How can a company that produces such marvelous pens have such a poor and pitiful home page? They do not post any specs on their pens nor do they even post what is available from them. Just try to look for the current production Milord pen. There is just one entry that reads "Arte Italiana" and that shows an artsy photograph of the new Paragon. But nowhere do I find that they also make the Milord and nowhere do they explain in what material/trim color the pens are available. There's not even a good description of the product there. No comparison of size or a detailed description of the materials used. It's all willy-nilly.
Not that I wouldn't know this from other sources, where I usually get my information but their web site really sucks. Why produce expensive pens and then not put them up properly online so that prospective customers can learn about them.
In my view, what Omas really lacks is 1.) simple marketing rules (show and explain your product to the customer) 2.) accessibility to inquiries/suggestions from "normal people."

I once was in touch with a person from Omas via email. And, to be honest, she was nice enough. But here is the thing. I had sent in a pen for service through an authorized dealer. And in the email to me, she referred to the dealer as follows: "Our customer XY (fill in dealer name here!) sent us this pen which we repaired and will send back to you"
Hello? I am the customer in the first place. Their dealer might also be their customer, but it is highly infelicitous to call the dealer a customer and to just call me nothing. What they have not learned yet, is that customers like us, the very people who are the bottommost link in their marketing chain are the most important people to them. WE are the CUSTOMERS! Without us, there wouldn't be any dealers either. I really wish that their customer service and the friendliness that should come with the territory will evolve soon.
And for such improvements, methinks, one does not be part of a "refined luxury brand group" like LVMH or whatever Chinese luxury watch distributor bought them a month ago. For such improvements one just needs to follow one's common sense. I really hope they give up that arrogant snobbishness when it comes to dealing with the end-user of their products. Pelikan is a paragon (No pun intended!) of customer service from which to learn and wise up.!

I can't even tell which models are piston and which ones are not. Theres no distinction between any of their lines..

Umm.... Let's remember that we are dealing with a "luxury brand," not a regular fountain pen company. One of the characteristics of luxury brands is vague and impressionistic advertising. Try reading the ads for luxury clothes, scents, and alcoholic beverages in any high end magazine -- same lack of factual details that characterizes the Omas website. The goal of the luxury advertisers is to get you into a retail outlet and let the salesperson handle all your questions. They don't want you to buy off the internet, or to use the internet as the tool for comparison shopping.

Nevertheless, I like Omas pens very much, and I think the good people of Kenro, their U.S. distributor, would be happy to answer your questions.

The folks at Kenro are nice but not all that helpful. I had a NOS Paragon whose cap and barrel didn't line up. I called Kenro and spoke to the President and he said that Omas couldn't fix it. I sent it to John Mottishaw and he managed to fix it. Omas is a great pen and if you like them, you have to deal with quality control issues and service, that is pretty much why I buy them from Mottishaw. Two that I have purchased from others have had problems.

Charlie, I agree with your musings. Obfuscation obviously heightens the appeal to some people. What a pity for us pen lovers, though.


I've had numerous questions that they couldn't answer as they do not have sufficient knowledge of the brand's older models (which I am mainly interested). So I am always stuck with OMAS in Bologna. How much I would just love to find that ONE guy that works for Omas and that enjoys pens as much as we do. Can you imagine how great that would be if we could get one of Omas's pen people involved with this site? Someone who's done it all, someone who's milled the celluloid, cut the feeds, set the nibs, repaired the pistons.... What a fount of wisdom that would be.

Yep, that would indeed be wonderful....not only for Omas but for all the major pen companies (Waterman, Dupont, Montblanc, Pelikan, Aurora, Omas, Conway Stewart, Visconti, Delta). Interestingly, the Japanese companies do a much better job of getting their craftsmen out to meet the public.

I do not buy or use Omas products based on my own experiences with the company and their customer service. I have voted with my wallet, and I make no apologies.

I feel the same way about Omas. I have 36 pens, most of them celluloid, and I think their service is dreadful to say the least. I love their pens, but dealing with the company is painful. Obviously the words "marketing" and "customer service" are not discussed at the office in Bologna and it is no wonder, with this attitude, that they lost six million Euros and had to be bailed out.

I am amazed that they even responded to you. I wrote them a few letters (faxed and emailed) and never heard from them. I don't want to come off as pretentious, but after the amount of money I have dumped into them, I think that they should have acknowledged my letter.

I really hope that the new owners change things, but I'm not holding my breath. I do have to say that their Canadian distributor is outstanding and is the only reason that I continue to buy Omas.

Come on! Isn't it rather the beautiful pens that make you stick to Omas. A good distributor can ease things considerably when problems arise, but are they the main reason for purchasing the brand's product?

This contrast of the almost unprofessional presentation of their products and the wonderful pens they have made sticks out like a sore thumb.
I think that every serious collector/user of fountain pens who misses out on Omas also misses out on a large portion of fountain pen tradition.
The only reason why I stick to these pens is that I am fully enamored with their designs (especially old-style production). It sounds stupid, but with every day they keep growing on me, and that must mean something.

Charlie was saying that obfuscation is a marketing practice for luxury goods. I agree with him, but I also think that Omas was just too lazy or sluggish (or whatever you want to call it) to invest in a good a clearly structured web page. Even Montblanc have a much more detailed web page. Although not overly technical, they nonetheless provide very clearly the different options that you have if you'd like to purchase one of their pens.
Omas makes damn good pens but if they chose to be solely luxury goods, they will founder again. They have tried this under the "tutelage" of LVMH and haven't been successful. The only brands that I can think of being capable of feasting on their luxury image are Cartier, Dupont, and of course Montblanc. In order to be a luxury goods company you need to enjoy wide currency. Omas just doesn't have this currency. Ask people who like pens, and many will not know Omas. Ask someone in the street and ask them what pen maker they know and they will probably say "Montblanc." So, Omas is going out on a very frangible limb here. Montegrappa does the same. And both companies are financially rather desolate or in no position to call themselves financially stable under long-term conditions.

I bought three Omas pens in second hand at my favorite penshop Mr Mora. I never had a single problem with them. I was reluctant to buy Omas before but when I bought one, I was immediately satisfied with it.
About Marketing, look how Zenith started to make ugly watches when it was bought by LVMH. The new 360 is like transforming a 149 into a c/c. Plus it is such an ugly pen. So Omas marketing isn't really aware that people who buy Omas want their pens nice and in the traditional Omas lines not like the new 360 or the Emotica. As Omasfan pointed it, the lack of advertisement of Omas and otehr Italian firms explains in party why they are not dominant on the market and why they are in a fragile position. A great customer service is always reinforcing the image of a pen brand, sadly many italian firms have troubles with quality control and customer service.

Just bought my first Omas. It is the Arco Milord for my better half. She will be opening it later today. Hope she likes it. If she does not, my eager hand awaits it in exchange for whatever else she wants.

Found out about Omas after joining Fountain Pen Network. Didn't even bother to look at Omas website. Asked another member about them and she filled in the details on what I could not find for myself on this website or other websites other than Omas.

I think most of us agree on three things:
1. Omas makes beautiful pens.
2. Their "luxury goods" advertising is not informative for pen collectors.
3. The company can be difficult to deal with, especially in matters of pen repair.

For many of us, number one above trumps the other two issues. So what's the solution? I recommend John Mottishaw. He sells more Omas models than any other U.S. retailer, and he will check out a pen before shipping it to you. He also does excellent repairs on Omas pens. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

What luxury goods advertising? What advertising? I've never seen Omas run print ads the way MB does. Or do any other kind of advertising for that matter.

A lot of us throw that 'luxury goods" moniker out there when the going gets tough with a pen manufacturer.

Had one dealing with Omas as a potential customer and ending up chasing them for information !!

Voted with my wallet and cancelled the order right th the last minute...strange how that got them phoning me !

I dislike the way the 'luxury' end of certain items gets the makers hiding behind myth & legend. My dealings with
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, prior to the German takeover, was unbelievable and things which you could not make up were common place.

I wanted to weigh in here as i have had dealings with Kenro and Omas as well.I agree with most views already expressed.Kenro really act as a transportation hub and nothing else.I had to send my Roma through them.They in turn sent it to Italy.I will admit i must have caught them on a good month because my emails were answered rather quickly.And i was kept up to date.The only problem i had was getting my box and accessories back.They did send them back and i was happy.
The web page is nothing like it should be.Not in the least.The obscure information makes one just discard it and go to a dealer for more information.
I would like to see Omas actually get involved" with their own history and product by interacting with consumers.
Put up a web page showing all of their past and present models.A virtual museum of sorts.
Invite comments. Challenge the consumer.
Maybe that will change with the new ownership.I hope so.
I own the Dolcini book on Omas and say it is THE definitive book with hundreds of glorious drool-able photos. If it were not copyrighted,i would make up my own web page with these pics to show the world.

I want them to become user friendly.So far they are not.

Maybe they will read these posts!!!

My $.05 (increased due to inflation)

Jim

I do agree that it is the beauty of the pens that attracts me to Omas; however, my last experience with 4 defects after another with my new Milrod Arco had me ready to never buy another one again, as the factory wanted me to pay for their defects. It was the Canadian distributor who take care of me by taking a pen out of their inventory to replace the defective pen, while Omas was demanding that I ship the pen back to Italy ($65.00), pay for repairs, as they were so arrogant that they couldn't believe that any of the defects (loose cap ring, piston that failed, leaking nib, and a cap with facets that did not line up) were a result of their poor QC ($125), plus shipping costs for the pen to be returned (another $35.00). Needless to say my attitude towards Omas changed overnight from love these pens to F Omas!

I do agree that their marketing is beyond poor. They have the most beautiful pens, especially the celluloids, but their website fails to show their true beauty and fail to mention any details to tell the consumer what or why to buy a certain pen. As a sales and marketing professional, I would love to have the opportunity to turn this company around. Then I would demand that they have better service and support to back up the marketing, as there is nothing worse than buying a beautiful product only to have the service department put customers off future purchases. Anyone get a customer for their first purcahse, but it takes a well run company to keep customers for life.

As for the product design, I agree that they should continue to sell the designs that we all love so much. They could still offer new designs to attract new customers. One thing that Montblanc does well is not messing with their classic designs. Imagine what would happen to their sales if they dropped the 146 or 149 line of pens. The folks at LVMC made a serious error by killing the classic paragon design.

That sounds like an awful story. Thankfully, I've never been asked by Omas to pay for any repair. They acknowledged that the issues fell under their warranty.

Mine might top it.

In summary: Omas Paragon was leaking bad, i.e. leaky on the grip, ruined a shirt. Nevertheless, sent back to OMAS-paid $25.00 for their defect, took them 5 weeks to get back with me. As soon as I got it, the Pen still had same problem, e-mailed OMAS directly their response was send pen back and we'll replace with a new one.

Send it back, 4 weeks later-still no word. Drop them an e-mail today. Response was they are now REPAIRING the pen.

My response is below.

Irrespective for a $650. USD pen one should expect better service/support. I'm questioning whether I wish to continue purchasing their products, for the aggrivation they are not worth it.

v Defects for a Luxury Brand Pen-Turn around time to fix 5 weeks. Customer was required to pay $25.00 shipping for error not on his part.

v Upon Receipt of repaired pen-same problem surfaced. Customer e-mailed OMAS. OMAS asked for Pen in return for a New One. Customer paid for shipping to US Distributor-Kenro.

v Customer Inquiries about status of new pen 4 weeks later and is now told his pen is being repaired.




Please also forward this to your management as a case for which how you handle customers.



My expectation was this Pen was going to be a replacement. This is based on e-mail dated



Dated: Thursday, January 17, 2008 4:11 AM

From: Angélique Ferreira

“Dear Mr. XXXX,
We are really sorry to hear your Omas pen is not working properly as any pen lover is entitled to expect.
Thus, we suggest you return this pen through our dealer to Omas and we'll replace it by a new one at no charge. “



So my question are as follows:

v Why is this pen getting repaired a second time when I was told it was going to be a replacement.

v Why is a replacement of a Pen taking 4 weeks-when a new one can be sent from your US distributor within days?



Thus far my challenges have been:

v Defects for a Luxury Brand Pen-Turn around time to fix 5 weeks. Customer was required to pay $25.00 shipping for error not on his part.

v Upon Receipt of repaired pen-same problem surfaced. Customer e-mailed OMAS. OMAS asked for Pen in return for a New One. Customer paid for shipping to US Distributor-Kenro.

v Customer Inquiries about status of new pen 4 weeks later and is now told his pen is being repaired.



I’m wondering if this is how you handle all defective products?

If so and despite really enjoying your pens, I will seriously re consider any future OMAS purchases. In my experience with other Luxury Brand Pens, I’ve never encountered such challenges and hold ups, especially considering this product is marketed for $650.00 USD retail, one would have better customer support.



Please advise as to how we can facilitate this forward.

Kind Regards

Omas pens are wonderful but their service leaves so very much to be desired that unless they can prove that they improved in this area, they won't be seeing any of my money again. I personally drove my Ogiva Vision out to Kenro for repair MANY MONTHS ago and have not seen it since.

The very nice person at Kenro has repeatedly told me that his emails are not being answered so he doesn't know when I will get this pen back or even what is going on with it.
Last week when I called again, he told me that they were waiting for parts for not only my pen but others as well.

I am not happy. I also believe in voting with my wallet...

The same story again and again and again, will OMAS never learn ? I once owned 1 paragon and 1 milord. The nibs came loose after 2 pages of writing. And I had to pay for the repair, having a lead time of 3 months. Mont Blanc - Montegrappa (same group) service is on the other hand quite impeccable. I went to the regional repair office in Brussels one day (made an appointment), got a cup of coffee, and the young repair person helped me on the spot, explaining what he did, and did not charge me a cent. I also got 2 books with the latest LE's of MB and MG. A happy customer went home.d

I own two OMAs one Saft Green Celluoid from the mid 1990s and a Ogiva Hi-Tech. I love both pens dearly. The Saft Green Celluloid had to go back to Italy for re-furbishing, took I think about four-five months. I smile because where else would I go?

As for OMAs, the business concern's marketing plans and online strategy, well yeah....pretty site, quite uninformative I have to speculate unless noted the pen has a piston filler, assume it's a C/C pen. The corporate Communicator in me would have included that informaiton in the copy. I have no idea if the site was put together in house or farmed out to an outside agency for creation and matinence.

This is a dispiriting thread to ready. I just sent my Bologna (that I got at Bittner's annual sale) off to Kenro for a nib exchange, and they told me it had to go back to Italy for the exchange. I figured I was being patient by accepting the two month wait for its return, but it sounds like it might be longer than that. Geez!

I hope I will not have a horror tale to tell. Hoping for the best.

I agree, but there might still be some hope. Omas has always been a small company, so the marketing has usually been mouth-to mouth reports. Even the brochures I have don't have much info (I got lucky I could recognize the Galilei in your avatar). This "arcane" thing has also contributed to te Omas mistique. With the LV move things will probably change.

Remember that MoMA I sent for service? I got a phone call from Barcelona (Spain's Omas service, which is strange since Barcelona is not that far fron Bologna), and they've replaced the nib and feeder (which I melted while trying to fix it) for free!!. I'll only pay the shipping costs which will be 5 or 6 €.

I know that Omas service is not the same everywhere, but in Spain they have kept the family owned business thing going on.

I've been close to that: the owner of a 3 generation family owned fountain pens shop in Seville, and an Omas nuts. He's travelled to Bologna several times, has seen the whole process of manufacturing, has showed me the pics he took, and I've bored him to death with questions. He's already retired although he's at the shop most days.

Juan, please tell us more about the family owned pen shop in Sevilla. Some day I hope to visit Sevilla, and I'd like to visit the shop. Are there a lot of pen shops throughout Spain? I know about the ones in Barcelona and Madrid, but I've not heard about shops in the other cities. Also, is Omas a popular brand in Spain?

That shop is called "Papelería Carmona"; it's near Plaza de la Magdalena. You can also find Omas pens in "Papelería Ferrer" (more than a century old; also family owned) in Calle Sierpes. I've also seen some Omas in "Maspapeles" in Calle Zaragoza. These 3 shops are in centertown and not far from each other.

I lived in Seville for 25 years, and still go there from time to time. Right now my closest pen shop is Tecnidib in Huelva, where they also sell Omas pens.

I think that Omas is as popular are in the rest of the world; most people think of them as Montblanc wanabes. Go figure.

I think you'll love Sevilla; that city has inspired 2 operas and a Cadillac ñ_ñ