Montblanc's Service Levels

[thygreyt]

I was at the montblanc boutique and i was shown the price catalog.

 

There are only 3 service levels, BUT they are different.

 

A service level 1 is not the same for the 144 and the 149. (the later being more expensive)

 

Same with all levels. I mean: there are categories to the level.

 

I just paid $330 for a nib exchange on a HERITAGE pen. If i remember correctly, the fee is the same for Great Characters, and Patron of arts. A meisterstuck 146 is different same level 3, but another pricing category.

[zaddick]

Also, service level 3 does not have to be a fixed rate. Some pens that require a lot more work to repair than others will be much more expensive. I am not sure how fine grained they get, but a Proust WE is likely more expensive to fix than a Kafka WE (for example). Or I bet repairing the lacquer work on a Verne would be pretty silly expensive.

[bleair]

I have a writer's edition Poe that has a chip out of the cap.

 

I had hoped I could use this "tier 3" service, but alas no. The MB boutique sent the pen back to Hamburg and after a few months I was told it would cost 580$ for the service and replacement part (the cap body), with the service being them moving everything (clip, etc.) from my current pen to the new cap body. They never mentioned tiers of service, just the cost of the repair.

 

I was given the option of just having them return the pen to me with no service and no charge.

 

Now, it's possible I screwed up... and if I had gone in and said "I'd like tier 3 service please", and never even mentioned the chip in the cap I might have gotten a different response... or maybe the tier 3 service just costs a great deal more for writers editions.

[zaddick]

That's basically what I was referring to in the examples of WE pens. that is the tier 3 service. Normally a cap chip for a standard black resin pen would be tier 1 to replace. They kinda have you over a barrel with the older WE and LE pens.

 

Also, I believe if it is a replacement cap, they will not renumber it so you would get one without a number. I am not sure if they redo the engraved signature.

[yeepers]

 

You will try for and wait for a very long time and pay much more than Montblanc would charge you to do the job.

 

If you are referring to your 75th anniversary 149 pen, then it's a really simple task for Montblanc, as it's a modern pen, not a vintage pen with an old feed that is no longer manufactured.

 

Service level one: $90 ish in the US. Just tell them that you only want a level one service if you want to make sure they don't give you a brand new cap as well and charge you for a level two service.

 

For that you will receive new parts such as piston assembly, piston, feeder case and cone & barrel if required. Plus whatever else might be required. Your pen will look like it was when it was brand new. What's not to like about that for a service?

My pen is from the 70s. I did not want them to replace the nib or feed. Apparently during their "inspection" they found something amiss with the nib - scratches? wear and tear? So they're telling me that they have to replace everything. Which I do not want. You don't get to pick and choose which levels of service you want once they've diagnosed it. So the only options are pay to get a whole new pen or pay the $40 inspection fee and have it shipped back as-is.

[Chrissy]

My pen is from the 70s. I did not want them to replace the nib or feed. Apparently during their "inspection" they found something amiss with the nib - scratches? wear and tear? So they're telling me that they have to replace everything. Which I do not want. You don't get to pick and choose which levels of service you want once they've diagnosed it. So the only options are pay to get a whole new pen or pay the $40 inspection fee and have it shipped back as-is.

 

Whenever I've dealt with Montblanc they have been quite happy to replace exactly what I want replaced and to not change what I haven't wanted changed. I would complain to Hamburg Head Office if the US service centre told me they had to change the nib just because of a few scratches when all I wanted was a level 1 service. Have you tried telling them you don't want to buy a new nib and just want a level 1 service? If they refuse, then try sending an email to Hamburg.

[yeepers]

 

Whenever I've dealt with Montblanc they have been quite happy to replace exactly what I want replaced and to not change what I haven't wanted changed. I would complain to Hamburg Head Office if the US service centre told me they had to change the nib just because of a few scratches when all I wanted was a level 1 service. Have you tried telling them you don't want to buy a new nib and just want a level 1 service? If they refuse, then try sending an email to Hamburg.

Yes. I did, indeed, tell them I wanted only a Level 1 service and was told that it was not possible.

 

What is the email address for Hamburg? The generic service email address?

[JonathanHarker]

Sorry to ressurect this old thread, but I just got a pen back from MB Service and was curious to know what a "curve bush" is?!

[Tom Kellie]

Sorry to ressurect this old thread, but I just got a pen back from MB Service and was curious to know what a "curve bush" is?!

 

~ JonathanHarker:

 

That's an entirely unfamiliar term to me.

I once read an article about fountain pen maintenance which mentioned very lightly “brushing curves” from time to time on stored pens.

What you've mentioned is fresh nomenclature for me.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

~ Could there be specialized fountain pen maintenance tools used by Montblanc technicians?

Tom K.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2018 by Tom Kellie

[JonathanHarker]

Hi,

 

Well, the "curved bush" was in the context of a part being replaced - my pen needed a new barrel and "curved bush"... I am none the wiser!

[Kalessin]

I would guess "curved bush" is a "curved bushing".

 

I don't know what part that would actually be.

[dubhe]

A bush either reduces friction or joins parts of a different diameter together, you could have a bush on a hinge for example to reduce wear on the pin.

[Mikale]

Greetings FPN members!

 

Although this is an old post. I am in the process of shipping two MB pens in for service repairs. It has been some years since the last time I used this service,

and wanted to see if the service fees increased. I visited Montblanc's service page and found this price listing for 2019.

Preislisten-Online-Chart-2019-WI-US.pdf

Edited February 14, 2020 by Mikale