Chartpak And Nib Swaps On Pens Bought Outside Us

[johntdavis]

Hello,

 

I know Chartpak doesn't do warranty service for pens purchased from outside the US and shipped here.

 

Does it honor the free nib swap policy for pens purchased from, say, Japan? I bought an M805 from Bungbox and have thought about getting the nib swapped.

[masterguns]

Based on my experience last year, Chartpak will exchange a nib only if purchased through an authorized Pelikan seller. I had to email a copy of my receipt before they would proceed with the process.

[sargetalon]

It is my understanding that the nib swap has to occur within 30 days of purchase and you need proof of purchase from an authorized Pelikan retailer. If you meet both of those criteria, they should be able to perform the swap for you regardless of which country you purchased your pen from.

 

Of course, policies have been known to change so it is best to contact Chartpak to verify that that remains the case.

Edited April 1, 2016 by sargetalon

[welcmhm]

I sent an email to Chartpak and the representative said that it was their policy not to, but the wording made it seem as though they might (unofficially, I suppose). As the US distributor, they lose business when people buy pens abroad, so I understand and respect their policy, but if you already have the pen and want a different nib, you should ask. Worst they can say is no.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Try Pelikan Hannover but that is international post from America which is very expensive. German post is only half as expensive.

[JoeyP]

Hi all,

I just got a email from Abi today. I was told they will not honor nib swaps because the pens were purchased in Italy. I'm very disappointed in this as I was assured that any Pelikan service center would do nib swaps or honor warranty repair. I just purchased 3 brand new Pelikan pens from a authorized dealer. This is a global market and I feel a global company should honor globally.

I had a long rant typed but I deleted it. I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot!!

All the best

Joey

[JoeyP]

O and BTW, I did send receipts to them. I'm kinda disgusted

[KTNJ]

That is very unfortunate. I had bought an M805 sometime last year from La Couronne du Comte and had the nib swapped out by Abi in June and thought that was the process.

 

Thank you for starting this thread, as I was still under the assumption that Charpak would swap nibs for pens bought overseas. I'm assuming this is a new policy as many of us are turning to purchasing our pens from overseas where prices are cheaper and service is excellent, leaving Charpak undersold. Where the stores you bought from authorized dealers?

 

You may be able to just send the nib unit back to where you bought it, either the Pelican distributor or the store and see if they can provide the swap service. I'm hoping that shipping on a nib unit won't cost an arm and a keg, but just a suggestion.

[Lam1]

Hi all,

I just got a email from Abi today. I was told they will not honor nib swaps because the pens were purchased in Italy. I'm very disappointed in this as I was assured that any Pelikan service center would do nib swaps or honor warranty repair. I just purchased 3 brand new Pelikan pens from a authorized dealer. This is a global market and I feel a global company should honor globally.

I had a long rant typed but I deleted it. I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot!!

All the best

Joey

 

I agree with you. They should honor the warranty no matter the country in which it was purchased, as long as it was purchased from an authorized dealer.

If Pelikan wants to charge Montblanc prices in the USA, they should at least offer the same kind of service. Not to mention other brands too. I recently had a GvFC, which I bought from Germany, repaired: they told me that I did not need to send any receipt or warranty papers, no questions asked as to where or when I bought it and no charges. On top of that, they sent me a new converter and a bottle of GvFC Cobalt Blue for free - that is the kind of service that hooks the customer.

[sargetalon]

If this is the case, it's a reversal of policy and one that doesn't wholly suprise me. I can say that Chartpak is very unhappy with the trend towards US consumers buying overseas. Of course that hasn't stopped them from charging astronomical prices to US customers and putting US vendors in a tough position. They may be refusing service to incentivize people to again purchase domestically. A real shame if that is the case. I will try to clarify their policy but Chartpak isn't in my fan club right now.

[JoeyP]

It is most certainly the case! Not in my fan club either! I did indeed buy the pen from a authorized dealer. I have the warranty stamped also. The other problem is I only have until the 18th of this month to do the swap. I have also purchased 2 other brand new Pelikan pens, one of those in the U.S. I can tell you that I can not afford to pay the insane prices that Chartpak would like to force dealers to charge. I really love Pelikans and I own close to 20 of them. Every one of them writes just the way I like it, all except this 800 that I bought brand new. I waited to see if I could adjust to useing the pen with this nib and I felt like I just wouldn't be happy unless I changed out the nib. Yes I did get the pen from Italy. Was the pen cheap? Heck no it wasn't cheap! Could I afford this beautiful m800? No I probably shouldn't have bought it anyway.

Someone said that it's taking money out of Chartpaks pockets? Greed is the only thing taking money out of their pockets. If the price point was on a even level, (with everyone selling Pelikans BTW) you could bet your bottom dollar, many Pelikans would be sold right here in the U.S.

[JoeyP]

Lam1,

Yes, in a global market place such as this, service is what keeps a customer. If a product was only a few dollars more,well then of course, I would be happy to pay it! Unfortunately we're talking hundreds of dollars more, with shipping speed that is mind boggling at times

[Ron Z]

Come now. Don't blame Abi, she's very good at what she does, and I've always found her to be very helpful. Chartpak has to follow rules set by the company in Germany.

[stacybean]

I recently had the same experience with an M800 I purchased from an Italian vendor. Fortunately I've come to love the F nib after all.

[sargetalon]

Come now. Don't blame Abi, she's very good at what she does, and I've always found her to be very helpful. Chartpak has to follow rules set by the company in Germany.

 

 

Abi is great and is certainly not responsible for Chartpak's policies. She has always been most helpful and does what she can within the mandates that she must work under. I have e-mailed her about Chartpak's current policies and am awaiting a reply.

[Chuck400b]

If you lived in the USA and went to Canada and bought a new vehicle, or vice verse, when you got to your home country you would be surprised that a Dealership Warranty Arm did not honor your new car warranty. Most car lines restrict warranty coverage.

 

Why would any US merchant bother becoming a US Seller of Pelikan which includes investing money in minimum stock purchases as they watch as they lose business to the ebb and flow of price variances where people end up buying out of country as changes in both the dollar and MAP pricing have them priced out of the market.

 

You got a pen at a significant discount, part and parcel to the discount is your out of pocket cost for what would be considered normal included warranty service.

 

Global brands have the grey market.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Chuck400b

[sargetalon]

It has been 1 week since my query to Chartpak (emailed Abi directly) to clarify their policy and no reply as of yet. Abi has never failed to respond in the past so I'm giving the benefit of the doubt. Like I said though, I may be on the blacklist.

[zuhandensein]

I do not live in the US, but his sort of threads are curbing my enthusiasm towards Pelikan pens. I would expect that a dealer's warranty is something that is added to the manufacturer's warranty as an extra, and for the case of global brands I always expect a good global warranty. It makes no sense to me that if I buy a laptop in the UK I will only be safe here.

[Chuck400b]

I do not live in the US, but his sort of threads are curbing my enthusiasm towards Pelikan pens. I would expect that a dealer's warranty is something that is added to the manufacturer's warranty as an extra, and for the case of global brands I always expect a good global warranty. It makes no sense to me that if I buy a laptop in the UK I will only be safe here.

Again, many manufacturers limit warranty service to the country or region where the item was bought.

 

I keep reading the words "Global Brands" and I translate it to "buying cheaper from other countries online but getting my warranty work done here"

 

You as a purchaser must factor the cost savings in to any out of pocket cost you would pay that would be covered under normal warranty.

 

As I have already stated most "global brands" of cars, electronics, etc have limitations in their warranty.

 

Why would any American retailer bother buying a minimum order buy in of $10,000 (or whatever they expect) of Pelikan or any manufacturer stock that they are then never going to be able to compete with the pricing of online buying each item at a 30% discount internationally.

 

Pelikan is already getting push back from American sellers (even those known for offering Binderization and great seller warranty) for Massdrop drops which have caused some sellers to simply not bother replenishing their inventories from Pelikan as those in the community know it's cheaper to buy a drop and then pay for nib optimization at a pen show.

 

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Chuck400b

[inkstainedruth]

This has been a very enlightening thread.

I bought my first Café Creme from Rolf Thiel off of his eBay store, simply because it was less expensive -- even with shipping -- than any of the US sellers. When I lost it, I was able to track down a replacement (eBay auction a couple of weeks ago). But the nib on the pen isn't the B nib as advertised -- it's an Italic. I may and up liking it better, but I may not; and in that case, I was going on the general assumption that as a used pen I'd just have to suck it up and save up for a replacement B nib (and then likely have to pay a nibmeister to adjust it like I had to on the first one since it skipped so badly no matter what ink I put in it). Once that was done for the first Café Crème was, though, the pen was great -- and made losing it just that much more irritating.

But I didn't quibble in the least about buying it from a non-US retailer, because of the markup. I do understand that they're probably in a bind, but they (and Pelikan) have to understand that some of us have only a limited discretionary budget for something that is, in effect, a niche market item -- and a luxury one to boot (we're not all Russian oil oligarchs here -- we've got mortgages and car payments and property taxes and vet bills; and frankly, for Pelikan to decide that they want to compete with Montblanc instead of Lamy for market share is kinda shooting themselves in the foot -- economies of scale being what they are).

Just my two cents' worth.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth