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Sorry Twsbi,. It's Over.


AmandaW

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The yellow TWSBI arrived day before yesterday after eleven days in transit from one post office to another just 20km apart. It's my tenth TWSBI. It's also my last, because it came out of the box with a horrible, scratchy nib and it's not going to be fixed.

 

I can't see anything obvious with the loupe and being a new pen I expected the retailer would have me covered. They suggested I buy micromesh, from another seller that would take a couple of weeks to get here, at my cost. Or they would send a spare nib for me to fit, but couldn't guarantee the pen would be perfect. If I wanted better than that I had to contact TWSBI myself.

 

This is the reply I got from TWSBI overnight:

 

"Jowo makes our nibs and they havve their own tolerance levels for each nib size Some of the EF nibs just feel scratchier than others because it falls in their "tolerance range"

What is your shipping address? I can have the factory send you a spare EF nib. You just need to pay for shipping when they email you."

 

Not happening. Sorry TWSBI. It's over. I expected better quality and great after sales support if there was a problem. You let me down when it mattered.
And I do know what an EF nib is like, most of mine are.
IMG_20200422_070912.jpg

Will work for pens... :unsure:

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Wow, not what I would have expected either.

If you decide to spend a tad bit more money you may want to consider buying an Edison.

Their service is exceptional and their pens have a lifetime warrenty.

And if you decide to explore vintage pens, I suggest you try Peyton Street pens who also have excellent service, but a much shorter warranty, still quite good however for vintage pens.

Edited by Parker51
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I have given up on TWSBI as well. I just got really tired of cracked barrels. I replaced them so many times. I finally pulled the nibs and dumped the pens in the trash.

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

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I dont understand the problem in this case: the retailer offered to send another nib to try (for free?), and then the manufacturer did too (for shipping fee, unclear how much that costs). No other problems mentioned with the other pens.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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I dont understand the problem in this case: the retailer offered to send another nib to try (for free?), and then the manufacturer did too (for shipping fee, unclear how much that costs). No other problems mentioned with the other pe

 

The user isn't confident to replace the nib or take to it with micro mesh since either action would void the warranty if messed up.

 

Nothing is expected free. The pen is brand new and defective. After being purchased at full retail price is it not reasonable to expect it to work properly?

 

International shipping is slow and expensive. Why should the user pay for that over and above the purchase price of the pen?

Edited by AmandaW

Will work for pens... :unsure:

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Seems to me your consternation should be with the seller (who is only 20km away?) not offering a full refund of the purchase price. Return the pen, get your money back, move on.

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The user isn't confident to replace the nib or take to it with micro mesh since either action would void the warranty if messed up.

 

Nothing is expected free. The pen is brand new and defective. After being purchased at full retail price is it not reasonable to expect it to work properly?

 

International shipping is slow and expensive. Why should the user pay for that over and above the purchase price of the pen?

 

That wasn't clear from the original post, but clarified in this one. I agree with the poster above me--the vendor should bear responsibility for accepting a return for complete refund, including shipping cost. Depending on vendor and their policies, they might still ask for shipping cost to return, but hopefully give a refund on it at the end.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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That wasn't clear from the original post, but clarified in this one. I agree with the poster above me--the vendor should bear responsibility for accepting a return for complete refund, including shipping cost. Depending on vendor and their policies, they might still ask for shipping cost to return, but hopefully give a refund on it at the end.

 

For what it's worth, I agree: the vendor shouldn't be foisting this off onto TWSBI. Transplanting nibs in these pens is *really* easy - and if undertaken with the vendor's (and/or TWSBI's) instruction *shouldn't* void the warranty - but I can understand someone being a little uneasy giving this a try if they haven't done it before. If someone is going to deal with a return or exchange, though, it should be the vendor - whose job it is thereafter to work something out with the manufacturer.

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Compare that to the US distributor for Caran d’Ache who sent me a free EF replacement nib for the scratchy one I got at the local pen store. The 849 nib had a burr according to a knowledgeable pen club member.

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Nothing is expected free. The pen is brand new and defective. After being purchased at full retail price is it not reasonable to expect it to work properly?

 

International shipping is slow and expensive. Why should the user pay for that over and above the purchase price of the pen?

Exactly!

You are not asking for anything for "Free", you paid for a working item, in this case a pen.

If the Manufacturer builds and sells a defective product the Manufacturer should be prepared to do what it takes to get the Buyer a product that works up to the Manufacturer's standards.

If the Manufacturer's standards are lower than the Buyer's expectation, then the Manufacturer should expect bad reviews and lower sales.

If the cost of getting a working pen to the Buyer is the Manufacturer occasionally having to send a replacement pen,at their cost, that is for the Manufacturer to decide.

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I possessed five TWSBI pens before and all of them had intolerable scratchy nibs (either EF or F) and lousy ink flow. Landfill is the place they shall belong to. I wouldn’t be buying their recently launched rubbish. Their quality suffers severely due to low production cost.

Edited by ljz
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I agree entirely with other posters here: the responsibility lies with the retailer, not with TWSBI.

 

Your location is listed as being Western Australia. I have no idea about the laws in place there, but regardless: if you bought the pen from an Australian retailer, I would definitely expect them to sort you out quickly and without any additional cost to you. Unbearably scratchy = faulty, so I'd expect them to ask you to return the pen and them to return it to you with a fixed nib or send you a new one.

 

If you bought it from a non-Australian retailer, then I can understand their reluctance on the shipping front, given the price of shipping to/from Australia.

But if they are prepared to take your money, then they should be prepared to offer decent customer service.

Having said that, you wrote that they offered to "send a spare nib for me to fit". If they offered to send it to you entirely free of charge, then to my mind, this qualifies as decent customer service, seen through the pragmatic filter of expensive international shipping. I think it's a reasonable compromise.

 

Either way, if you're going to give up on anyone, give up on the retailer, not on TWSBI.

 

I had a related experience back in 2015. I bought an expensive pen from a retailer based in the next country (European context). I asked that they check the nib before despatching it, but it was badly misaligned when it arrived. They were very polite, and asked me to send the pen back to them for exchange/repair, but insisted that I pay for the postage (which they wouldn't refund me). It wouldn't have been expensive (about Eur10), but I simply refused to effectively pay a fine for the misfortune of my item not working as it should. I have bought a lot of pens in the last five years, but never again from that retailer.

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TBH, an additional nib for just shipping cost (TWSBI charge USD5-10 for shipping) isn't bad. Getting a smooth EF is a lot bigger challenge than an F or above it seems.

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The user isn't confident to replace the nib

 

It is laughably easy to replace the nib on an Eco. They literally pull out and push in. Ten seconds, max.

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It is laughably easy to replace the nib on an Eco. They literally pull out and push in. Ten seconds, max.

True. Then the pen cracks and it's the users fault. I would have a go at it if it were an old or cheap pen. This is new and should not be the users problem.

 

As my husband pointed out, I got a lemon. :lticaptd:

Will work for pens... :unsure:

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I remember when they were putting that company together and there were high expectations of these pens. Such a disappointment when my barrels cracked. I just didn't buy any more at some point.

"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.

 

 

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Philip wang is always a *********, but he always does take care of the problem.

 

I don't understand. You got one TWSBI that had a bad nib? Yes, it's not the best situation to charge shipping for a new nib, but meh. I don't quite get your gripes. Every single TWSBI I own has had a perfect nib. No pen is immune to QC failures. I've had more problems from Visconti than I've had TWSBI. I have had one barrel crack in a vac mini, but every other one has been fine.

Edited by amberleadavis
Removed expletive

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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I don't understand. You got one TWSBI that had a bad nib? Yes, it's not the best situation to charge shipping for a new nib, but meh. I don't quite get your gripes.

Whats not to understand? The OP got a lemon, a defective product, a bad apple. They shouldnt have to pay any more to get it repaired or replaced because they have already paid for a working product but didnt get it.

 

If you ordered shoes by mail and got a box of rocks youd have a right to get upset about it. You shouldnt have to pay to return the rocks and get your shoes.

 

This does not mean that your copies of the same product are somehow bad or defective. If yours work be happy. But your good experience with a product does not invalidate someone elses bad experience.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Philip wang is always a *********, but he always does take care of the problem.

 

I don't understand. You got one TWSBI that had a bad nib? Yes, it's not the best situation to charge shipping for a new nib, but meh. I don't quite get your gripes. Every single TWSBI I own has had a perfect nib. No pen is immune to QC failures. I've had more problems from Visconti than I've had TWSBI. I have had one barrel crack in a vac mini, but every other one has been fine.

Ice replaced, from TWSBI, every part, except 2 nibs, on all 3 of mine. 2 580's and an Eco. I'm with OP, won't buy anymore. When these break, I'll have nibs for some frankenpens.

Peace and Understanding

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Ice replaced, from TWSBI, every part, except 2 nibs, on all 3 of mine. 2 580's and an Eco. I'm with OP, won't buy anymore. When these break, I'll have nibs for some frankenpens.

 

I have heard of this. That's a good reason to be unhappy. But the OP's situation is pretty... generic and benign...

 

Visconti won't pay shipping for you to return the pen. Pilot won't. Platinum won't. AFAIK, most manufacturers themselves make you pay to ship them the product back for warranty work. The only one offhand I can think of that doesn't is Wancher, who will reimburse you for shipping to japan.

 

To get "free" replacement, you need to go through the vendor you bought from. TWSBI won't pay to return, but Goulet or any other respectable vendor will. You could even ask many of them to test the replacement for you. Often, if you're a regular customer and/or the product is under $30, Goulet will just issue a full refund and let you keep the item. Their customer service will make sure your experience is good, even with a company with awful warranty support. I buy visconti and TWSBI from them exclusively for that reason

 

I'm not saying that there's nothing wrong with the situation at all. Just that burning a personal bridge with a brand over something that every brand does isn't a great way to do things.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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