Extremely Happy With My New Limited Edition Montblanc Francoise I But...

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Wauw, congratulations to you fromthecrowd! "humble"? It is the ICONIC flagship from Montblanc, an absolute timeless classic. I love it and secretly have been looking at one myself also. Plain crazy but just dreaming away. Enjoy it, I am sure it will be fantastic!

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Since I have been waiting quite some time now, I thought to give the store a call and ask if they have some news for me. While looking for the phone number on the receipt, I saw that they had filled out a "pickup date" of the 9th of July.....

 

Strange to say the least that they have filled out this specific date. How do they know already before hand the date for something like this? I suppose each problem and case if different and requires a different solution and lead time? Maybe I think too much behind it but at least I need to wait another month so it seems. They had warned me before hand that it could take some time. Some is here the understatement of the day so it seems. Anyhow I´d be happy to wait six more months knowing the problem would be solved so that remains the main thing.

 

We will see in about a month or so, I guess.

[fromthecrowd]

~ Bigmacmagicmac:

 

I will hold my fingers crossed for your issues to resolve happily!

 

Also I advise you to get a compact x10 loupe (magnifying glass), so you could inspect the nib and feed when you go to pickup your pen. A watchmakers or a folding model will both do.

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Hello,

 

Thanks for the advice, I was looking to buy one indeed always comes in handy anyhow. Of course I will keep you updated.

[Bigmacmagicmac]

The 9th of July is still a long wait to be honest. Happily writing with my Duofold every day so if all goes bad I still have my old, faithful companion. Forgot to check my mother´s Parker when I visited them. In the end we did´t visit the elderly home where the pen was so that´s why it slipped my mind. Will try to remember for my next visit.

 

I still try to remain positive and hope for the best solution. I was secretly hoping the store would call me before the 9th to inform me the pen already had arrived. Who knows...

 

Keep you posted!

[canibanoglu]

I really hope that everything gets worked out for your best interests and in the short term. I have just gone through the whole thread and I can relate to your emotions regarding the whole experience. What they did to you feed was totally unacceptable and the way they turned on you was awful. I hope you won't have to deal with them again once this ordeal is over.

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Thanks Canibanoglu,

 

Yes it is a sad story and totally unnecessary. With MB´s perfect, waterproof and over the top after sale service they did´t had to do anything but just take the pen and send it over to them. Totally unnecessary therefore, that makes it even more tragic and then the cherry on the cake is that they they did´t want to send it to them and started to threaten me. Really that´s the absolute limit. Threatening me that the service would cost me at least 180 euros while everywhere on the internet is clearly stated that there is a clear, no questions asked guarantee on the tip and that they replace it for you free of charge. You really have to be quite dumb to treat people like this. Honestly. The last word has´nt been said about this by far, you´ll see. I should sell the rights of my story to Marvel or Disney .

 

I can´t believe they will try to charge me when the pen gets back but it still a possibility. That would be a new limit but then they picked the wrong one to try and pull this. I will fight them till death and take it up with Montblanc all the way. Even if they don´t charge me and deliver the pen is perfect state I am still considering to take this whole ordeal up with Montblanc. I think Montblanc needs to know about this.

 

We´ll see. I went by the store yesterday since I happened to be in the city. Just to ask them if by any chance they had heard anything. Nothing yet. No news. I just need to sit it out till the 9th of july. It´s ok, as I said before there are a zillion more important things in the world going on. I am happily writing with my Duofold and in worst case I might have to find a good nib master who perhaps is capable of helping me. Well see and in worst work case the pen is just not for me well I´ll survive I suppose also.

 

I did see yesterday this one, the MB Voltaire. Oooh also beautiful I must admit so many more things to keep dreaming about....

 

Happy to have support from everyone here. Let´s hope for the best.

[fromthecrowd]

~ Bigmacmagicmac:

 

Any news yet?

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Unfortunately bad news (relatively) again. I just came back from a business travel. The pen should have been in the store ready to be picked up on Saturday but then I still was abroad. I returned yesterday and called this morning the store to ask if they had received it.

 

Unfortunately they had´t. Figures also a little bit to be honest. It has been a nightmare from the beginning and it seems that I won't get off the hook easily either.

 

They could´t tell me anything else just that they had to contact MB to inquire what the situation is. I will call the store again on Wednesday to see if they can give more more exact details....

 

To be continued I am afraid. Again...

[Bigmacmagicmac]

I called the store today and again a new chapter unfolded in my horror story. This time I had some one else on the line and he asked me: " Is this a Limited Edition fountain pen it concerns? Yes I replied him. Then he asked me: " What is wrong with it?" Seriously. I repeat seriously!!

 

Anyway they clearly have no clue what is going on and the man asked me to be patient for a few days in order for them to contact Montblanc and ask about the status of the repair. He literally said: "To write them an email".

 

Really quite astonishing to say the least but I fear this will end really really badly. If I don´t know anything more specific by next week I will start contacting Montblanc directly myself and tell them my entire story from A to Z about the store. I have really really had it.

 

Of course I will keep you informed. I have to go on a business trip again next Thursday for a week so difficult to call the store also. We will see...

[fromthecrowd]

~ Bigmacmagicmac:

 

AS far as I understood reading this forum, it's best to contact Montblanc through their Facebook page.

 

May be the shop just returns you the money and you go to the Montblanc boutiqe?

 

Once again want to wish you a happy ending of your story.

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Hello,

 

Yes indeed I begin to fear that you are right. The store is becoming a bigger and bigger handicap every day. Nevertheless I was hoping that after sending the pen to Germany, Montblanc would have had it repaired properly. Still quietly hoping that this will be the end result by the way.

 

Just in case that the store wants me to charge for it or in the case that Montblanc argues that the guarantee was voided because of the adjustments made by the store, I thought of taking this issue up with them directly.

 

That was or would have been my next move. Now with the extra delay (still unexplained) I begin to worry that the fight isn´t over by far. I can't believe that Montblanc has´t been able to do anything. I thought that with a simple nib change it could have been resolved but then again I know nothing about the techniques from a fountain pen, only a lot about fighting with the store I bought it

So I remain hoping on good news but according the next piece of information, we will see what I can do. I think it is a pretty good case for Montblanc to look into. Just to improve their ways, rethink their current retail channels and partners. Old time partners who worked well in the past may not do so any more in some countries which requires change. Then agin maybe I am too optimistic about the company....

 

We will see.

Edited July 13, 2016 by Bigmacmagicmac

[Bigmacmagicmac]

I don´t have Facebook but I will find a way to check their page. I was hoping to find their contact data in another way in case it is necessary.

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

Hold yourselves for the next "episode" in my horror story. You will have a hard time believing it but rest assure, it is all true.

 

Since I am traveling this week I was upset I couldn't´really call the store easily. So I decided to check out Montblanc´s webpage and tried to contact customer service. I succeeded on Sunday and wrote them and email, requesting information from them regarding my Francoise I which had been sent to Hamburg by my store.

 

Yesterday afternoon I received an email by my store, informing me that Montblanc had contacted them about my inquiry since they had not been able to find any information back about my pen, let alone my pen itself....

 

Turns out and I literally quote the store: "After receiving your pen on the 9th of May we singlehandedly decided to give it a few more tries to repair your pen ourselves. After some attempts we were not able to do so but then the pen was forgotten in one of the repair drawers in our store. Until now when Montblanc inquired to us about the pen. We are very sorry that this had happened and we have send now the pen to Montblanc and hope to hear something soon"

 

SERIOUSLY!!! I literally almost fainted reading this email from them. At the same time I felt like if the ground was swept away under my feet.

 

Can you really believe this? The pen has been lying there "forgotten" in a drawer in their shop the whole time I have been been waiting. More than 2 months!!!!

 

Even worse, unforgivable even, when I went back to the store to have them send it to Montblanc, they not only strongly encouraged me not to. They also literally threatened me that it would cost me a fortune. Nevertheless I insisted and told them no matter what I wanted them to send the pen to MB. They put it in a special repair envelope and they accepted my request. Now they literally tell me in the email they had then decided to start "repairing" my pen again themselves instead of sending it to MB. WITHOUT telling me!!!

 

Can you believe this? Seriously I have never in my entire life read or seen anything like this. I hope you all agree with this.

 

Now my sole confidence is in MB and I seriously hope that they will help me but the last word has most certainly not been said about this horrible ordeal.

[fromthecrowd]

Now the store are clearly "the villains"! The suspense has culminated!

 

Obviously this is a positive turn of events. It's a great success you contacted Montblanc directly and productively!

 

Probably it went like this. The store damaged the pen while trying to repair it. The damage did not fall under Montblanc guarantee conditions. So the store had to pay Montblanc for the repair. They decided to wait with mailing the pen in the hope that the situation somehow changes. May be planning to deceive you further. Also it is clear from your narrative that the whole store was behind this. Not just a single person.

 

Now that Montblanc has the matter under control we may hope for the happy ending of the story.

Wishing you the best of luck!

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Hello again,

 

I just received an email from Montblanc themselves. Well not the experts in Hamburg but the Spanish headquarters in Madrid. They confirmed that the pen was sent to Hamburg where it arrived yesterday. It will even be repaired already today according to their email. For more information I should turn to the shop they tell me.

 

They apologize for the delay caused by the shop.

 

Funny that they apologize for the shop. This means that the Spanish headquarters was informed by the shop some how.

 

Anyway now things are put in overdrive.

 

I seized the opportunity to explain the Montblanc headquarters in detail that my first priority is to get the pen back in excellent shape. I still trust that the company will do everything in its power to help me and I am confident that they will get it right.

 

Second I did mention them that I find it unbelievable and unacceptable that the shop had decided to ignore my initial and specific wish to send the pen back to them and decided to singlehandedly try to repair the pen AGAIN. Without informing me, asking my consent, nothing. This I find the worse of all seriously.

 

I told them I went back already in the past, that the shop back then already tried to repair it and that the result had been really really disturbing. I also included one of the pictures with the backside of the nib to show them.

 

So I did explain them some things, not all since I don't want to overwhelm them too much while this may be premature to do. When necessary they will certainly get the entire story from A to Z with all the details but now I just want them to get my my pen back in good shape.

 

I also explained them that while buying the pen I compared its performance with the Faulkner and that already back then the writing performance was way below the Faulkner was writing. Nevertheless I decided to buy the Francoise I because of its sheer beauty, weight and balance, I think it is important to stress that from day one the writing was just not good.

 

Anyway, it is in their hands now and let´s hope for the best. It has been quite an ordeal to say the least but hanging in there and hoping for a positive outcome. Obviously I will keep you informed on any update.

[sirgilbert357]

Absolutely no way should you be charged anything at all for this repair!!! I would push Montblanc to provide to you, IN WRITING, that the repair will be free to you (although they are more than welcome to make the store pay for it!). Get it from MB directly...otherwise, MB may say its free and then the store attempt to charge you before releasing your pen back to you...which would be pure profit for them!

 

Furthermore, I would request the repaired pen be mailed DIRECTLY to you and not back to the store. No way would I deal with them again...

Edited July 19, 2016 by sirgilbert357

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Yes, indeed you are more than right. I will not, never accept any charges whatsoever but not in my scariest dreams I can imagine that they will try this. We will see.

 

From the lines of communications it is clear that MB has strong ties with the shop. Don't forget the shop exists over 70 years and has been always an authority outlet in Spain on a national level.

 

When I sent a mail directly to MB, they communicated straight back to the shop and the shop firstly contacted me again before MB did so getting them to send the pen directly to me will not be easy. Also I´d be looking forward to confronting the people from the store again. Although highly uncomfortable it is necessary. I feel it is just not right what they did. From finish to start and I want to let them know.

 

Later I will definitely take this whole ordeal up with MB. First on the Spanish level but if I feel ignored I will contact MB Europe about it. It is just absolutely my duty to them to explain them what has happened. I feel terrible for all other customers from that particular store. It is unjust, unfair and I won't accept this. Not for myself nor for anyone else.

 

I just first want to concentrate on the end result. Depending on the outcome I will take further steps.

 

By the way, the store has not contacted me any further yet nor has MB Spain so far but then again it is still early in Spain at this moment. I honestly expect some kind of feedback from MB Spain today after my extremely elaborate email from yesterday.

 

We will see....

[kansaskyle]

@Bigmacmagicmac

That is quite the story! I'm hopeful for a good outcome on the pen and no charges to you.

[Bigmacmagicmac]

Just got again news from MB. They are quite surprised to have read my last email and regret very much what had happened. They are especially surprised since the store has been a long time representative of Montblanc (just as I predicted they would tell me) and they are sincerely surprised that the store did not send directly the pen to MB after my request to do so.

 

The pen is repaired and sent back to the store already yesterday afternoon. I suspect it will arrive there tomorrow, latest Friday. I will be back in Spain on Saturday so I plan to go there on Monday.

 

The urge me to contact them in case anything is not in order or to my satisfaction.

 

First it surprises me that the pen is repaired in one day. Second I am surprised that they don't give me any explanation whatsoever about the state the pen was in hen they got it, their analysis, their findings, their reparations and the end result. All these last questions I just asked them to provide me to have a complete and full status report on what the problem was and what exactly they have done. It seems the least they can do for me right?

 

Anyway let´s see what information they can give me and on Monday back to my beloved store to pick up my pen....

 

The suspense is about to kill me...