Bad Experience With Montblanc Repair Service

[JCC123]

4 hours ago, vintagefplover said:

I would actually agree with this viewpoint. 
On the other hand, I found that the charges for the individual parts' replacement costs make no sense. I would be fine if they did not comp me on my repair, but I think the prices of the individual parts should be charged on a 'Per-Service tier level' basis. Level one covers the cap top....etc. for $69 then they should charge me $69 for a cap top. Level 2 covers the body and clip, then the clip and body should each be individually charged $100, instead of the $1110HKD ($143USD) for the body and $810HKD ($104USD) for a clip. 

The individual costs make no sense to me.

They make perfect sense to me since these part prices are independent of service charges. It's probably their policy to comp people on parts the first time they send in their pens as a curtesy. We've all seen that here on the forum from others where they charge the standard service rates and then comp on the parts. However, as I posted before, you sent in two pens in quick succession. I don't think it's unreasonable to think that they are not about to comp people all the parts for any number of pens submitted. Imagine a person sending in 5 pens all looking to have their entire pens replaced, excluding the nib! They would go broke replacing all the parts for free. Furthermore, perhaps they think you are sending the same pen in again within a month after they already replaced and comped you all the parts only a month before? In this case, they are well within their right to not keep replacing parts for free if a customer keeps breaking their pen and in need of replacement.

 

But, this is all just idle speculation as I, like everyone else here, don't know the exact policy Montblanc has for repairs. So, I wish you the best in your dispute with them. We all wait with anticipation on Montblanc's response as it will help all members here in understanding their policy better.

[Dione]

I've had quite a few service repairs from Montblanc where the flat rate has been charged with the parts shown separately as no charge because they are included in the flat rate. It seems to be how they do their invoicing.

 

20 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

While I'd be quite happy to be proven wrong, the fact is I don't see any statement on Montblanc's official service price list (shown above, and I've also downloaded independently through Montblanc's web site) or FAQ to the effect of what you claim. The fact that the company's system and repair assessment process allows staff to charge you separately on the quote for components certainly suggest they are considered separately chargeable items.

I've seen quite a few service repairs from Montblanc where the flat rate has been charged with the parts shown separately as no charge because they are included in the flat rate. It seems to be how they usually do their invoicing. There was another post on here recently showing that type of format for a great service from them.

[Kenlowe]

My two cents. I have had nothing but good service from Montblanc, I have always found their service and them to be very fair when it comes to pricing for their expert work.

[meiers]

Montblanc service in Canada and in Hamburg has been absolutely stellar. I suggest taking your issue to them. FredRydr’s suggestion is brilliant. Let us know how it plays out. 
I also think that the person who shipped you these pens and packaged them inappropriately might want to help out with the costs. 

[omarcenaro]

3 hours ago, Dione said:

There was another post on here recently showing that type of format for a great service from them.

I recently had great service with them 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/358696-montblanc-repair-service-144/

But I agree, it would be unreasonable to expect MB to replace on the 2nd pen all the parts for free. If they did that I will buy some cheap priced broken Montblanc’s I see on eBay and send them in to MB for free new parts and then sell the refurbished pen, that would be a good business for someone which is probably why they don’t comp more then one pen so soon after a comped repair.

 

One pen was fixed for the service fee and the other is at 50% off a new, That’s still a deal.  But let’s see what they say to your inquiry.

 

[meiers]

A few years ago I sent MB Service a 146 had was totally shredded. 

A asked for a nib exchange. The only part they were able to salvage was the clip.

They sent me a totally rebuilt pen with the nib of my choice. I thought that was decent service.

 

[vintagefplover]

15 minutes ago, meiers said:

A few years ago I sent MB Service a 146 had was totally shredded. 

A asked for a nib exchange. The only part they were able to salvage was the clip.

They sent me a totally rebuilt pen with the nib of my choice. I thought that was decent service.

 

How much was it? I assume at the third service level.

[CS388]

In my limited experience of MB services (three pens, over the years) the service charge included the parts they replaced. The invoices listed the parts which were replaced, but just as a list, no cost information.

 

I (kind of) thought that's what I was paying the charge for.  The pens I sent in were resin Meisterstucks and they all came back with many new parts (all had new barrels and pistons, some had more resin parts replaced, too). I paid flat rate service charges (Level 1 and Level 2) This was all done in Hamburg.

I think the pens were tuned, too - they came back writing superbly.

 

I hope that charging (significantly) extra for the parts replaced, on top of the flat fee, isn't the new policy. It could make servicing financially unviable, for me.

 

I'll be interested to hear how they reply to your query.

 

Good luck.

[vintagefplover]

4 minutes ago, CS388 said:

In my limited experience of MB services (three pens, over the years) the service charge included the parts they replaced. The invoices listed the parts which were replaced, but just as a list, no cost information.

 

I (kind of) thought that's what I was paying the charge for.  The pens I sent in were resin Meisterstucks and they all came back with many new parts (all had new barrels and pistons, some had more resin parts replaced, too). I paid flat rate service charges (Level 1 and Level 2) This was all done in Hamburg.

I think the pens were tuned, too - they came back writing superbly.

 

I hope that charging (significantly) extra for the parts replaced, on top of the flat fee, isn't the new policy. It could make servicing financially unviable, for me.

 

I'll be interested to hear how they reply to your query.

 

Good luck.

This is what I was expecting from Montblanc, since that is their general policy with their repair policy as I have read from many of the members here on FPN, and experienced 2 times myself.  

This was quite unexpected and a bit absurd to me, so I am looking forward to a reply from them too. Thanks. 

[vintagefplover]

They have just called me on the phone, they said that because the pen's clip was not present (which it was, I don't know why they would say that), the service charge would be expensive.

Montblanc service told me that they looked at the situation with both Boutiques that I sent the 2 pens separately to and the repair centre, they still concluded that the pen needed the $540 service charge. *sigh* 

I guess I'll just have to decline the repair for now and pay $40. 😕

[JCC123]

So even after explaining that the clip was present and that they made a mistake they still would not reevaluate their estimate?

[vintagefplover]

9 minutes ago, JCC123 said:

So even after explaining that the clip was present and that they made a mistake they still would not reevaluate their estimate?

I mentioned that and they said that they needed to confirm once more, since I remember correctly that even though the pen's parts were damaged, they were all present. Waiting on a reply from them.

[vintagefplover]

They have now replied, they said that they confirmed once more and the clip was actually present. And they apologised for the error. 

They also told me that because the pen's clip did not have a serial number (of course, it's a 60s model), the service centre may not repair it. 

They added that the first repair that only costed $100 should have also costed $540, but the MB repair centre may have made an error or a wrong diagnosis that lead to the cheaper price. 

 

Which is weird, because I have also heard from many others that they just refurbished beat up pens for $100, as all parts other than the nib are covered under the service level 2 for $100. I guess I was just unlucky this time.

[vintagefplover]

3 hours ago, CS388 said:

In my limited experience of MB services (three pens, over the years) the service charge included the parts they replaced. The invoices listed the parts which were replaced, but just as a list, no cost information.

 

I (kind of) thought that's what I was paying the charge for.  The pens I sent in were resin Meisterstucks and they all came back with many new parts (all had new barrels and pistons, some had more resin parts replaced, too). I paid flat rate service charges (Level 1 and Level 2) This was all done in Hamburg.

I think the pens were tuned, too - they came back writing superbly.

 

I hope that charging (significantly) extra for the parts replaced, on top of the flat fee, isn't the new policy. It could make servicing financially unviable, for me.

 

I'll be interested to hear how they reply to your query.

 

Good luck.

Did the part items say 'Complimentary' for the price information? If it did, then it may explain why sometimes they do not service it under the service fee. 
I also think that they look at how badly beat up the parts are to determine if they will charge money for it. 

 

[A Smug Dill]

Just now, vintagefplover said:

They added that the first repair that only costed $100 should have also costed $540, but the MB repair centre may have made an error or a wrong diagnosis that lead to the cheaper price. 

 

I do hope Montblanc clarifies in its published policy that the Service flat rate charge does not implicitly or automatically cover replacement parts of all the components showing that colour on the chart, so that (prospective) customers of new pens know exactly that there is no guaranteed cheap way out of a disaster. It doesn't matter quite as much, to the viability and profitability of the company, whether buyers of secondhand Montblanc pens are disappointed if they can't get the pens restored economically by the manufacturer if that's the plan all along, even though Montblanc can still use its absolute discretion in deciding with whom and when it wants to foster customer goodwill and brand loyalty.

[CS388]

5 hours ago, vintagefplover said:

Did the part items say 'Complimentary' for the price information? If it did, then it may explain why sometimes they do not service it under the service fee. 
I also think that they look at how badly beat up the parts are to determine if they will charge money for it. 

 

 

No.

I don't have any of the invoices with me, but, the parts which had been replaced were noted in a simple list format. The only figure on the invoices was the fee for the service charge. There was no use of the word 'complimentary'' anywhere, I would definitely have remembered that.

 

Throughout the fountain pen community, Montblanc's 'replace not repair' technique is well documented. If the parts used are now to be charged separately, then what would the flat fee be for? If it was for the labour, only, then why have more than one level of fee?

It's all a bit confusing.

 

Their reply to your query is disappointing, full of error and guesswork.

Maybe change is afoot?

 

Good luck.

 

[vintagefplover]

54 minutes ago, CS388 said:

 

No.

I don't have any of the invoices with me, but, the parts which had been replaced were noted in a simple list format. The only figure on the invoices was the fee for the service charge. There was no use of the word 'complimentary'' anywhere, I would definitely have remembered that.

 

Throughout the fountain pen community, Montblanc's 'replace not repair' technique is well documented. If the parts used are now to be charged separately, then what would the flat fee be for? If it was for the labour, only, then why have more than one level of fee?

It's all a bit confusing.

 

Their reply to your query is disappointing, full of error and guesswork.

Maybe change is afoot?

 

Good luck.

 

I have the same questions as you, as the services I had with MB before were also consistently just the service level charge. The reply from MB was indeed really disappointing, I have sent an email to the CEO of MB, I hope I get further assistance from Montblanc. 

Thanks. 

[Dione]

1 hour ago, CS388 said:

 

No.

I don't have any of the invoices with me, but, the parts which had been replaced were noted in a simple list format. The only figure on the invoices was the fee for the service charge. There was no use of the word 'complimentary'' anywhere, I would definitely have remembered that.

 

Throughout the fountain pen community, Montblanc's 'replace not repair' technique is well documented. If the parts used are now to be charged separately, then what would the flat fee be for? If it was for the labour, only, then why have more than one level of fee?

It's all a bit confusing.

 

Their reply to your query is disappointing, full of error and guesswork.

Maybe change is afoot?

 

Good luck.

 

For all of the previous pens I've had serviced I have never once seen a service invoice that has listed the price of any part. I've been through many invoices that all show a flat service rate and they list the replaced parts with no prices. Can you imagine all of the enquiries they would get for parts if they changed this long-standing method and listed parts with prices attached on invoices? It will never happen.

[meiers]

11 hours ago, vintagefplover said:

How much was it? I assume at the third service level.

Yes. 

[JCC123]

This reminds me of the situation with high-end Swiss timepieces. They quote a flat rate for service. Some brands like Omega will comp you on replacement parts and only occasionally charging for them. Others will charge based on the whim of the watchmaker that happened to be working on your watch.

 

Since Montblanc doesn't expressly say that they will provide all parts for free under their flat rate structure, I would imagine they have similar policies. That it's the whim/discretion of the technician that happens to work on your pen. You may have just gotten unlucky your second time around.