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Nakaya Or Howto Waste Time & Money


franzrogar

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Hello,

 

I'm going to tell *lightly* my experiences with Nakaya and why I would encourage you to NOT buy from them at all.

 

First, some keynotes:

  1. I'm from Spain
  2. I order to a USA retailer 'cause there's no retailer on Europe, only sellers
  3. I paid 1,200 USD for the pen

Now, on the issues I ran with Nakaya (without the ones I ran with the seller):

  1. 5-october-2012, the order is sent to Nakaya
  2. 26-march-2013, (five months and three weeks later), Nakaya replies they won't sell me because "English is not my native language" (sic) and that I have to look for a "retailer in my *country*"
  3. 27-march-2013, the USA retailer, after my response with a "WTH where they doing all this time" and "this' just sick" and alike is able to make Nakaya to move along with the order on 1st April (bad day).
  4. 23-april-2013, (six months and three weeks), I receive my FPN just to discover that the "kimono" (sac) is defective (lost the plastic locker overnight) and the pen had a chip in the lacquer. So, I had to return it.
  5. 8-may-2013, the USA retailer get the pen, revise and send it back to Nakaya
  6. No information from Nakaya during the following six months (no one knows if they got the pen or if it was lost, no communication whatsoever)
  7. 11-november-2013, (one year, one month and one week) the USA retailer tells me they received the pen in the shop.
  8. 21-november-2013, I got the pen back to realize that it's a FRANKENPEN. Why do I know this? Because the FPN is engraved and the engravings of the barrel *do NOT* match the ones in the section.
  9. So I send it back to the seller with the note: "if you can't fix it I won't wait another five months to discover another issue".
  10. They replied directly with a refund so I guess they couldn't fix it there.

Conclusions (apart from the loses of the seller itself):

  1. I had to pay 296,22EUR [401,29USD] in Customs (which now I'm asking to get a refund)
  2. I had to pay another 23,17EUR [31,39USD] in Customs because the seller, instead of declaring value ZERO (because it was a defective product) they declared 33USD (now I'm asking for 4th time Customs to return me the ilegal costs)
  3. I had to pay two shipments to USA (~40USD)
  4. I paid +1,200USD (there were another products) for: 1 shipment of two defective products ("kimono" and FP), 1 shipment of one defective product (frankenpen) and 1 year, 1 month and 2 weeks of wasted time.

So, I do truly encourage people to not buy any product from Nakaya, because, apart from denying selling because my native lang is not English, because of the NULL PR, because of the awful QC:

  1. The lacquer is, well, lacquer after all. My Kuretake feeling is just exactly the same and it's thousands cheaper.
  2. The nib is, well, a modern one and not a good one *at all*
  3. The engravings are a masterpiece, no doubt. But for 1,200 USD you can contact any other independent creator to engrave you whatever you want.

So, Nakaya has nothing to offer over other creators and much to lose.

 

Sincerely,

Franz

Thanks for reading.
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Very sorry to hear about the waste of your time and money.

 

I can only say that sometimes such things can happen, even with the best suppliers and brands.

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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Te entiendo perfectamente.

Como ya he explicado en algunas otras contribuciones, no pienso comprar más Nakaya: se le acaba a uno el mito cuando ve cuánto tarda, cuánto cuesta... para al final obtener una pluma igual de defectuosa que cualquier otra (defectos en el plumín, en la alimentación, en el acabado, en la leyenda...), sólo que además con un pésimo servicio postventa, disgustos con las aduanas, de comunicación, etc. Resultado final sumamente decepcionante; viven del mito que los primeros clientes crearon, pero hoy en día la empresa no está a la altura, desde luego y por desgracia para los amantes de las plumas.

**********************************

I fully understand your point.

As I have explained in former posts, I will not buy any more Nakaya pens: the myth disappears when one can see how long it takes, how much it costs... and in the end what one gets is a pen as faulty and defective as any other one (issues with the nib, the feed, the finish, the naming...), only on top of that one finds the worst aftersale service, upsets with customs, communication problems, etc. Final result most disappointing; they live out of the myth that first customers created, but nowadays the brand is not up to that reputation, of course and unfortunately for all of us penlovers.

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I'm very sorry to hear of your experiences. I have four Nakayas (including a complete custom build), and have never experienced anything other than efficient (if not necessarily friendly) service.

 

From the company in the USA I have never had anything except exemplary service. Although I have ordered direct from Nakaya in the past, I feel that their service is far superior. It seems that they blunt the rather sharp edges of the craftsmen in Japan...

 

It would have been interesting to see what your reaction would have been be should you have received a Nakaya without all the baggage...

 

(On a separate note: try a Hakase - they're a friendly lot, and remarkably flexible.)

Edited by mongrelnomad

Too many pens; too little writing.

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Sorry to hear about your experience -- it does sound terribly frustrating and expensive. My condolences on your loss of time, energy, and money.

色即是空,空即是色 (心經

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you might want to try ordering from la courrone du comte. as they are located in Netherlands(withing eu) you would save on shipping time and cost as well as custom duties.

 

I have ordered from dennis many times, he is very helpful and adjusting.

 

although the time taken by nakaya in replying and the reason supplied is very absurd.

 

regards

 

vikram

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Wow. What a frustrating experience. I don't blame you for being upset.

 

Aside from long waits, I have not had a similar experience, but if I had, I would not want to buy from Nakaya anymore. I might possibly keep an eye on the classifieds for a used Nakaya, dealing with another fpn member rather than the manufacturer or the U.S. retailer.

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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(On a separate note: try a Hakase - they're a friendly lot, and remarkably flexible.)

they are reputed to do great work, but if the wait time was what was eating you most about Nakaya, keep in mind the wait time is longer with Hakase.
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Thanks to everyone for replying (don't know why but the system didn't tell me there were any answer to this thread...)

 

Anyway, some answers:

 

@hari317, I'm aware that mistakes happen to big brands too. But, at the same time, 'cause you're a "big brand", it's expected that when you return a product because it was defective, you double check before returning so the customer keep thinking you're a "big brand" and not a "big oportunist".

 

@plumista, por supuesto, coincido plenamente contigo: Nakaya, nunca mais.

Of course, I agreed 100% with you: Nakaya, as said the Crow, nevermore.

 

@shudaizi Thank you very much for your kind words. I do hope this will end with the less loses as possible.

 

@vikrmbedi, thanks for the info but "La Courrone du Compte" is also a seller. I mean, they have different prices than the seller and they have a limited stock of products and not the full range. In fact, the one I wanted is not there and, after my incident, I'd rather buy a swan and pluck it to make pens than buying from Nakaya again.

 

Also, Nakaya only replied once: to cancel my order because my native language was not English.

 

@ethernautrix, I rather not even waste my time looking on Classifieds. Mainly because I found that the "flexible" nib (though I know it was never meant to be even near to a vintage "flexible" dip nib) is like a "slightly-flex" in my hands and it renders almost unusable in my hands. In the first page I was able to write with the FP (which, BTW, was also suffering from skipping ink), I had to stop halfway down because my arm started to hurt.

 

@mongrelnomad, what would have happen if the adquisition went perfect? Probably I'd have to sell it or try to replace the nib somehow because it's almost stiff in my hands and I'm unable to write with such kind of nibs. I feel comfortable writing with Hunt 101 Imperial, Esterbrook A1 Pro, Leonardt Principal, etc. dip nibs The less flex nib I use would be Esterbrook 355 and it's quite uncomfortable to use (for me).

 

@mongrelnomad, cellmatrix. Thanks for pointing Hakase (first time I visit them). But their catalog seems quite "classic" models and I was looking for something that catch my eye (thus I choose the engravings from Nakaya, a truly awful decision). I don't care to wait for a handmade product at all. But I do truly care if I pay 1,200USD, have to wait +5 months and I receive a defective product. If after returning it, waiting +6 months and receiving a frankenpen, then, I don't care anymore. I feel truly cheated and insulted.

 

@jar, so far, they have denied me the "returned goods" one (21,78EUR) because they argue it has declared 33USD and they don't want to look at the commercial invoice. The first import one, I'm still waiting to hear from them. I do hope they will refund it or I'll have to place an plaint to the Ombudsman.

 

Sincerely,

Franz

Edited by franzrogar
Thanks for reading.
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I don't get it. I thought the 'US Retailer' was only allowed to ship to English speaking countries, and yet Nakaya referred you, a Spanish speaking customer, to them. Something's really amiss..

 

Tony

Edited by Pennata Penna

Pie pellicane Iesu Domine, me immundum munda tuo Sanguine – St Thomas Aquinas

"ON THE PLEASURE OF TAKING UP ONE'S PEN", Hilaire Belloc

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@Pennata Penna, no, that's not right.

 

I clearify it for you:

  1. I (from Spain) order to US retailer
  2. After 5 months, Nakaya invents that US retailer can only dispatch for English-speaking countries (which attempts against all international free-commerce rules, but that's another story) and, thus, denies to fulfill a contract (order)
  3. 'Cause my order was already 5 months old before that rule appeared, Nakaya had to comply with it

And the story goes on... until it's end.

 

Just a side-effect: now I will have a perfect item, created by great craftsmens, in a 10th time: a ring signet seal from Dexter I will show you as soon as I receive it (probably mid-February).

Edited by franzrogar
Thanks for reading.
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I have also found horrible customer service. Nothing to the degree that you had, but bad enough to warrant me not ever buying one of their pens again. As said, this is Nakaya directly. The distributor in America is beyond great.

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@heraclitus682, what I found was not a "horrible customer service" but a non-existant, except for denying the order (the only time we heared from them).

 

On the other hand, I do agree with you (and I reflect it in the first thread) that all this applies only to Nakaya and not the US retailer.

Thanks for reading.
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buyers remorse is an interesting phenomena. once it sets in, nothing will turn it into the golden egg. it's not possible to polish that turd. you'll bust out the 20X loupe to find something wrong with it.

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@v7ef44, buyers remorse? I don't understand a word of what you've written (truth, it's not sarcasm, I truly don't understand what you're trying to explain).

 

But if paying +1,200USD and have one broken sac and chipped FP, send back and give back a frankenpen plus +one year of waiting it's "remorse", then, I'm the more repentant human in History. Repentant because I wasted such time and money in perfect products and services. (And, yes, this paragraph is pure sarcasm).

Thanks for reading.
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[*]'Cause my order was already 5 months old before that rule appeared, Nakaya had to comply with it

 

Ah. Thanks for the clarification mate. Is there anything Nakaya could do to straight things out after this, supposing you let them?

Pie pellicane Iesu Domine, me immundum munda tuo Sanguine – St Thomas Aquinas

"ON THE PLEASURE OF TAKING UP ONE'S PEN", Hilaire Belloc

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Yes, I understand you, Franz. I meant that I, personally, might keep an eye out, cos I like Nakaya's pens (nibs) (I have eight Nakayas). I could not jump through such hoops as you had to jump through to receive a frankenpen with a nib I didn't like and ever consider giving the company another chance, not when there are other alternatives.

 

For flex nibs, I don't know what your experience is with various brands, but lately I have had vintage pens thrust into my hands (just to try the nibs, not to keep (in some cases, sadly, as I would love to own (use) some of them)), and those nibs are super! I wouldn't use these pens for everyday, casual writing, but they're wonderful for slowed-down handwriting, maybe correspondence.

 

I like semi-flex nibs for drawing, but I think more along the lines of the Namiki Falcon or even the Wahl nib in my Ranga Soquel before I would even think to think of Nakaya (for semi-flex).

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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