Trying To Contact Tom Westerich

March 31, 2015

I'm glad that someone brought this up as I have been hesitant to do so.

FILE TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK FROM PAYPAL!!!

I bought a MB 146 BBB from Tom in January of 2013. It didn't write well so I sent it back March 2015 and included a 1950's 144 and 2 other pens to be worked on. Tom sent me an email that his wife had a recurrence of cancer and that he didn't feel that he could work on the pens. I accepted this. His wife subsequently died and he will not respond to my emails. I had bought the 144 from Sue Morris who also sold through Penboard.de and asked her to contact tom at the end of last year. She did and he said that he would get the pens to me ASAP. It will be April tomorrow and it has been over 2 years since Tom has had the pens.

I also see that he is selling new pens so he is able to function in some ways. I would guess that he is in some form of psychological distress that is inhibiting his functioning but at this point, I consider his keeping over $1000 of my pens to be theft. I have no recourse and have not posted anything on FPN because I did not want to besmirch anyone.

When I saw this post I figured that I could help you and stop others who might purchase merchandise from him from running into this problem.

It is really too bad because he is a talented man.

March 31, 2015

A copy of the email that I just sent him.

Tom,

It has been 2 years since I sent back the MB146 BBB, the MB144 OBB, another MB, and an Aurora. I had contacted Sue Morris who had sold me the 144 and she told me that she had contacted you. I know that your wife has died and I offer my condolences. I think I had done so, previously.

I wanted you to know that someone has posted on Fountain Pen Network about making a purchase from you and not receiving the merchandise. I had refrained from doing so myself because I did have sympathy for whatever you were going through that prevented you from following through on your work.

I did post my experience on FPN after reading the other member's predicament and his questioning whether to contact PayPal.

You are now in the process of ruining your reputation which is a real pity as you are a talented guy who has a great deal to share.

I despair of my ever getting my pens back or you making some form of compensation for not returning over $1000 of merchandise.

March 31, 2015

I'm sorry to hear of your unpleasant experience zenshrink. I'm hopeful that you may still have a satisfactory resolution though it seems less likely two years later. I am not quite ready to give up on Tom just yet as I have had successful business dealings as recently as 2 months ago. I in now way mean to name and shame but as each day goes by, I get more concerned. I still have time to file my claim with PayPal but based on reputation and past experience, I will give Tom the benefit of the doubt. That said, this poor communication does seem to be a pattern of behavior and I likely will not pursue or purchase pens offered by Tom in the future. Good luck getting a satisfactory response to your email.

April 1, 2015

I am sorry to hear others are having difficulty contacting Tom as I am. He and I have had dealings in just the last year of close to $10,000. His emails, responsiveness, and quality of the pens were all I could hope for. I was delighted.

Then, at the beginning of the year he brokered a $3,600 deal for me and we discovered the ultimate seller made an honest mistake and did not have what he thought he was selling. We began discussing something else with the 3rd party, who now has my money. A dozen or so emails ensued between Tom and me and abruptly stopped. For three months now, complete silence, starting right in the middle of a deal I thought we were about to close.

I have used both the emails I have for him. I have asked mutual friends to speak to him at a couple of pen shows, the latest being Cologne (lots of FB pictures posted, by the way). He told them he would contact me immediately. I sent another email. Nothing.

Like other posters, I am worried about Tom. I lost my wife to cancer and I know what a blow that can be. I hope he reads this thread and is able to communicate with each of us.

April 1, 2015

I am sorry to hear others are having difficulty contacting Tom as I am. He and I have had dealings in just the last year of close to $10,000. His emails, responsiveness, and quality of the pens were all I could hope for. I was delighted.

Then, at the beginning of the year he brokered a $3,600 deal for me and we discovered the ultimate seller made an honest mistake and did not have what he thought he was selling. We began discussing something else with the 3rd party, who now has my money. A dozen or so emails ensued between Tom and me and abruptly stopped. For three months now, complete silence, starting right in the middle of a deal I thought we were about to close.

I have used both the emails I have for him. I have asked mutual friends to speak to him at a couple of pen shows, the latest being Cologne (lots of FB pictures posted, by the way). He told them he would contact me immediately. I sent another email. Nothing.

Like other posters, I am worried about Tom. I lost my wife to cancer and I know what a blow that can be. I hope he reads this thread and is able to communicate with each of us.

Thanks for the input Tom, it is most helpful. I even reached out on Facebook and got no response. I feel that I have no choice at this point but to start the claim process with Paypal. Very disappointing. I hope that he is able to get on track soon and I hope that you too are able to recoup your expenses. Good luck.

April 1, 2015

I don't know Tom, but from his Facebook page he is traveling all over the continent to pen shows and other activities. I'd file the claim.

Sorry everybody's having this trouble.

Glenn

April 1, 2015

I would file a claim and take it from there.

April 1, 2015

I had decided not to say anything about my experience, but in light of this thread, I think I should.

Several months ago, I was looking for one of Andreas Lambrou's "Richmond" customizations of the Sheaffer Legacy I with a factory stub nib. I finally found a listing on penboard.de from Tom and ordered the pen. There was some delay in shipment, but the pen eventually arrived with its box and certificate signed by Andy. When I removed the cap, I was surprised to see that the pen was a BB instead of a stub. I looked on the box, where the BB designation was checked. Otherwise, the pen appeared to be in mint condition. I emailed Tom, and the reply was something like, "Imagine my sending out a BB instead of a stub." He offered to give me a week to decide whether I wanted my money back, since he did not have the pen with the nib I wanted.

I knew from a thread about Legacies on FPN that not all of the pens that were intended to be made as Richmonds or Washingtons were made, and that the remaining silver blanks were made into Legacy IIs. As luck would have it, I located one of these sterling Legacy IIs with a factory stub nib in Arkansas and bought it from a very nice gentleman there. Now I have two sterling Legacies, one decorated, one not, with interchangeable nibs. The only difference between them is that the BB nib has the 3-point cap clutch and the stub has the circular one. If I were ever to sell the Richmond, however, I would sell it as a BB.

I had put the incident out of my mind until I saw this thread. It is of interest to me since I have recently been given two MB 149s that need to be completely restored. I had heard that Tom did this kind of work, but now I am reluctant to trust him with it. Anyone know of another restorer I should consider?

April 3, 2015

I wanted to follow up on my previous posts. After initiating the Paypal dispute process, the pen that I purchased from Tom arrived in today's mail. It was in a plainly wrapped box and was not accompanied by any notes from the seller. It was posted 17 days after payment was made and arrived 11 days after being shipped. The pen is exactly as described which I'm happy about but the fact remains that 4 emails, a Facebook message, and 2 Paypal messages went unanswered. A simple note to say that it hadn't shipped yet or a tracking number once posted could have avoided all of this grief. Obviously, I will close my Paypal dispute but am left no choice but to avoid further dealings until Tom gets back on track with his life and business dealings. Best of luck to him.

April 4, 2015

I had put the incident out of my mind until I saw this thread. It is of interest to me since I have recently been given two MB 149s that need to be completely restored. I had heard that Tom did this kind of work, but now I am reluctant to trust him with it. Anyone know of another restorer I should consider?

I can heartily recommend Francis Goossens a.k.a. member Fountainbel on FPN

PM me if you want his address details

September 2, 2015

I just purchased a replacement Waterman's no. 4 nib from him - it was shipped today. I ordered it from him 2 days ago. In my experience he's a very nice person. The initial reply to my e-mail took about a week, but after that he replied within an hour to my e-mails. He arranged payment quickly and shipped it 2 days later and gave me tracking no. Very sorry to hear that you have experienced otherwise.

September 17, 2015

Nine months and counting. I finally found his telephone number and called him. He was quite apologetic and promised to have my money returned immediately. We chatted a bit and he said he had gotten way behind and was feeling much better now. That was, of course almost two months ago, now. Nothing has happened except he continues to ignore my emails and text messages. I am perturbed. After all the successful transactions we had prior to this incident I am disappointed.

I am sorry to be so blunt, but Tom owes me $3,600 or the pen I thought I had purchased, or a mutually agreed upon alternative pen. I would advise anyone else to wait until he starts to honor his commitments once again.