original converter for this 144 does not have one.

Other than the "rude" service on the return to the store, I was generally happy with the experience!

This also happened to me, they replaced the converter with a newer version that has a spring inside. I believe this is because of a thread compatibility on the new vs old as my nib section was replaced as well.

Turnaround time for me was just less that 24hours, but I did bring it directly to the mississauga service centre.

If any of the staff at a MB boutique fails to follow through on something that's clearly part of their job (like communicating a repair authorization to the service center), or is acting indifferent to you, I'd suggest asking to talk with the store manager.

I'm surprised to read this. I've been to the King of Prussia store four times now (five if I count the first day it opened and clearly they weren't really up to speed) and have dealt with four saleswomen. I could tell which was the supervisor without asking, but in the end, Renee assisted me the last two times (with a trainee nearby). She was patient and inquisitive as to my requirements and generous with her time. I never detected rudeness or ingratitude. Quite the contrary. I purchased an F. Scott Fitzgerald WE on the last visit, and everyone who wasn't busy with another customer took an interest in what was going on. I assure you they aren't climbing over themselves to sell you something you don't want (unless you show interest in the big ticket items such as a $16,000 pen); their commission is only 1%.

The way I see it, these new Montblanc boutiques were never intended to be pen stores, like going to Bertram's in Baltimore or Pen Haven in Kensington to talk pens and try stuff. No, it's a personal accessory store, with a history in pens but a future in high-end jewelry, watches, sunglasses and (before we forget) pens. So, when I visit the King of Prussia store, I'm prepared to educate them as to my needs, not the other way around. For Montblanc factory service, I send stuff directly to Bethlehem anyway and never contemplated bothering with a boutique for service. Besides, like my Dostoevski, the new Fitzgerald is off to one of our nibmeisters for a final proper grind.

Fred

I was wondering how the service center worked if you bought the pen used, and didn't have the papers... do they still do the work for the reasonable fee, or is it a different experience altogether?

I think it depends on what needs to be done to your pen. What is the problem with your pen?

Eric

Just got my first MB, a 149, and the ink flow is a bit erratic, er, it doesn't always keep up flow when I make a few motions, ie: I inked it to test it, and it works great if I write slowly, but if I'm going at speed, there comes the dreaded "dead space" where the ink flow stops during a stroke, and then picks up again an inch later. It is intermittent, reproducible, and I can "prevent" it by pushing down ever so slightly on the nib, which is abnormal for me, since I usually use little to no pressure so the line stays nice and fine. I could probably live with it, but if it only costs $60 for a service run to bring it back to minty fresh, I'm willing to do it.

Also, is the piston cap supposed to have some play in it once it gets started? Like you can twist ~45 degrees without it engaging the piston, at any point in its travel until it bottoms out?

- George

The problem you're having is often known as "skipping".

I brought my mid-1970s 149 into the Boutique earlier this year (though I've owned it since new, instead of buying it used). I have the box, but no papers. No problem, MB service replaced the barrel, feeder case and feed, piston seal for around $55.

Yes, the piston knob should turn loosely when you first unscrew it. I'm at work so i can't check how far around you go until you actually start moving the piston.