Jump to content

WriterJP

Recommended Posts

Hello All,

 

 

A few weeks ago, I sent out my Lamy 2000 and Montblanc LeGrand 146 pens for service. Both wonderful pens, used and cared for meticulously; however, I seemed to have quite bad luck recently with each.

 

 

The Lamy 2000 had a broken piston which needed replacement. One day whilst trying to fill it, the piston made an audible click, and not long after that began leaking ink from the space between the barrel and filler knob, out the end of the feed, and from under the hooded nib. The pen had literally exploded its contents. When I tried to clean it out by sucking water in and out of the pen via the piston, it didn't.

 

 

As for the 146, I was not quite sure as to what the issue was. When trying to suck ink up into the pen, the filler knob was extremely resistant to turning, and the pen made a quiet popping noise as there was a slight bit of "slack", for lack of a better word, when you let go of the knob which turned back the opposite way a few millimeters. This was a new development, and I had suspected that perhaps the piston and barrel needed to be re-lubricated.

 

 

I sent the Lamy out via FedEx ground service from New Jersey to Connecticut (the Lamy repair center location) on a Monday morning. By Thursday evening, the pen had arrived back at my doorstep with a brand new piston, tested by the repair staff member who repaired my pen and verified to work perfectly. As you can imagine, I was elated that in three days, and for the cost of shipping and return shipping (free going out from work, and $9.50 on the return), my pen had been brought back to life and I've been using it since that day two weeks ago. Lifetime warranty was honored, and at record pace in my opinion. I hold good customer service in high regard, and it is experiences such as these that lead me to become a repeat customer. I will have no concerns about future Lamy purchases as I can expect the customer service to be outstanding.

 

 

As far as my Montblanc was concerned, my experience has not been as satisfactory. The same day that I sent my pen out, I visited a local Montblanc boutique at a shopping mall nearby. I explained to the saleswoman there (who I fear did not know much about fountain pens) what I had been experiencing, and she said that she would have it sent out to the repair center in Texas tomorrow morning. She examined the pen and was impressed that for being slightly over two years old, there was hardly a scratch on the resin, and the condition was immaculate. She wrote "good condition" on the repair request form, even though she had just finished exclaiming how well cared for this pen was. From there, she took a look at my warranty card and acted taken back when she realized that the pen was originally purchased at a Paradise Pen Company store, rather than directly from a Montblanc boutique. She closed the booklet, turned to one of the more junior associates there that certainly appeared to be younger than 20 years old, and asked "if he didn't buy it here, it probably won't be covered under warranty, right?". I explained to the associate that regardless of which authorized Montblanc dealer I had purchased the pen from, the fact that Montblanc offers a warranty on its authentic products should obviously supercede my choice to purchase the pen from a dealer other than Montblanc itself. Sensing that I was noticably frustrated, she moved along to packing up my pen, made me a copy of the repair order, and told me I should expect to hear something from them in one to two weeks.

Well, today I received a call, exactly 23 days later, explaining that the piston needs replacement, and that they will also be replacing the feed on the pen as well for a total of $56.75, which I would be responsible for when the pen arrives back at the store in approximately one week. I inquired about the warranty that came with the pen, and she stated that the pen was purchased in September of 2011 which is 2 years and two months ago, and that the warranty for any repairs expires after 2 years. Having no other choice, I authorized them to do begin work on the pen. I will provide an update of the service when I go to pick it up and have a chance to try it out.

This thread is not meant to be a long, rambling whining session. Rather, I would like to document my experiences for others that may be considering a new pen purchase and for those who consider good customer service to be as important as the quality of the product itself. With Lamy, I was elated with the turnaround time, quality of repair, and even the disposition of the customer service representative I spoke with over the phone prior to sending out the pen. With Montblanc, I am disappointed in the staff at the brick and mortar store who seemed indifferent, borderline annoyed that I had brought in a pen for repair. I would have appreciated a follow up phone call letting me know that their service schedule was going to be delayed, and well, it's a shame that the warranty only lasts a mediocre 2 years on a product you'd expect to be able to give to your children one day, and that I had to exercise the repair center 2 months after my warranty expired at cost to myself.

I'm interested to know if anyone else has had experiences with these two firms that confirm or deny my thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

WriterJP

 

 

Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable. ~Francis Bacon

Pens: Waterman Hemisphere M, TWSBI 530 Diamond M/EF, J.Herbin Glass Dip, Esterbrook J F, Montblanc 146 LeGrand M, Lamy 2000 M, TWSBI 540 Diamond Smoke F

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 13
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Dillo

    2

  • Blade Runner

    2

  • meiers

    1

  • WriterJP

    1

Hi,

 

Lamy is special like that. They repair your pen with little charge. MB didn't charge you much either considering how much some repairs cost.

 

With any company, it's the luck of the draw. For the most part, I've had pleasant interactions with MB staff, but some of the staff aren't as nice or as knowledgeable as others. Also of note is that Lamy doesn't say much about how long their warranty is going to be. MB does. Lamy just takes care of you no matter how old your pen is. My mom has a Lamy CP1 that's more than 20 years old, and they swapped out her grip section and cap for free. The inner cap had disintegrated as is common with some Lamy pens from that era that use that type of inner cap.

 

One thing to note is that 20-30 years from now, it's going to probably be possible to get MB to maintain your pen and replace any broken parts at a cost. That isn't true for a lot of pens.

 

Dillon

Edited by Dillo

Stolen: Aurora Optima Demonstrator Red ends Medium nib. Serial number 1216 and Aurora 98 Cartridge/Converter Black bark finish (Archivi Storici) with gold cap. Reward if found. Please contact me if you have seen these pens.

Please send vial orders and other messages to fpninkvials funny-round-mark-thing gmail strange-mark-thing com. My shop is open once again if you need help with your pen.

Will someone with the name of "Jay" who emailed me through the email system provide me an email address? There was no email address provided, so I can't write back.

Dillon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two individuals do not shOw any sort of trend.

 

You only need to read this forum to realise your experience is in a small minority.

My Collection: Montblanc Writers Edition: Hemingway, Christie, Wilde, Voltaire, Dumas, Dostoevsky, Poe, Proust, Schiller, Dickens, Fitzgerald (set), Verne, Kafka, Cervantes, Woolf, Faulkner, Shaw, Mann, Twain, Collodi, Swift, Balzac, Defoe, Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Saint-Exupery, Homer & Kipling. Montblanc Einstein (3,000) FP. Montblanc Heritage 1912 Resin FP. Montblanc Starwalker Resin: FP/BP/MP. Montblanc Traveller FP.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You got a decent deal and don't know it. Usually I have paid $70 plus tax plus shipping. The MB service has always been top notch for 146 and 144 pens. I am planning on sending them my 146 to sort out the infernal skipping. I have total confidence in MB to do it right.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also had a bad post-sale experience with Montblanc, and apparently many people have here in Spain. Pens are sent to Germany and even the clerks at the local shop complain about the rudeness and lack of customer orientation of the repair service at Germany. According to one local clerks the headquarter at Germany seems nowadays to be focused on the Russian and Chinesse markets, where people buy MB pens as a symbol of their new rich status, give little use to their pens and, consequently, do not generate post-sale claims.

Zenbat buru hainbat aburu

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not think you received poor service from MB. The pen has a two year warranty and it was out of warranty. I think you actually paid less than the usual service fee for the repair.

 

As for Lamy I have not dealt with their service department. I have tried 2 Lamys and did not like the pens at all. To me they were like writing with a nail.

Edited by orfew

" Gladly would he learn and gladly teach" G. Chaucer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An A vs B post will always cause a little ruckus! I have both Lamys and MBs, I have, fortunately, not needed service for either. I have asked service questions and had a nib swap for a Lamy 2000 (in the US). They have responded to my questions in minutes and returned my pen within the week, that level of customer service has always impressed me. My MBs have not needed any service, though to be honest they really don't get a lot of use.

I agree with the poster that pointed out that the MB was out of warranty, the service cost did not seem exorbitant to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would recommend not shipping personal stuff on your employer's tab unless they're fully aware and ok with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing to note is that 20-30 years from now, it's going to probably be possible to get MB to maintain your pen and replace any broken parts at a cost. That isn't true for a lot of pens.

 

Dillon

I wouldn´t bet on this, last year I tried to get a new nib for my about 30 year old Noblesse 1122 from Montblanc, no chance as they have no spare nibs anymore. The response was friedly but I was a little bit disappointed.

But realistic you might not can expect spare parts for a 30 years old pen these times. (Other than in the automotive sector e.g. from Mercedes Benz it is no problem to get every single screw for a 30 year old Benz ;) )

 

Btw. I got a new nib for my Noblesse from Lutz Fiebig (www.interpens.de), great service.

 

I think the service the OP got was good from both companies, each company has to draw a line regarding warranty these days and the fee was not high to repair it.

Edited by Pterodactylus
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think lamy and montblanc offered you good service.

Here is some free advice. Not allowing the ink to dry up in the pen and keeping the piston lubricated and wet will usually prevent piston-failure issues. It's not unlike checking and topping up the oil in your car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn´t bet on this, last year I tried to get a new nib for my about 30 year old Noblesse 1122 from Montblanc, no chance as they have no spare nibs anymore. The response was friedly but I was a little bit disappointed.

But realistic you might not can expect spare parts for a 30 years old pen these times. (Other than in the automotive sector e.g. from Mercedes Benz it is no problem to get every single screw for a 30 year old Benz ;) )

 

Btw. I got a new nib for my Noblesse from Lutz Fiebig (www.interpens.de), great service.

 

I think the service the OP got was good from both companies, each company has to draw a line regarding warranty these days and the fee was not high to repair it.

 

This is about the Meisterstück, not the other lines. Many of the Meisterstück from before are still "serviced" by MB. They will accept them for repair but will often replace older style parts with new ones.

 

Dillon

Stolen: Aurora Optima Demonstrator Red ends Medium nib. Serial number 1216 and Aurora 98 Cartridge/Converter Black bark finish (Archivi Storici) with gold cap. Reward if found. Please contact me if you have seen these pens.

Please send vial orders and other messages to fpninkvials funny-round-mark-thing gmail strange-mark-thing com. My shop is open once again if you need help with your pen.

Will someone with the name of "Jay" who emailed me through the email system provide me an email address? There was no email address provided, so I can't write back.

Dillon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

Announcements


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...