Battersea Pen Home?

[View from the Loft]

I'm another one who will wade in saying that Simon's postage charges are very reasonable. Simon has also cleaned/serviced/restored pens for me, and I have bought two pens from him. Yes, he does charge more than I might be able to find elsewhere, but the difference is that Simon has always treated me very well. His returns policy on pens is excellent, and aftersales care is faultless. Some four months after I bought a NOS pen from him, the convertor failed. One e-mail later, Simon and I have agreed a course of action and I still have confidence in him and his products.

 

We are fortunate in this country that so many of those that cater for our needs are true gentleman or ladies, who provide such superb service. John Sorowka, Simon Gray, the Martins, Eric Wilson. Not only do they charge a fair and reasonable price for their services, they give good advice freely.

 

I only wish that I was able to meet some of these people to say "thank you" in person.

[tenorclef]

Simon from the Battersea Pen Home just returned my pen with a slightly used but good cap which serves its purpose well. Free of charge I might add.....i feel duly humbled. :embarrassed_smile: I've subsequently sent him an e-cheque, its the least I could do.

[andyk]

Hi,

 

Unfortunately some repairs cost pretty much the same whether you are talking about a cheap or an expensive pen so the value of the pen is in some ways immaterial anyway I will say no more than this is a happy resolution.

 

Andy

Edited July 27, 2011 by andyk

[northlodge]

Simon from the Battersea Pen Home just returned my pen with a slightly used but good cap which serves its purpose well. Free of charge I might add.....i feel duly humbled. :embarrassed_smile: I've subsequently sent him an e-cheque, its the least I could do.

I actually think Tenorclef deserves some credit here. How many times do we see someone write something inflamatory, get the flak they deserve, and then never visit the board again.

 

well done for following through and reporting the outcome that I half expected might be the result. :clap1:

 

 

 

[Beechwood]

Simon from the Battersea Pen Home just returned my pen with a slightly used but good cap which serves its purpose well. Free of charge I might add.....i feel duly humbled. :embarrassed_smile: I've subsequently sent him an e-cheque, its the least I could do.

I actually think Tenorclef deserves some credit here. How many times do we see someone write something inflamatory, get the flak they deserve, and then never visit the board again.

 

well done for following through and reporting the outcome that I half expected might be the result. :clap1:

 

 

Agreed +1, and full marks to BPH.

[mshepp3]

I have been a FPN member for less than a month. And I am also considering a purchase from BHP and happened to come across this e-discussion. I know this all happened a long, long time ago, but the one question nobody seems to have asked is whether (as tenorclef originally stated) BHP actually DID value the pen at 40 UK pounds. It seems to me a lot of tenorclef's initial angst was based on his sense that BPH had erred in their valuation of his pen. His questioning of their reputation makes much more sense when that "error" is taken into account... And I would be willing to bet that it WAS a misunderstanding or a misprint, i.e. that BPH did not value the pen at that amount at all. But it was worth it for me to read all the posts because I am now certain I want to do business with them. And I am certainly glad it all worked out for tenorclef... his final post was "music to my ears". Sorry.

 

I currently have 27 fountain pens in my collection, I have two hands, and I usually only write with one of them... but this is NOT an obsession. It is a hobby... right?

[silverfish]

I would not wish to comment in any way concerning BPH - I'm sure they are very good, even though I've noticed that their vintage pen prices are rather high. (That's only my opinion).

 

However, I'm rather shocked by some of the comments made by some experienced members of this forum - even if the OP did make some strong statements. It make's me question continuing membership here, and I only joined a few days ago!

 

Perhaps some of you more experienced posters and experts should stop shooting from the hip!! And perhaps display a bit of tollerance.

Edited October 2, 2012 by silverfish

[Colourfingers]

There's a Pen Home in Battersea?

[Colourfingers]

Do the dogs know about this?

[silverfish]

Do the dogs know about this?

They are learning fast - but if they want to chew pens then they are barking up the wrong tree. But the dogs are probably cheaper than the pens ... (wink).

[crescentfiller]

I've known Simon since he started in pens. I know his work. I know him personally. The OP and any other potential customer can be assured that Simon is highly skilled and an incredibly knowledgable person. He is honest and helpful and no one should have any reason to think otherwise.

 

I can understand and appreciate the OP's concerns about cost, but it appear BPH were only doing what was asked of them.

[mshepp3]

I do not claim to be a fast thinker, but I do like to think of myself as a thorough processer... and I like revisiting old discussions and adding comments if I think there is anything to be gained. In this case it was the posting of Bruce in Ocala, Florida and then the posting from the thread originator shortly thereafter which - keeping in mind the flack / bollocking tenorclef got initially - brought me to a new thought on this whole issue.

 

Our man tenorclef sensibly decided that the pen in question was a 'write off' and he "binned it". Bruce of Ocala feigns embarrassment at owning "... a few of them" (i.e. Parker 45s).... (I only wish I could have gotten your group photo to load up, Bruce)... Now I obviously can't speak for Bruce, but I can say that if I had a pen - even an inexpensive pen - that I really loved to write with and/or had sentimental value for some reason - I would spend more than the pen is worth to repair it... Sure! In a heartbeat! Does that mean I am not sensible? Well, that depends on your perspective, of course.... OK, probably!

 

It seems to me that the FPN would not survive and would not be nearly as interesting to boot if we all had the same perspective on such things as the cost/benefit of repairing a particular fountain pen, for instance. I like it that tenorclef is sensible because it helps keep me from going off the deep end... And I also like the castigators who - filled with righteous indignation - rushed to Simon Gray's defense. I hope this website always has room for the entire range of fountain pen owners... from ordinary, practical-type users to those whose spouses may soon have grounds for divorce. I tend towards the latter group.... Can you tell?!