Parker No Longer Repairs Their Pens!

[gammada]

About a month ago, I friend of mine sent his Duofold ballpoint for service to Parker. The pen didn't work for some reason and was just a few months out of warranty, so he decided to sent it directly to Parker in France in order to have it serviced.

 

The pen returned just this week and much to his surprise, it was returned stating that Parker NO LONGER repairs pens or pencils. If under warranty, they might replace the product with a similar one; out of warranty they are offering a 50% discount on any other Parker, Waterman or Rotring product of his choice!

 

Can you believe this?

 

 

[Ron Z]

 

 

Can you believe this?

 

Yes.

 

Richard Greenwald used to repair the Duofold ballpoints. He still may be, it's worth checking. Parker was sending the pens to him for repair, so if he does, it skips one step in the process if you send it to him.

[Joane]

If so, the world has ended. Well, at least the wonderfulness of Parker has... Does this apply only to pens out of warranty or to pens still under warranty as well?

Edited July 8, 2020 by Joane

[inkstainedruth]

Wow. Good to know. I had bloody war with Parker over "the Parker Urban from H*ll" but that was a few years ago and they had me send the pen to Janesville under the extended warranty both times. The second time the chick in France I dealt with the first time got a snotty letter saying that they should be more concerned about one mouthy American broad with access to an internationally read pen forum than their entire potential market in China... and they sent me a Priority Mail box to ship it in (I still had to pay the insurance). I also told her that the brand name USED to stand for quality.... The second time they just replaced the pen with a cryptic note saying "defective barrel" but the replacement pen leaked like a sieve -- no matter how many times I flushed and soaked the nib unit, I still got ink coming from the feed collar over the top of the nib. I think I eventually tossed the pen in the trash for the junker it was. Other than a Vector, I would not buy a modern Parker pen. But the vintage ones? I love those.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Kenlowe]

After sending a pen, a Sonnet, to Parker 4 times, paying mail charges in both directions, I issued court proceedings against Parker after they said that they had tried and failed to repair the pen and it was not company policy to reimburse the purchase price to customers or replace failed parts. In this case it was the nib retaining collar on the early Sonnet, it came loose every time you removed the cap.

 

They paid very quickly.

 

You could say that the new Parker policy is a blessing.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

thank you for posting OP. This pretty much settles the debate for me. The New Duofolds and that cisele Sonnet are coming off of the "to buy someday" list. I'm not going to spend that kind of money on a pen with no backing from the manufacturer when for LESS i can get some REALLY REALLY great "51"s. Clearly Parker is now a "hurry up and sell them another one" commodity company. Too bad. The old stuff is AMAZING. And when i buy it now, 70 yrs after it's initial sale, Parker makes NO money on it

 

Only way to punish greed is to take your money elsewhere.

[peroride]

If so, the world has ended.

 

I had the same sentiment.

 

So what happens to the broken pen? --> Garbage OR independent repair professionals

 

I'm waay in for the latter as the former does not the environment help.

 

I wonder if this no repair policy is linked to this big discount on Duofolds

 

fountain pens as disposable as ballpoints, oh wait, the OP post is a ballpoint....

[inkstainedruth]

Only way to punish greed is to take your money elsewhere.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[The Blue Knight]

I'm not that surprised to be honest. It's a long time since I've had to deal with a company over problems with a modern I simply don't use my pens enough for an issue to develop. I do have a hankering pens that have been discontinued. So I automatically assume that I won't get helped so I use those pens sparingly.

 

As much as we'd like to pretend otherwise what Duofold ballpoint pen costs Newell Rubbermaid is a fraction of what it costs us maybe £50. It probably isn't worth the time to employee a salaried person to fix these things.

 

It's a shame don't get me wrong. but normally it's the cosmetic issues (things that aren't covered by warranties) that steer me away from using pens enough before mechanical issues develop.

[gammada]

 

Yes.

 

Richard Greenwald used to repair the Duofold ballpoints. He still may be, it's worth checking. Parker was sending the pens to him for repair, so if he does, it skips one step in the process if you send it to him.

I will definitely steer him that way!

 

If so, the world has ended. Well, at least the wonderfulness of Parker has... Does this apply only to pens out of warranty or to pens still under warranty as well?

AFAIK, it seems to apply to all pens. If you return a pen under warranty, they might as well replace it.

 

Other than a Vector, I would not buy a modern Parker pen. But the vintage ones? I love those.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Sorry to hear about your awful experience. Last week, I bought my first modern Parker second hand and, so far, it has been a positive experience for me. But after learning about their service policies, I definitely prefer to keep buying their vintage stuff. All of them trouble-free and all of them easily identifiable as Parker items. Something I cannot say for most of their current line.

 

 

 

You could say that the new Parker policy is a blessing.

Parker always stood (at least for me) for reliability, dependability, and for being one of the few brands that never entered the disposable pen market. Now, it seems that's all they do, sell pens that are practically disposable. Sad!

 

 

 

Only way to punish greed is to take your money elsewhere.

Agreed! Duofold is off my list too!

 

 

fountain pens as disposable as ballpoints, oh wait, the OP post is a ballpoint....

Seems it doesn't make difference. A brand that offers you products from other brands -even if under the same corporate umbrella, speaks volumes about the loyalty they expect from their customers.

 

 

It's a shame don't get me wrong. but normally it's the cosmetic issues (things that aren't covered by warranties) that steer me away from using pens enough before mechanical issues develop.

 

Well, considering some of my old pens are over 70 years old, I really doubt fountain pens necessarily tend to fail when their cosmetic level decreases. Modern pens on the other hand, seem to be produced with a throw-away mentality.

 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

I'm not that surprised to be honest. It's a long time since I've had to deal with a company over problems with a modern I simply don't use my pens enough for an issue to develop. I do have a hankering pens that have been discontinued. So I automatically assume that I won't get helped so I use those pens sparingly.

 

As much as we'd like to pretend otherwise what Duofold ballpoint pen costs Newell Rubbermaid is a fraction of what it costs us maybe £50. It probably isn't worth the time to employee a salaried person to fix these things.

 

It's a shame don't get me wrong. but normally it's the cosmetic issues (things that aren't covered by warranties) that steer me away from using pens enough before mechanical issues develop.

Agreed, but i think 50L is being GENEROUS, it's likely far less than that

 

That said, in the premium space, this is NOT how you build customer loyalty. Loyalty is built through making the customer HAPPY.

 

If you save a buck everywhere you can, eventually people will do like Ruth and I do: ditch you since you ditched us.

and the long term ALWAYS has the same result: further degradation of product, leading to EVEN LESS customers, leading inevitably to bankruptcy.

 

The first rule of playing in the premium market space is to make the item seem PRECIOUS! (diamonds anyone?...) and build brand confidence and you don't do that by making it obvious you can afford to just throw it away! I could be wrong, but isn't it possible to have a 40yr old montblanc serviced by montblanc TO THIS DAY?... if so, that's probably part of why despite their apparent propensity for breaking down, at least based on all the threads about having to send them in... and their obvious INSANE pricing, they still manage to have multiple repeat and loyal customers. If the customer has confidence in the COMPANY, then they will buy the product.

 

I have no confidence in current day Parker. This business obviously has no REAL connection to or understanding of its heritage.

I suppose that's what happens when a company that makes disposable containers (rubbermaid newell?...) owns you. I'll stick to my "51"s thanks.

 

Thanks again to the OP and to Ruth for their stories. You've likely saved me a lot of anger and disappointment.

 

Instead now I'm just kind of sad.

Edited July 8, 2020 by IThinkIHaveAProblem

[gammada]

 

Instead now I'm just kind of sad.

Yeah, me too. I knew Parker nowadays was an empty soul, but since they moved production of some pens back to France, my hopes were a tiny bit high. Unfortunately, the premise on their business model is to just sell pens that, hopefully, people will rapidly dispose of to buy a new one. Environment be damned!

[Parker51]

Yeah, me too. I knew Parker nowadays was an empty soul, but since they moved production of some pens back to France, my hopes were a tiny bit high. Unfortunately, the premise on their business model is to just sell pens that, hopefully, people will rapidly dispose of to buy a new one. Environment be damned!

It may not be a violation of formal EU rules, but it certainly violates the spirit of them regarding product life cycle and pollution minimization. There are too many products which used to be designed to be repaired which have become disposable products with short life spans. Totally wrong headed. And annoying as many of them are more expensive to buy than the earlier repairable product so both the initial cost and the annual cost of said products have gone up with no significant benefit. The worst I have read about are "smart" refrigerators with guaranteed software support for only two years. Such is what happens when the competitition amongst producers decreases due to excessive market domination of a few large firms.

Edited July 9, 2020 by Parker51

[peroride]

I just saw this a few weeks ago...

 

Sad given this context:

https://youtu.be/JNCaq_ici78

[vicpen123]

I don't get it. If a pen fails while under warranty the post suggests that it will be replaced. What's is wrong with that? If only car manufacturers offered the same.

 

If the pen fails out of warranty, they will offer a 50% discount when they have no obligation to do anything. What's wrong with that?

 

If that is not good enough, then it is open to any owner to seek out a pen repair person and pay the fee. No worse than paying Parker unless Parker was routinely repairing pens out of warranty for no cost.

 

In the past I have received free replacement modern new pens for vintage pens that could not be repaired but were under lifetime warranties (P75s). I expect that this policy has ended.

[Parker51]

I don't get it. If a pen fails while under warranty the post suggests that it will be replaced. What's is wrong with that? If only car manufacturers offered the same.

 

If the pen fails out of warranty, they will offer a 50% discount when they have no obligation to do anything. What's wrong with that?

 

If that is not good enough, then it is open to any owner to seek out a pen repair person and pay the fee. No worse than paying Parker unless Parker was routinely repairing pens out of warranty for no cost.

 

In the past I have received free replacement modern new pens for vintage pens that could not be repaired but were under lifetime warranties (P75s). I expect that this policy has ended.

Parker used to have a repair department that could and did repair pens.

 

Montblanc has a repair department.

 

A manufacturer can charge for repairs if they are not contractually responsible for them. No one is complaining about that.

 

The problem is the abandonment of the idea of making high quality, long lasting products that may have some parts which may need occasional servicing and some parts which subject to wear may need to be replaced, but that the product is designed and planned to be able to be serviced. And further, that products which can be serviced are deliberately ignored by a manufacturer requiring a work around them and the use of some independent repair person. This is all part of the move away from the production of high quality goods designed to last a significant period of time, some goods lasting a lifetime, as in a lifetime guarantee, to a model based on the idea that we are no longer buying products, but rather we are buying the provision of a service, functionally, we are renting a physical item for a certain number of years and if it lasts longer than the short guarantee period we should consider ourselves lucky.

 

What this means is that unless you have the funds in reserve to continually buy replacements you will eventually no longer have what you thought you were buying. Instead you will have something useless.

 

And so you are left needing to work and work and work to simply maintain the same standard of living.

 

Do you want to be put on a wheel like some lab rat constantly running?

 

I for one refuse to accept that model and those manufacturers who endorse it.

Edited July 9, 2020 by Parker51

[gammada]

I don't get it. If a pen fails while under warranty the post suggests that it will be replaced. What's is wrong with that? If only car manufacturers offered the same.

 

If the pen fails out of warranty, they will offer a 50% discount when they have no obligation to do anything. What's wrong with that?

 

If that is not good enough, then it is open to any owner to seek out a pen repair person and pay the fee. No worse than paying Parker unless Parker was routinely repairing pens out of warranty for no cost.

 

In the past I have received free replacement modern new pens for vintage pens that could not be repaired but were under lifetime warranties (P75s). I expect that this policy has ended.

 

I don't know about you, but if I spend more than $100 for a pen, I would at least expect that if something goes wrong with it, the manufacturer will have the means to get it working back again. My friend send his pen with the intention of paying, fully aware that warranty was out. What he didn't expected was to be told that his pen was basically trash.

 

Now, in this day and age, I sincerely don't see the value proposition throwing away a pen, that certainly can be repaired, and buying another even if they are discounting 50% off whatever the price for that item is. It's a business model lacking sustainability and also one where the buyer must pay every now and then for something that, as the majority of vintage pens show, can even outlast him or her!

 

Now for the replacing part, just consider that said pen was a gift from a loved one or was given away in a special occasion and that even under warranty, it is no longer available because it was a limited edition. Would you simply accept another pen just because its similar?

 

As someone mentioned before, a brand like MontBlanc still repairs most of their pens. Even Cross, which is more comparable to Parker, still repairs some pens and still honors lifetime warranties from pens made over 3 decades earlier. Parker just won't held itself accountable for something that was purchased a couple years back!

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

I don't get it. If a pen fails while under warranty the post suggests that it will be replaced. What's is wrong with that? If only car manufacturers offered the same.

 

If the pen fails out of warranty, they will offer a 50% discount when they have no obligation to do anything. What's wrong with that?

 

If that is not good enough, then it is open to any owner to seek out a pen repair person and pay the fee. No worse than paying Parker unless Parker was routinely repairing pens out of warranty for no cost.

 

In the past I have received free replacement modern new pens for vintage pens that could not be repaired but were under lifetime warranties (P75s). I expect that this policy has ended.

if i wanted a pen that when it fails after 3 years, i have to replace... i would buy a varsity or a preppy. BUTT TON cheaper. Not that i expect that either of those would fail after 3 years!

 

As said above, if i spend hundreds of dollars on a pen, i expect it to LAST.

 

And as said above, what if it was a gift? i don't WANT a discount on another pen, i want the pen my loved one, who MAY not even be alive anymore, gave me.

 

The disposable mentality is fine, at $10. not a $100 or more.

 

Maybe we are just more sentimental than you are, i donno.

But i do know i won't be buying a new Parker FROM Parker. Maybe used, if i get a GREAT deal, all the while knowing if anything fails, its likely to end up in the garbage pile. But i certainly won't let Parker get richer from these types of business practices.

Edited July 9, 2020 by IThinkIHaveAProblem

[Joane]

I sure miss Janesville. Most of my Parkers were purchased under a lifetime guarantee. I wonder what happens there. Is a company required by law to honour it?

[carola]

The disposable mentality is fine, at $10. not a $100 or more.

 

 

I completely agree with your statement - minus this sentence.

 

Given the tons of garbage we pile up every day, I can´t get myself to agree with the notion "a disposable mentality is fine" because the things in question don´t cost a lot of money. It is not.

 

Apart from the fact it is simply nice to write with a fountain pen, it is exactly the idea that they are NOT something I have to toss in the trash after having used them a few times. A disposable pen counteracts the whole idea of a fountain pen. And as a lover of vintage fountain pens I have to add: It will be increasingly difficult to enjoy fountain pens that are new today as vintage fountain pens in the future if they are designed to get thrown away after a few years of use.

 

If I had to choose between getting my own pen repaired (and restored to full function) or have it replaced (even by the same model), I wouldn´t hesitate a second: Repair it, please!