Jump to content

Problem With Montblanc Golden Yellow Ink Cartridges


Laura N

Recommended Posts

So far as I am aware, phenol is now and has been a totally normal ingredient of fountain pen ink. The EU has banned its use, but that is because of concerns that phenol can harm people who handle large quantities of it. It is a matter of worker safety, not of user safety.

 

Japan hasn't taken any similar position, and it may still be found in Japanese inks. As it has been for decades. I trust that neither the Japanese nor their pens have been dying like flies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 69
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • jmccarty3

    8

  • JonSzanto

    6

  • Chrissy

    6

  • Laura N

    5

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

So far as I am aware, phenol is now and has been a totally normal ingredient of fountain pen ink. The EU has banned its use, but that is because of concerns that phenol can harm people who handle large quantities of it. It is a matter of worker safety, not of user safety.

 

Japan hasn't taken any similar position, and it may still be found in Japanese inks. As it has been for decades. I trust that neither the Japanese nor their pens have been dying like flies.

 

The safety of phenol for individuals and acrylic will depend on the concentration and time of exposure. The issue is that it was suggested in a previous post to add 4% phenol to an ink that probably already contained phenol.

 

Japanese pens, or pens from anywhere else for that matter, may not be dropping like flies because they are not made from acrylic or the filling mechanism does not contact acrylic. For instance, the Parker Duofold is made from a solid rod of acrylic, but the ink is housed in a polypropylene converter. In some MB pen models (146, 149) the barrel of the pen also serves as the ink reservoir and therefore is directly exposed to phenol. It is these pens where owners have observed cracking of the ink window and brittleness of the acrylic. I would still contend that adding additional phenol in high concentrations to ink that likely already contains phenol to inhibit microbial growth is not the ideal option if the ink is to be used in a 146 or 149 pen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought the last remaining pack of Golden Yellow cartridges from a UK online retailer. They have the same expiry date stamped on them as Laura's cartridges do, and they contain the same SITB. My retailer has sent me a pre-paid return label and contacted Montblanc.


This is the email that I was forwarded from Montblanc: (For those who think the visible particles aren't harmful, please note the second sentence.)


Sent: 18 May 2016

To:

Subject: Quality News - Golden Yellow Ink


Dear colleagues,


after a necessary change of the preservative in our inks we identified a quality issue with some batches of the ink color "golden yellow". In those batches the ink may show visible particles / flakes.

Also the use of the affected ink might have a negative impact on the writing behavior of a fountain pen.


We are currently analyzing the reason and scope of this issue.

Both cartridges and bottles are affected (Idents 112723 + 112724). We will provide an update as soon as new information are available.


We are working intensively on a solution to prevent this issue in the future.


Thank you very much and kind regards,

Director Quality Management & Customer Service International

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I buy ink from so many sources that I can't remember from whom I purchased my bottle of Golden Yellow. I usually save all confirmation emails, and I've searched through them as well as all my usual web sites, but can't locate it. So if there is a recall/replacement, I'm probably out of luck.

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I buy ink from so many sources that I can't remember from whom I purchased my bottle of Golden Yellow. I usually save all confirmation emails, and I've searched through them as well as all my usual web sites, but can't locate it. So if there is a recall/replacement, I'm probably out of luck.

 

No you aren't out of luck. You can return it to any Montblanc retailer. It doesn't matter where you bought it. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are they giving a refund, or are they giving replacements? Has anyone had issues returning them to a boutique? All three bottles I have match the number and have particles in them.

 

Thanks,

John

Visconti: Millionaire LE, HS Lava Steel, Opera Club Honey Almond, Michelangelo Black/Rose

Aurora Optima 365 LE, Mar Adriatico LE

Omas Galileo '93, '15 Year of Light, F.A.O., Paragon Burlwood LE

Delta MOMO Design Rose LE

Mont Blanc Johannes Brahms, Georges Solti, 146 LeGrand Platinum, Model #32 (cracked), WE Leo Tolstoy, 146 Burgundy, Model 22, 149 Platinum, Marc Newson, WE Charles Dickens, Rouge et Noir Coral

Hooligan LE #6

TWSBI Diamond 580 X2 and Eco

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I buy ink from so many sources that I can't remember from whom I purchased my bottle of Golden Yellow. I usually save all confirmation emails, and I've searched through them as well as all my usual web sites, but can't locate it. So if there is a recall/replacement, I'm probably out of luck.

 

I think this has to be an issue for many of us with small purchases like ink. I don't buy everything online. With my Golden Yellow cartridges, I bought from an authorized dealer, but at the Chicago Pen Show and for cash. I'm not sure if I even got a receipt, or that I would have kept it if I had.

 

Perhaps Montblanc USA will clarify how customers should handle this, as Montblanc in Hamburg did in Chrissy's post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not to be a tease, but I have just received some information from Montblanc within the last half hour on this which should hopefully put everyone's mind at ease. I am still waiting on final confirmation, which I should have hopefully tomorrow morning, before instructing people on what they can do with regards to their ink.

 

Stay tuned.

 

Best-

Brian

www.esterbrook.net All Esterbrook, All the Time.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I should also add, 112723 and 112724 are not batch numbers, rather they are Montblanc Identification number (or SKU if you will) for the bottle and cartridge respectively. I am presently not aware of a particular batch number that is an issue. Stay tuned for more info tomorrow, I just want to make sure I have everything correct.

www.esterbrook.net All Esterbrook, All the Time.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I called the N. American Montblanc customer service # today & my first "Ambassador" put me on hold to speak with someone because she had never heard of any problem with the ink. I was subsequently disconnected, called again & was then connected to my second "Ambassador" who explained that "there had been NO Montblanc Golden Yellow ink SOLD IN NORTH AMERICA." He explained that it would have to be returned to the "place of purchase" if NOT sold thru their website or Boutique. I questioned that this was the "official response" & he graciously offered to speak to his Supervisor to find out if there was any different action available. I left telephone & electronic mail address so perhaps with BOTH my "Ambassadors" assistance I will have another option available.

 

I had already emptied & cleaned the pen in which I had been using the ink; I will leave the bottles alone in their respective boxes & be sorry if this ink is indeed

"GONE." I do prefer the MB Gandhi & Ink of Joy; happily nothing is "alive" in either of them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After vigorous shaking of the bottle, I now can see particulate matter. The musty smell is still there, although not as bad as it was before I added the phenol. Thanks to Brian for looking into this for us. I'm just glad I didn't put this ink into any of my pens.

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To save me some typing, please take a look at my blog post here:

 

http://blog.andersonpens.com/update-montblanc-golden-yellow/

 

Please note not all bottles or cartridges are affected, but if you feel like you have an affected bottle, you may call customer service and they should be able to help. I am happy to help where I can, but I have no Golden Yellow ink on the shelf (save for one package of carts, I think), and you can communicate directly with Montblanc to replace your ink.

 

TLDR: Not all batches were affected, some were, call customer service (link included above) and they will issue a call tag and replace your ink.

www.esterbrook.net All Esterbrook, All the Time.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK well I called to return my bottle and the Ambassador told me no problem.

 

Ambassador: Is there a MB store convenient to me to go to?

 

Me: No and the one I was at last week did not have any of the LE inks in stock either.

 

Ambassador: No problem. Ill need your shipping info to send you a return label trough UPS and you to tell me what ink you would like in its place. Twilight, Tolstoy or any other regular ink. The Permanent Blue or Black are not available for this return though.

 

Me: Great Ill take a Corn Poppy Red and here is my info.

 

Ambassador: Your shipping label will arrive in within a few days and I will process your order for the replacement. Thank you for understanding and have a great day.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

See this is how you do it. A week ago when I called they did not really even know about it over here. The UK has been discussing it for well over a month and I guess since the complaints had not ramped up here they may have thought it did not make over. But it did make it here, it was an issue and MB handled it spot on IMO.

 

Looking forward to some of those amazing new LE inks they have coming out this year!

 

Bravo MB and thank you!

 

Thanks Brain for looking into it for us.

Edited by Earthdawn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A luxury brand company finally getting around to it's business. I'm not overly impressed, just glad they are finally making good on the situation.

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I called MB about the bottle I have and they were helpful, I can have a return authorization if I want. Since I am in Canada it was suggested I can return it to a Boutique for exchange. If for some reason that fails to function I can call back and reactivate the RGA. Actually these are some viable options.

 

Being in Canada is like a backwoods in some respects for this ink, the Boutiques didn't have it in the first place so I picked up from Anderson......who has pretty much everything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you to Brian for the return protocol and to Laura and everyone who identified the issue and did all of the work so that we are now able to return these inks very easily.

 

I called as well and the return process was simple. It takes about 30min including wait time given the high volume of calls. The Ambassador I spoke with was very helpful and friendly, so that's +1 for Montblanc. My phone experience was an A+.

 

However, as a luxury pen maker first, and especially one who chose to be reactive rather than proactive, I think Montblanc's work is not over yet. I still think they need to address the question of how to care for a pen that came in contact with this ink. In their marketing campaign they talk about a pen being "a lifetime companion." My questions are then: how does whatever was in their own ink affect the lifespan of this companion? And what should we do now to make sure that this companion does indeed last a lifetime? I asked the Ambassador I spoke with and she is going to ask Montblanc because as of now Montblanc has not provided any information.

 

Given that their launch plan for the year is centered on pens priced 50x, 100x, (and more) than this ink bottle and that the idea is for these pens to use this ink (and once again last a lifetime), you'd think that their response timing and approach would reflect that.... My biggest issue is not that their ink was defective, but that failed to address the problem head on as soon as it came up in Europe 3 months ago.

 

And as Migo said:

 

 

If FPN is supposedly developing this 'special' relationship with Montblanc, wouldn't you expect Mb to have alerted FPN, rather than having to rely on discussions between members, going as far back as February?

 

As much as I love Montblanc, I think they have much to learn about being a luxury brand in the age of social media...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also would like to thank Brian, Laura, and everyone else who has helped with this problem.

 

Like migo984 and bstnyc, however, I have some bones to pick.

 

My understanding is that I can spend 30+ minutes on the phone with a Montblanc Ambassador to obtain a return authorization, with which I can get a bottle of Tolstoy, Twilight, or any regular ink. But I have all those inks. What I want is an uninfected bottle of Golden Yellow. I am willing to wait for it if they are willing to guarantee that I will receive the product I paid for when the problem has been corrected.

 

It was also my understanding that in return for complying with the embargo on release of information on new Montblanc products, FPN was to be kept informed about issues like this. Wim, can you tell us what, if anything, Montblanc has communicated to you about Golden Yellow ink and about any potential damage to pens that have been filled with it?

 

I certainly don't blame Montblanc for having had this problem—it could happen to anyone. But they need to realize that when there is a problem, you keep your customers informed and you do whatever it takes to fix it, no matter what it costs, if you want to maintain your reputation as a luxury brand, not to mention your pricing structure.

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great response, jmc.

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

I wouldn't doubt that is mould. I had a similar incident with the Lavender Purple ink when it was recalled. Slime in Lavender Purple. For me it was not just the cartridges although I saw it first in the cartridges, but also in the bottled ink. Montblanc took my pen and replaced the feeder case and feed for free. They also replaced my bottles of ink with different colours. I wonder if Montblanc is having some trouble with the biocide that they use.

 

If you let it bloom, I wouldn't be surprised if it got fuzzy. That is what happened to my pen.

 

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

 

I bought the last remaining pack of Golden Yellow cartridges from a UK online retailer. They have the same expiry date stamped on them as Laura's cartridges do, and they contain the same SITB. My retailer has sent me a pre-paid return label and contacted Montblanc.
This is the email that I was forwarded from Montblanc: (For those who think the visible particles aren't harmful, please note the second sentence.)
Sent: 18 May 2016
To:
Subject: Quality News - Golden Yellow Ink
Dear colleagues,
after a necessary change of the preservative in our inks we identified a quality issue with some batches of the ink color "golden yellow". In those batches the ink may show visible particles / flakes.
Also the use of the affected ink might have a negative impact on the writing behavior of a fountain pen.
We are currently analyzing the reason and scope of this issue.
Both cartridges and bottles are affected (Idents 112723 + 112724). We will provide an update as soon as new information are available.
We are working intensively on a solution to prevent this issue in the future.
Thank you very much and kind regards,
Director Quality Management & Customer Service International

 

 

Hi, could you please let me know the email sender's address? Where did you contact that person?

 

I'd like to ask that person of the international policy.

 

I live in South Korea, and Moncblanc Korea says "No return if you do not have the proof of purchase issued in Korea."

 

Who keeps receipts for months?

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...