I read in a post that all waterman pens in the USA sent it for repair or warranty work not go to France. I am wondering if anyone in the US has recently used this service, and if so how long it took etc...

Maybe it is just me, but this is really turning me off to buying a waterman. In the old days I could send it out to the US service center and get it back in a week or so. Is it now going to take longer?

Guess I will pass on that new Carene after all. j

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Hi John,

I have NOT used the "new service" for that very same reason.

A couple of months ago, I called Waterman Repair because my sterling LeMan 100 cap had become loose. That was when I found out teh repair center was now in France. I was told that the pen would be sent to France, and that the cost of repair would then be determined. The cost could be 62.00 OR 150.00 something, OR MORE. The pen gets a trip to France for a loose cap? Heck, they could send me to France with the pen and have me wait in the lobby (with great coffee).

That was when I asked the rep if that meant even a rOtring Core would have to go to France for repair, and she told me "Yes". Hey, they don't even send out the padded envelopes anymore. That nice lifetime warranty has been cut to three years.

Waterman pens are still my favourites, but this new repair policy is for the birds. I'm going Yard-o-Led.

Oh yeah, and they couldn't give me a turn-around time.

I bought a Carene via eBay with a fine nib, and then decided I'd rather have a medium nib. The seller told me that Waterman would handle the exchange, call them. I did, and while talking to the customer service person, mentioned that the nib 'kinds of writes scratchy anyway'. The CS person immediately decided that the nib was defective and the problem should be handled by the seller. (It was beginning to look like a game of ping pong.) I was told that if I sent the pen to Waterman, I'd be charged for a new nib, to the tune of around $100 (IIRC) and yes, it would have to go all the way to France. The seller arranged a nib swap for me. The Waterman CS person may have been acting properly in returning me to the seller, but it left me feeling like Waterman is no longer willing to go the extra distance for its customers. In the past, my husband has returned two Waterman pens to Janesville for repairs at no charge to him.

I'm envious of the Chartpak service I read about in the Pelikan forum.

All very disappointing. I have a Carene and I really do like it. I was thinking of getting another, but if it would have to go to France in the event of a scratchy nib, then I think I will pass on the pen.

Treecat, I know some people get sick of hearing those of us who like Chartpak compliment their service, but in my experience Chartpak has really been very good to me and generally turned things around quickly. I hope as the economy continues to tighten up that Chartpak does not get changed.

John, Chartpak's service is what customer service should be. You'll buy another Pelikan because of the way they treat you; you're hesitant to buy another Waterman because of their customer service. I don't blame you, and am glad that Pelikan relies on a company like Chartpak to provide service to those who buy their pens. That's the way it should be.

I love my Phileas, Expert II and Carene, but it's saddening to know that the customer service we once got from Waterman isn't quite there anymore.

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It'd probably be better to send it to one of our own nibmeisters here, or learn to do it ourselves.

And yes, I do have aPelikan white tortoise, and will be eyeing more Pelikans in the future. Hmm, maybe even Sailor...

7 Carenes and I've never needed customer service. But then I bought the majority from our own J.M. Lewertowski [no affiliation other than contentedly sending the man far too many of my pay checks]

Last September I purchased a Carene with a skipping nib, and Waterman replaced it for free. Though it took almost a month, since it went to France via Janesville. I guess the wait was worth it, since in the process I also got Parker/Waterman's nifty pen shipping tube, and a free ink cartridge...

-Mike

I recently bought an Opera with a medium nib from an FPN member, and sent it to Waterman with the Paypal receipt requesting an exchange to a stub nib. In their reply to my initial email inquiry Sanford customer service had said that the nib need only be in "new condition." Janesville called me when they received the pen, saying that France would never exchange the nib on a pen so long out of production. I told them to have Waterman France just send the pen back if they wouldn't do the nib exchange and wanted to charge me $250 for a stub. I got the pen back this afternoon with a stub nib in it. That is pretty great service - Chartpak level I'd say - and I'll definitely continue to buy Watermans.

PS I also got the tube - it *is* really cool - and a Florida Blue cart.

Let me get this right. They said 250.00 for stub, you said forget it, they sent it back w/stub?

Sorry, I was unclear. Janesville asked me what I wanted them to do if France said they wouldn't do the exchange and wanted to charge for a new nib, and I said that they should just send back the pen with its original nib. They did the exchange and didn't charge me. --j

This is really sad, as I have a couple of workhorse Waterman's and finding this out just means I won't be buying any more of them. No matter how good something is, sometimes it needs support. Sad......

My last Carene purchase was less than stellar.

Well, the purchase experience was pleasant.
The writing experience isn't.

It is the green shimmer M the good folks here
assisted me with getting it to write in the first place.

It writes, technically speaking.

It also doesn't start and skips like crazy.

Not something I would expect for a pen advertised NIB so
I called Watermans. (looked NIB but obviously dipped, I would say,
because the nib was not clean)

They are willing to exchange the nib to a stub for nothing, thankfully,
or at least that is what they said.

So off it goes tomorrow.

This sounds like a serious service problem that will damage the Waterman brand. I would suggest that letters detailing the problem should be written to the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the President of the company, c/o Newall Rubbrmaid in Georgia. Handwritten letters, might mention you are using a Waterman Pen & ink, are the most effective.

I take it that Parker service, since they are also a Newall Rubbermaid subsidiary, is also being processed in France.