LAMY 2000 EF Bit the Dust

[BoxerDad]

Well the the one month old LAMY 2000 EF from Swisher Pens bit the dust last night. Went to fill it and it's not filling. Took the first filling when I got it without any problem, wrote excellent, no complaints except for the fact that when operating the piston it was somewhat binding.

 

Needless to say went to fill it last night and it's out of commision, worthless as far as I'm concerned. Called Swisher and they basically said you're on your own as far as repair. Send it to FiloFax in CT. that's the answer they gave me !

 

Not very customer friendly and being that it was just under a month from when I bought it I would of at least expected them to say send it back and we'll send you a replacement, and that they would send out the broken pen for repair. No way, they would do that !

 

Disgusted to say the least!

 

Has anyone had this happen to their LAMY 2000? Any feedback on Swisher Customer Service? Not good in my book. I don't do business that way!

 

Regards,

John

[davidmigl]

Well, the way I see it, Swisher is a dealer, a middleman between you and Lamy. They clearly state on their website/shipping info page that they have a 14 day no-question return policy. I have used this twice and it has been a smooth, pain free process. Anything manufacturing-related has to do with Lamy; that's why the warranty comes from Lamy, not Swisher. So I would recommend reviewing the return policy before you buy and sending it off to Lamy repair. Last time I sent my 2k EF in it took less than two weeks.

 

I have found Swisher to have prompt, friendly customer service. Their prices are average to below average, but their shipping is usually a few dollars less than other places. It isn't any one thing that draws me there, but I find that the combination keeps me coming back to Swisher.

 

BTW, how did you like the nib on the 2k EF? I have gone through several (return/repair), in fact, an L2k that I recently bought is in for service right now. I've never gotten one that's as smooth as they're made out to be; they've been all rather toothy and dryish. The fine that I had was much smoother but still bone dry.

Edited August 21, 2007 by davidmigl

[dwmatteson]

Hi John -

 

I'm guessing you ran into the same problem I ran into with my Lamy 2000: The piston stopper on mine separated from the plunger rod (I'm certain I'm using the wrong terms). I took my Lamy 2000 apart following the directions listed in another thread, re-connected the two parts, re-assembled the pen, and put in a dab of silicone grease to lubricate things just for good measure. The fact that it feels like it's binding is what makes me think you ran into the same problem.

 

Sorry, no comments either way about the customer service side of things.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Don

[PelikanPenman]

It is unfortune that your pen quit working so quickly. Couple of suggestions, if in the future you find a piston starting to bind, stop using it and put some pure silicon grease on the piston. Second suggestion, if the Lamy does not work out, can I recommend a nice Pelikan M600.

 

Good luck.

Edited August 21, 2007 by PelikanPenman

[cmeisenzahl]

I know that's frustrating, but these things can happen. Lamy USA service is excellent in my experience. Please let us know how it works out.

 

Chris

[HesNot]

Interestingly I was looking at a Lamy 2000 EF from Swisher when my annual bonus is paid - maybe I'll have to rethink the vendor although I've had good experiences with Swisher in the past.

[BoxerDad]

Hi John -

 

I'm guessing you ran into the same problem I ran into with my Lamy 2000: The piston stopper on mine separated from the plunger rod (I'm certain I'm using the wrong terms). I took my Lamy 2000 apart following the directions listed in another thread, re-connected the two parts, re-assembled the pen, and put in a dab of silicone grease to lubricate things just for good measure. The fact that it feels like it's binding is what makes me think you ran into the same problem.

 

Sorry, no comments either way about the customer service side of things.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Don

Exactly what happened. I took this puppy apart and found that the rubber plunger was stuck at the base of the barrel, pulled completely off the end of the shaft. Popped it back on now she fills up with water withot a problem. I have to wait to get home to re-fill with ink.

 

I have some Dow Corning Silicone Valve lubricant / sealant that is used to lubricate valves in a lab setting. Would this be ok to use on the rubber plunger or just on the shaft. How much did you apply and where?

 

 

Thank's for your help

[BoxerDad]

Interestingly I was looking at a Lamy 2000 EF from Swisher when my annual bonus is paid - maybe I'll have to rethink the vendor although I've had good experiences with Swisher in the past.

 

I would !!!

[dwmatteson]

I'm not familiar with the valve lubricant you mentioned (my background is sociology/demography -- not much need for valve lubricant in that environment), so I'll leave that for Those Who Know to answer.

 

As far as how much and where, I just put a modest amount on a toothpick and swabbed it around the inside of the barrel just above the ink-view windows. After that, I just worked the piston a few times and it was infinitely better.

 

Glad you got it squared away!

 

Don

[Shelley]

I got my Lamy 2000 EF from Pam Braun, she seemed cheaper than others, had (and I can confirm, has) a great reputation, plus she personally tested and then choose the best lamy 2000 in her batch to send to me.

 

If thats not good customer service then I do not know what is.

 

Mine is smooth, wet and all in all a perfect unit.

 

Glad you managed to get yours fixed though, know you know your pen more intimately...

[Russ]

I would, in view of my experience and that of others, lubricate the barrel of each and every L2K unless it were already smooth-acting. Lubrication is inexpensive and a known preventative.

[BillTheEditor]

My experience with Swisher in the two years I have been buying from them has been totally positive, including the customer service. I bought my Lamy 2000 from them. It was DOA. I called them immediately, told them it wouldn't fill and that the piston seemed not to be working, and they said, "Send it back to us." They had the replacement pen in the mail the same day, before I had even managed to get mine to the Post Office. No questions asked.

 

I think the difference between my experience and yours is that my pen was not right, from the start, and I reported it immediately. In your case, it was some other problem, clearly not Swisher's responsibility to correct (and really, neither was a DOA pen, but with mine it wasn't a question of repairing the pen as it might have been with yours), and they simply told you that the manufacturer would make it right. I might have been ticked at Lamy about the pen, but I could not fault Swisher.

 

I sort of expected they might start asking the customers to take up QA problems with Lamy. My understanding is that so many Lamy 2000s arrive busted in the box that it's a real problem for the dealers. Maybe it will take losing dealers and sales in order for Lamy to wake up and do their QA before shipping instead of after.

 

There are some dealers who test each and every pen, including Lamy 2000s, before sending them out. Pam Braun, Richard Binder, John Mottishaw, to name a few. If you find yourself annoyed by a reasonable vendor policy (in my opinion), maybe you should buy from one of the others.

 

Personally, I am satisfied with Chuck Swisher and his people and will continue to buy from him.

[BoxerDad]

Well the the one month old LAMY 2000 EF from Swisher Pens bit the dust last night. Went to fill it and it's not filling. Took the first filling when I got it without any problem, wrote excellent, no complaints except for the fact that when operating the piston it was somewhat binding.

 

Needless to say went to fill it last night and it's out of commision, worthless as far as I'm concerned. Called Swisher and they basically said you're on your own as far as repair. Send it to FiloFax in CT. that's the answer they gave me !

 

Not very customer friendly and being that it was just under a month from when I bought it I would of at least expected them to say send it back and we'll send you a replacement, and that they would send out the broken pen for repair. No way, they would do that !

 

Disgusted to say the least!

 

Has anyone had this happen to their LAMY 2000? Any feedback on Swisher Customer Service? Not good in my book. I don't do business that way!

 

Regards,

John

Fixed it

 

Disassembled it and found that the rubber piston (plunger )came off of the shaft and was stuck in the bottom of the barrel.

 

Lubricated inside the barrel, the rubbber piston, and the cap threads with Dow Corning silicone valve lubricant. Mechanism works great, slides as smooth as a baby's bottom or as slick as goose (bleep) now!

 

Why can't they do that at the factory prior to ship.

 

Pretty lame for LAMY in my book.

 

 

 

 

[ericthered2004]

I had a similar problem with a Swisher Lamy 2K not filling properly and being skippy. I sent it back and got a refund. This was painless within the 14 day return period. I'm surprised to hear they don't provide a warranty beyond that 14 days, however. Glad you got it working to your satisfaction.

 

Cheers,

Eric

[BoxerDad]

Well the the one month old LAMY 2000 EF from Swisher Pens bit the dust last night. Went to fill it and it's not filling. Took the first filling when I got it without any problem, wrote excellent, no complaints except for the fact that when operating the piston it was somewhat binding.

 

Needless to say went to fill it last night and it's out of commision, worthless as far as I'm concerned. Called Swisher and they basically said you're on your own as far as repair. Send it to FiloFax in CT. that's the answer they gave me !

 

Not very customer friendly and being that it was just under a month from when I bought it I would of at least expected them to say send it back and we'll send you a replacement, and that they would send out the broken pen for repair. No way, they would do that !

 

Disgusted to say the least!

 

Has anyone had this happen to their LAMY 2000? Any feedback on Swisher Customer Service? Not good in my book. I don't do business that way!

 

Regards,

John

So much for Quality Control ! Glad they're not building aircraft parts etc... It's ok if a pen fails at 35,000 feet !

 

Is it LAMY or "LAME"

[Shelley]

Hmm, and then theres mine that is super smooth, nice and wet, no stickiness, no tooth, no problems, seems like brilliant german engineering and quality control on mine and if I was flying it I would be relaxing with a lager...