Well, That's What I Get For Buying From A Boutique...

[Tom Kellie]

~ As is mine here in Beijing.

[KTNJ]

Eek. That misalignment is terribly obvious. Perhaps they shipped it directly from the warehouse and nobody every looked at it? Maybe I just don't want to believe that they could ship it without even looking at it.

 

I once ordered a Pelikan from a highly reputable overseas seller - the pen had been dipped so somebody obviously wrote with it and should have realized it was unusable. The tines were so bad that it ripped paper and couldn't write. I was shocked that they let the pen out of the door.

[Valdair]

If I had the opportunity of course I would have inspected the pen in person before buying. I don't have that luxury where I live. Not even an AD for over 300 miles, and they upcharge almost 30%.

[max dog]

It would be nice if Montblanc (all manufacturers for that matter) could seal the nibs when it leaves the factory, so when you get the new pen from a boutique or authorized seller, you know it was never touched by anyone since it was inspected and left the factory. Nibs being as delicate as they are, a lot can happen from the time the pen leaves the factory to when you get it. Who's to know if the new pen at the boutique isn't fitted with a (non original) nib that was exchanged or repaired at the repair center, distributor or even the boutique itself. Whenever I buy a new pen (any brand) I always worry if I will get a dud or not, and the aggravation of having to deal with the seller or manufacturer to get i fixed/replaced puts me off buying a new pen.

[Pravda]

It's the issue of opening the pen to put it on a display and people touching it. Even the ones in boxes in their drawers I've noticed often gets some display time depending on stock.

 

What's stunned me recently is the condition I've seen some 888 or 333 editions with scratches and misaligned nibs. I asked who would buy them like that and they said they either don't care/notice or we can send it for refurbishment after purchase. For $20k+ pens I thought that it was savage lol

[Ceelo]

To the OP, how disappointing, I hope the new pen works perfect. I think it is a good reminder to not be too attached to any one brand and particularly the assumptions we build up about it. Let us know how you get on wth the BB.

[Valdair]

Old pen shipped out this morning. They won't send anything until they have it back so likely nothing will happen until late next week. I wonder if they would do it if I asked them to test the pen for me (since it's already technically been bought), clean it, and send along the test sheet. Almost seems like it ought to be mandatory given how many bad nibs apparently make it through this rigorous testing process at the end of manufacturing.

[Ergative]

Why on earth do you have to pay for shipping? You bought their product and it was defective. It's not like you changed your mind. The fault is 100% theirs.

[lemonde]

​​
​​To the OP, I feel your pain. It's frustrating that the nibs were misaligned and too tight, and that they sent it without noticing themselves first.

​
​I've bought four fountain pens, all from Montblanc boutiques. My scorecard: 2 wins, 2 big losses. The nib on my Medium nib Tolstoy was terribly misaligned:

​
http://www.arcmailbox.com/img/pens/tolstoy1.jpg

​
​and was sent to Germany for repair. But, since I wanted a broad nib anyway, the pen was destined for Germany regardless, as my boutique never has anything in broad ever for any reason and never will.

A month later, I bought the Platium Facet classique medium, and it had a leaky nib / feeder that had to also be sent to Germany for repair.

​The plus side? Both pens are back (it took about 2 months) and the Tolstoy is now my best writer, and the Platium Facet is flawless and a pleasure to use.

​Overall, I've got 8 pens from Montblanc (the rest aren't fountains), and I'd say only about 50% are flawless on day one. A couple of ballpoints needed exchanging, and a rollerball cap wouldn't screw on correctly, etc. It's WHY I buy at a boutique - they'll do whatever it takes to keep me happy.

​Of course, I can visit my nearest boutique in person to act as the first line of defense against receiving an obviously flawed pen. I fear if I bought over the phone as you must do out of necessity, the 50% defect rate that I'm experiencing would go up even higher.

​Despite my 50% failure rate with Montblanc's quality control, I'm still happy overall. They fix everything and now all my pens write like a dream. I've held other brands such as Montegrappa in my hands, but their fit and finish do not compare to Montblanc. Gratuituous ballpoint photo, coming up:

​​http://www.arcmailbox.com/img/pens/mbsb.jpg

​​Thanks for reading.

[Maktoob0303]

Boutique in Hawaii is horrible

[Michigan]

I dunno about the whole boutique thing. Seems like a lot of upcharge to get "an experience."

 

I also have had good experience negotiating with MB dealers to get a really good price (25-30% off their non-MSRP).

 

And while I like the boutiques, I think I knew more about pens than the last lady I dealt with. Sorry they don't test them. Keep in mind, nibs.com does test their pens. When giving one, I swear by them. Sure, they have no MBs, but I would have been incandescently angry to give a pen that does not work.

[Laurel]

When MontBlanc ships the pens from the factory they are sealed in plastic; by looking at the ugly packaging you would have no idea it was a MontBlanc. My authorized dealer showed me a few weeks a go how my ReN came in before all the bells and whistles got put together.

[Valdair]

I dunno about the whole boutique thing. Seems like a lot of upcharge to get "an experience."

 

I also have had good experience negotiating with MB dealers to get a really good price (25-30% off their non-MSRP).

 

And while I like the boutiques, I think I knew more about pens than the last lady I dealt with. Sorry they don't test them. Keep in mind, nibs.com does test their pens. When giving one, I swear by them. Sure, they have no MBs, but I would have been incandescently angry to give a pen that does not work.

Really? Montblanc will negotiate on price? That seems incredibly unusual to me. Also, that's great for nibs.com but if they don't have the pen I want then they cannot help me. And as much as I want to try them, their nib and pen services are absurdly expensive, and if you want it done in a reasonable time frame the price doubles. I doubt I will ever buy from them. Then again, I doubt I will ever buy another Montblanc.

[Valdair]

Well, the replacement has been shipped, but it's not supposed to be here for a week or more (I originally paid for three-day shipping, they can't at least give me that for a replacement that's their fault?). I am beginning to wonder whether they are taking this seriously or even recognize that the nib was in fact a problem. If the next nib isn't perfect I am not even sure what I'll do. How easy is it to get a refund from Montblanc?

Edited May 25, 2016 by Valdair

[Valdair]

The replacement arrived last Tuesday, and while it at least doesn't shred paper, I'm afraid the writing experience was still not nearly as smooth as I was expecting from a wet BB nib. The pen has been sent to Pendleton Brown to get more drastic line variation.

[FourRings]

Usually their policy is that they won't let you return of exchange if the pen has been inked.

 

Glad they at least exchanged it for you.

 

AD's will haggle, boutiques will not...

Edited June 5, 2016 by FourRings

[KKay]

The replacement arrived last Tuesday, and while it at least doesn't shred paper, I'm afraid the writing experience was still not nearly as smooth as I was expecting from a wet BB nib. The pen has been sent to Pendleton Brown to get more drastic line variation.

That is a shame. They should've gone out of their way to make it an incredible experience for you. Just hearing your story makes me mad, and it didn't happen to me.

[Valdair]

Refusing a pen that is clearly defective because it has been inked would be asinine, especially since Montblanc seems to have such serious QC issues with their nibs. The only possible way you could use their exchange program would be if you got sent the wrong nib entirely or the tines were clearly out of alignment. Tines being too close together or the nib not being smooth isn't something you can just tell by brief inspection.

 

Sadly the whole experience has colored my entire view of the brand. I'll certainly never buy from a boutique again; maybe from somewhere like Appelboom.

[FrankB]

The replacement arrived last Tuesday, and while it at least doesn't shred paper, I'm afraid the writing experience was still not nearly as smooth as I was expecting from a wet BB nib. The pen has been sent to Pendleton Brown to get more drastic line variation.

 

Yes, sending the pen to a nibmeister is the route I would take. That way you get MB out of the loop, and the pen is in the hands of someone who knows what he is doing and has a much higher level of accountability than MB. - I would like to hear from you how the pen functions when you get it back.

 

Well, you wanted a boutique experience. No, I am not being cynical. You have a boutique experience which has validated the used market and grey market venues you have used before. I think it a worthy life experience that will stay with you. My personal impression is that a boutique is only worth while if I can go there in person and have the full experience. That boutique might be a pen shop or anything else (e.g. tobacco pipes). But I do not even consider dealing with a boutique if I must do so long distance. I have had experiences similar to yours. All of my MB pens were bought used and all are wonderful writers.

 

I also hope this scenario does not sour you completely on MB writing instruments. They are fine instruments once the kinks are ironed out. After all, you do have a couple other 146's that you seem to like quite well. Just stay with the buying venues that you know are reliable.

 

Good luck, keep calm and chive on!

[CS388]

Sorry, I don't agree.

 

It's a brand new pen and shouldn't have to be sent to a nib specialist, in order to make it write properly.

I'm sorry for your experience, Valdair - but I think I would have sent it back and demanded a refund (or another replacement, if you could be bothered). This is supposed to be a premium product. Montblanc are pen specialists, having built their reputation on producing quality writing instruments for decades. It should have been tested in the factory and it should write straight out of the box.

It's coming to something if we expect new pens not to write, without being sent out to specialists.

 

Almost turning into a rant, so I'll back off.

Again, sorry to hear of your experience, Valdair. Very disappointing!