Jump to content

Faber Castell Basic—A Quick Review Of A Horrible Pen


mhphoto

Recommended Posts

I was bored...

 

Faber-Castell

 

Writing instruments that have been damaged due to defect in any refill not recommended or manufactured by Faber-Castell, including ink stains and seized mechanisms;

Bolding is mine.

 

Montblanc

 

 

Montblanc offers an exclusive selection of different Montblanc ink colours. In order to best protect your Montblanc fountain pen from any damage, please only use the Montblanc ink.

 

Parker and Waterman

 

 

This warranty also does not cover damage that is caused by the use of non PARKER® inks or refills.

 

Pelikan (sorry, didn't find web-link, so quoting a warranty slip which came with a m600 last year)

 

The warranty excludes normal wear and tear and becomes null and void if the writing instrument has been used inappropriately, manipulated by third parties, is lost, or will be used in combination of other than Pelikan accessories.

 

 

Namiki Pilot just recommends use of Namiki inks.

Sailor, Yard-o-led and Cross doesn't seem to have such clause.

You do not have a right to post. You do not have a right to a lawyer. Do you understands these rights you do not have?

 

Kaweco Supra (titanium B), Al-Sport (steel BB).

Parker: Sonnet (dimonite); Frontier GT; 51 (gray); Vacumatic (amber).

Pelikan: m600 (BB); Rotring ArtPen (1,9mm); Rotring Rive; Cult Pens Mini (the original silver version), Waterman Carene (ultramarine F)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 56
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Pickwick

    11

  • s_t_e_v_e

    9

  • jar

    9

  • mhphoto

    5

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

I was bored...

 

Faber-Castell

Bolding is mine.

 

Montblanc

 

Parker and Waterman

 

Pelikan (sorry, didn't find web-link, so quoting a warranty slip which came with a m600 last year)

 

 

Namiki Pilot just recommends use of Namiki inks.

Sailor, Yard-o-led and Cross doesn't seem to have such clause.

 

Many good things come from being bored . . . thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find the language from MB pretty mild and pelikan does not mention inks (refills), but acessories (and, again, I don't consider their services perfect). Also, I don't go looking in their websites about their policies before (or after) buying something. But I find it suspicious when the language in the booklet that comes with the product is different from what they post in their website (regardless of the manufacturer).

 

I never had any other manufacturer to be so anxious about this in their communication with me (and what I was contacting them about had nothing to do with ink). Besides, if they want me to use only their inks they should make sure that their pens work well with that ink. Mine not always do.

 

Like I said, I like their pens, but in my experience they are far from perfect and their service leaves much to be desired. YMMV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find the language from MB pretty mild and pelikan does not mention inks (refills), but acessories (and, again, I don't consider their services perfect). Also, I don't go looking in their websites about their policies before (or after) buying something. But I find it suspicious when the language in the booklet that comes with the product is different from what they post in their website (regardless of the manufacturer).

 

I never had any other manufacturer to be so anxious about this in their communication with me (and what I was contacting them about had nothing to do with ink). Besides, if they want me to use only their inks they should make sure that their pens work well with that ink. Mine not always do.

 

Like I said, I like their pens, but in my experience they are far from perfect and their service leaves much to be desired. YMMV.

 

Faber Castell are not putting any of us under compulsion to buy their fountain pens, neither are they likely to change their policies for any individual. It all comes down to making an informed choice and the total freedom to do so.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While we are grousing about the service experiences let me add this account.

 

Honestly, so far not a single example presented here so far seems to me to be an example of poor customer service.

That's an interesting account of service on a pen that costs a couple of thousand dollars. Maybe they reserve stellar service only for customers who buy a PoY? And looks like they're willing to send out free boxes to people instead of solving their pen related problems that matter more than an empty box that they would've thrown out anyway. Granted that their gesture made you happy, which is great, but I'd be more interested in seeing them address a real pen related problem in the same, no questions asked, manner. To me that's what matters.

A curt response clearly indicating a possibility of not solving the customer's problem for vague, unrelated reasons and policies is definitely an example of poor service in my opinion. The actual process of sending the pen in for repair is only a part of the whole customer service experience.

Edited by s_t_e_v_e
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's an interesting account of service on a pen that costs a couple of thousand dollars. Maybe they reserve stellar service only for customers who buy a PoY? And looks like they're willing to send out free boxes to people instead of solving their pen related problems that matter more than an empty box that they would've thrown out anyway. Granted that their gesture made you happy, which is great, but I'd be more interested in seeing them address a real pen related problem in the same, no questions asked, manner. To me that's what matters.

A curt response clearly indicating a possibility of not solving the customer's problem for vague, unrelated reasons and policies is definitely an example of poor service in my opinion. The actual process of sending the pen in for repair is only a part of the whole customer service experience.

I agree and when someone posts an example a real problem we can see how they treat that.

 

My Website

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Faber Castell are not putting any of us under compulsion to buy their fountain pens, neither are they likely to change their policies for any individual. It all comes down to making an informed choice and the total freedom to do so.

And I'm not saying that they are compelling anybody to buy their products, nor requesting that they change their policy for me. I only describing exactly my experience, which is different from other members experiences, so that people have more information to make such decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree and when someone posts an example a real problem we can see how they treat that.

Below are a couple of folks who have had less than satisfactory experiences with Fa-Ca's customer support for what I would consider real problems:

 

Regarding their customer service, my experience is as follows.

 

I have a few GvFC, including 2 expensive LE, and dealt with their customer service 2 times in the last year and a half.

 

- Once to fix my Elemento LE, which fell apart in my hands upon arrival. They fixed it without problems and actually even gave me a bottle of ink as a treat for waiting 6 months :yikes: for the pen to be fixed.

 

- The second time I inquired about exchanging the nib of a Classic Grenadilla, which was on the way to me, in case the OB on it didn't suit me. They replied that they would only exchange if the nib was unused. I replied that it wouldn't be possible for me to know if it suited me unless I tried it out, and that other companies that I dealt with (MB, Pelikan, Waterman and Parker) do allow you to try it out and still exchange in the first 30 days. They just told me that they wouldn't do it in a kind of "take it or leave it" tone.

 

Several times during my communication with them, the following text was included either in the email or in a letter:

 

"**** Please note - It is necessary to use Faber-Castell Fountain Inks exclusively with Faber-Castell Fountain Pens for best performance and to prevent damage to the feed. Our inks are specially formulated and designed specifically for our pens. If using unsuitable ink by another manufacturer, the instrument will be adversely affected. In these cases, replacement part charges and/or repair fees will apply. For best results and to prevent clogging, use fresh ink when refilling the pen."

 

Yes, they will not know if you used another ink. But I find the threat annoying and less than satisfying customer service.

 

 

++

Contact Faber Castell re: the problem. I have the same model which I use very little. It has a tiny crack in the section. They told me to send it in (at my expense of course) and after reviewing it they might replace the section.

They also told me they would only honor any claim if I ONLY USED F-C ink!!

 

Needless to say, at $30+/ bottle I still have the pen at home and use it occasionally.

 

Either way, good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Below are a couple of folks who have had less than satisfactory experiences with Fa-Ca's customer support for what I would consider real problems:

 

 

 

 

These have already been quoted in this thread, and not considered real problems. Otherwise Jar would not have made his comment.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Below are a couple of folks who have had less than satisfactory experiences with Fa-Ca's customer support for what I would consider real problems:

 

 

 

Yup, they sound unhappy but so far I still see absolutely no signs of poor customer service in those accounts.

 

My Website

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's totally cool that you guys don't see it as a problem, I do. To me, unhappy customer (within reason) implies poor service.

Anyway, to each his own. I'm glad this discussion happened so people can be aware and figure out for themselves whether they want to deal with Faber-Castell or not.

 

 

These have already been quoted in this thread, and not considered real problems. Otherwise Jar would not have made his comment.

 

 

Yup, they sound unhappy but so far I still see absolutely no signs of poor customer service in those accounts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's totally cool that you guys don't see it as a problem, I do. To me, unhappy customer (within reason) implies poor service.

Anyway, to each his own. I'm glad this discussion happened so people can be aware and figure out for themselves whether they want to deal with Faber-Castell or not.

 

Are these cheapies (relatively speaking) made in China or Europe?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How does non-F-C ink cause a crack in the section??? Doesn't make any sense to me. But then again I am not an engineer selling and NOT supporting a product.

 

I am a bit surprised that they would not let you exchange a nib within 30 days. The only disclaimer I might have included was the the nib would be examined for and misuse and you would be notified if there was any issues preventing a simply exchange.

 

Hope it all works out for people. I have had better service from Pilot on a ten+ year old pen that was no longer manufactured!

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How does non-F-C ink cause a crack in the section??? Doesn't make any sense to me. But then again I am not an engineer selling and NOT supporting a product.

Fwiw the only FaberCastell inky instrument I remember paying my own good $$ for is a TG1-S. It's still in its original box, papers & all today.

 

When I last took out all my Staedtler Marsmatics & that solitary TG1-S for a good clean in the ultrasonic machine... had laid them all out to dry when a few hours later, found the FC's barrel had shattered into several shards 8( it's other German pencilcase mates were all fine, all of similar 25-30yo vintage.

 

I do use FC TG1 ink interchangeably with Staedtler MarsmatecR, maybe that could be it. :P

 

Or perhaps my decades of forgetting to keep damp the FC lid's humidifying button ... ahh, maybe the plastic dried out and went brittle? Who knows... :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh the irony! I just received my first Faber-Castell fountain pen. I was an Instagram giveaway that I won. Sure, I'll take a free fountain pen!

 

It's an E-Motion in white rhombus pattern. Very nice pen as I had expected and it writes very well. Let's see how this goes :lol:

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


  • 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...