The Goulet Pen Company – A Very Positive Experience

[Mont Blanc Collector]

I recently had the pleasure of ordering a few items from The Goulet Pen Company and I wanted to share my very positive experience with other members of The Fountain Pen Network.

 

On June 21, I placed on order for 2 Rhodia Note Pads and 1 Bottle of Diamine Presidential Blue Ink. I stumbled on The Goulet Pen Company via the company web-sites of J. Herbin and Rhodia.

 

The on-line product selection was vast, the shipping was extremely expeditious and very reasonably priced, the communication with Brian was flawless, and upon their arrival, a mere three days later, the products were exactly as described.

 

Brian was kind enough to communicate with me through every step of the process. I received several emails thanking me for my order, confirming the items ordered, notifying me of shipping, and asking me to let him know if I was not completely satisfied with my purchases.

 

I must say the thing I will remember the most is that Brain took the time to send a hand written note thanking me for my business. The hand written note was complete with a J. Herbin supple wax seal, a personal touch, which denotes a great deal of class on the part of Mr. Goulet, and speaks highly of his company and its view of what constitutes impeccable customer service.

 

I rarely endorse specific items or retailers, but in this case, I can say without reservation, that I strongly recommended Mr. Goulet and The Goulet Pen Company.

 

I welcome any responses this commentary may elicit.

[markc]

I've been using Brian and the Goulet Pen Company for nearly the better part of a year and every single transaction has been that good. He sets the bar VERY high for online retailers, so high that I fear that many will fall in the wake of his business.

[pilotheinrich]

Brian always gives top class service.

[Alphabet]

I've always received great service from Brian. I hope more people pick up their mouse and find his site. His love of pens, ink, paper and writing can be seen throughout the purchase process.

[Skitch]

First class all the way. Great guy, great company.

[GouletPens]

WOW! I'm so flattered and very humbled! :embarrassed_smile: Thank you for all of your kind words! I love doing the thank you notes....I've been doing them for every order, every customer I've had since I started selling ink and paper. It's a lot of time I commit to doing them, and it would be so easy to stop....but I just can't. It helps to keep me grounded, no matter how many orders I get each day, and no matter how many customers I have, it slows me down during my busy day, and it allows me to reflect on the person behind every order. When you place an order with me you are choosing to give me your money, and more importantly to enhance your writing experience. I take that responsibility very seriously. The notes are just a small token of my appreciation for choosing to give your business to me. And as a bonus, I just love writing! I love writing, changing inks, and doing wax seals, so it's a double-bonus for me

[GouletPens]

Also for those who don't know, I do give a 5% discount to FPN members, just type in 'FPN' in the coupon code section on checkout! Just my little way of saying thanks

[inkypete]

I placed an order for delivery downunder (Australia) and it arrived in 5 working days. Amazing. Well packed and Brian works hard to maximise postage value. Will certainly use Brian again and recommend him highly to all FPN members.

[monjaraz85]

I wish that all of my online shopping would go as smooth and as pleasant as with the Goulet Pen Company. This is what the service industry should be like. It feels like if you went into the store and chatted with the owners. I love the warmth and work ethic that Brian emphasizes. After sending me his handwritten note with the wax stamp, I felt compelled to buy one. Very high quality products, but the service and customer attention far outweigh it. Thanks Brian and the Goulet Pen Company.

 

Fernando

[GouletPens]

I placed an order for delivery downunder (Australia) and it arrived in 5 working days. Amazing. Well packed and Brian works hard to maximise postage value. Will certainly use Brian again and recommend him highly to all FPN members.

 

I don't ever promise that delivery halfway around the world will be so fast, because individual countries' customs can vary so much....but I do my part to ship it fast. I use USPS Priority for international shipping (tends to be about 1/4 of the price of UPS or Fedex), I make sure all the forms are filled out properly, and I get it out fast. I don't have a way to automate international shipping on my website, so what I do is take inquiries via email, figure out what you want, and pack it as efficiently as possible. Because USPS has flat-rate packages sometimes there is extra room, so I'll make suggestions about ways to maximize the shipping! I'm very sensitive of the cost of international shipping and try to make it as economical as possible. Even still, it never ceases to amaze me that flat-rate envelope can go 10,000 miles in 5 days for only $13.45. It's pretty incredible if you think about it!

 

I wish that all of my online shopping would go as smooth and as pleasant as with the Goulet Pen Company. This is what the service industry should be like. It feels like if you went into the store and chatted with the owners. I love the warmth and work ethic that Brian emphasizes. After sending me his handwritten note with the wax stamp, I felt compelled to buy one. Very high quality products, but the service and customer attention far outweigh it. Thanks Brian and the Goulet Pen Company.

 

Fernando

 

Brick and mortars are harder and harder to sustain with pen and stationery products, and it's not likely to get easier. I try to make buying online as smooth and pleasurable as going into your favorite pen shop. The only difference is that with an online shop the doors never close! I love doing the wax stamps on the notes....the notes themselves are somewhat time consuming (especially if I have a busy day with 20 or 30 orders). They are my humble way of saying 'thank you', but also they are a way to showcase paper, ink, and wax in person. It's impossible to get an 'feel' for the paper, see the look of the ink in sunlight, or see the depth in the wax seal through just pictures online, so I do the notes as a way to show you what it's like in person! I'm all about trying to bridge the gap of impersonal dealing that the internet has a way of creating... :hmm1:

[Sonnet]

I meant to tell Brian this personally but I love the handwritten TY note he sent me for a recent order of journals. I even showed it to a coworker who thought it was so cool that a vendor would do that.

[desertsquid]

Another vote of confidence for Brian. I've placed a couple of orders with him in the past few months and I'll certainly be ordering more from him. I also like Brian's blog (Ink Nouveau) where he does great video reviews of inks and paper.

[Ghost Plane]

And if you haven't emailed Brian directly about ordering something special, he's very good about discussing the possiblities. I've gotten far more ink than I intended to thanks to his prices and service. :embarrassed_smile:

[GouletPens]

And even further, I'm setting up ink swabs right now. I am working to color-profile my scanner and computer monitor to get truly accurate colors of the 340+ swabs I've done, and I'll have them on my website soon to give you an idea of color choices. I'm hoping to have that up in the next few weeks.

 

My mid-term goal is to establish an 'ink connoisseur' on my website, where you will be able to choose options such as degree of shading, flow rate, color preferences, etc, and it will make ink recommendations for you! It'll be a TON of work to set up but I can see it being quite useful with my ever-expanding offering of ink choices!

[lsmith42]

Ditto here too... great help... great advice... great service... all the attributes one could ever want in an addict's supplier...

[Ghost Plane]

We're doomed, I tell you. Doomed! Might as well set up direct deposit to Brian. :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

[GouletPens]

We're doomed, I tell you. Doomed! Might as well set up direct deposit to Brian. :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

 

Haha....that's funny. Maybe I should make that as a feature on my store? :roflmho:

 

Thanks everyone for such kind words and all the support here on FPN. You all rock!

Edited July 1, 2010 by GouletPens

[jasam]

Hey, is there news about the 100 ml Herbin bottles :notworthy1: Need a couple of Eclat bottles!

[Paperpensmacs]

Not only is the ordering experience great, but I always learn something when visiting his blog or weekly (Tuesday) video-cast. To see actual video comparisons of the products is extremely helpful.

 

:clap1:

 

Also, ditto on the personal notes.

[dannyboy]

I will simply say "ditto" to all the positive comments about Brian! I've ordered from him a few times and he's extremely efficient and fast in getting my order to me with the most pleasant notes of thanks for my business. Impeccable service!!