Fountain pen users, rejoice!

[GerritV]

Little story here...
A while back I volunteered to help improve / expand / update the Dutch translation of a mobile app.
The developer was rather appreciative of my input, and rewarded me with an Amazon gift card

I took this opportunity to purchase a Moonman C1 (eyedropper).

A few months ago I mentioned my discovery of two somewhat forgotten Sheaffers (see a couple of posts up). Guess what - during my shopping at Amazon I also found a Sheaffer converter.

Both pens are now inked, and write ever so smoothly. The Sheaffer has a 14K nib, with its typical upward bent tip.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Little story here...
A while back I volunteered to help improve / expand / update the Dutch translation of a mobile app.
The developer was rather appreciative of my input, and rewarded me with an Amazon gift card

I took this opportunity to purchase a Moonman C1 (eyedropper).

A few months ago I mentioned my discovery of two somewhat forgotten Sheaffers (see a couple of posts up). Guess what - during my shopping at Amazon I also found a Sheaffer converter.

Both pens are now inked, and write ever so smoothly. The Sheaffer has a 14K nib, with its typical upward bent tip.

View attachment 891218

Beautiful; just beautiful.

Lovely pens, and a terrific story.

Do enjoy both of them.

 

[GerritV]

Beautiful; just beautiful.

Lovely pens, and a terrific story.

Do enjoy both of them.

Thanks for your appreciation, Scepticalscribe. I do indeed enjoy these two pens.
Actually trying out the Moonman on sketching ;-)

 

[GerritV]

Been through another box of my old gear, and discovered a fountain pen/ballpoint set that I received from my car dealership many moons ago - probably a New Year gift. Caps and barrels are made of solid wood, sections of black plastic. Nothing too fancy, extra fine nib (not a fan) - but I do like the weight.

 

[bunnspecial]

Useful-but unfortunate-information for US Lamy owners-

I contacted them recently to see about having a cracked section repaired on my 2000, which I bought in 2012 and with a warranty card which explicitly stated "Lifetime." Lamy has been know for a while for having one of the best warranties around, and in the past when I've used them, I just sent it off with a check for return shipping and the pen came back repaired perfectly in a few weeks.

Apparently Lamy USA has decided to retroactively change the terms of the "Lifetime Warranty" and now will only honor the warranty 2 years from the date of purchase.

I'm really disappointed in them, and it looks like I will no longer be a Lamy customer. I'd be fine if they'd changed the terms on new purchases, but to me it's a big deal to not honor the warranty which the pen was sold with.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Useful-but unfortunate-information for US Lamy owners-

I contacted them recently to see about having a cracked section repaired on my 2000, which I bought in 2012 and with a warranty card which explicitly stated "Lifetime." Lamy has been know for a while for having one of the best warranties around, and in the past when I've used them, I just sent it off with a check for return shipping and the pen came back repaired perfectly in a few weeks.

Apparently Lamy USA has decided to retroactively change the terms of the "Lifetime Warranty" and now will only honor the warranty 2 years from the date of purchase.

I'm really disappointed in them, and it looks like I will no longer be a Lamy customer. I'd be fine if they'd changed the terms on new purchases, but to me it's a big deal to not honor the warranty which the pen was sold with.

Is it legally possible to "retroactively" change such warranties?

In any case, I'd have thought that the new conditions would only apply to products for which the warranty has been issued since the conditions governing the application of the warranty have changed.

 

[bunnspecial]

Is it legally possible to "retroactively" change such warranties?

In any case, I'd have thought that the new conditions would only apply to products for which the warranty has been issued since the conditions governing the application of the warranty have changed.

I'm not a lawyer, but I didn't think that was legal/possible to retroactively change the terms.

And yes, I agree that the new terms are fine for items purchased since the new terms went into affect, but not fine for items sold with a lifetime warranty.

As I said, this-to me-is a really poor representation for a company I'd previously held in high regard.

I'll also mention another pen company that offers lifetime warranties on some of their products-Sheaffer's. Several years ago, I acquired a Sheaffer's "white dot"(lifetime) pen from the 1930s. I reached out to them to see if they could advise me on repair, and their response was that they no longer have any knowledge or resources to repair that model would be happy to exchange the pen for an equivalent current model at no charge. I didn't take them up on the offer(I ended up finding a specialist in this model pen, which I later realized was quite valuable) but none the less it impressed me that they would stand behind an 80+ year old warranty.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm not a lawyer, but I didn't think that was legal/possible to retroactively change the terms.

And yes, I agree that the new terms are fine for items purchased since the new terms went into affect, but not fine for items sold with a lifetime warranty.

As I said, this-to me-is a really poor representation for a company I'd previously held in high regard.

I'll also mention another pen company that offers lifetime warranties on some of their products-Sheaffer's. Several years ago, I acquired a Sheaffer's "white dot"(lifetime) pen from the 1930s. I reached out to them to see if they could advise me on repair, and their response was that they no longer have any knowledge or resources to repair that model would be happy to exchange the pen for an equivalent current model at no charge. I didn't take them up on the offer(I ended up finding a specialist in this model pen, which I later realized was quite valuable) but none the less it impressed me that they would stand behind an 80+ year old warranty.

I'm not from the US, but I cannot imagine how this is legal; in most EU jurisdictions, this - to render a warranty void - or insert fresh conditions upon which it can be invoked retroactively, would not be possible.

Perhaps a polite query asking them to clarify whether it is actually legally possible to alter the conditions of a warranty retroactively might be in order?

And ask to confirm that these new terms and conditions apply not just to products released since the changes came into effect, but also whether they seriously expect holders of a product with a "lifetime warranty" to accept that the understood definition of this term - in English, not in Law - now seems to be so peculiarly elastic?

Failing that, I would also consider seeking clarification on whether their current warranties can be depended on, or relied upon, given that further retroactive conditions limiting the application of the warranty might be considered or imposed unilaterally in the future.

 

[bunnspecial]

I'm not from the US, but I cannot imagine how this is legal; in most EU jurisdictions, this - to render a warranty void - or insert fresh conditions upon which it can be invoked retroactively, would not be possible.

Perhaps a polite query asking them to clarify whether it is actually legally possible to alter the conditions of a warranty retroactively might be in order?

And ask to confirm that these new terms and conditions apply not just to products released since the changes came into effect, but also whether they seriously expect holders of a product with a "lifetime warranty" to accept that the understood definition of this term - in English, not in Law - now seems to be so peculiarly elastic?

Failing that, I would also consider seeking clarification on whether their current warranties can be depended on, or relied upon, given that further retroactive conditions limiting the application of the warranty might be considered or imposed unilaterally in the future.

I don't believe that it is legal in the US either.

This was my last message to them-I'm questioning whether or not I will get a response at all. If I can get a clear answer on where their US distributor is located, I'm thinking about a quick message to that state's attorney general. Usually, at the state level, consumer protection is a big deal.

After receiving an email stating the warranty terms(2 years from purchase), I replied with this message:

I’m somewhat confused by your email. When I purchases the pen in 2012, the paperwork explicitly stated “Lifetime Warranty.” It was repaired one other time a few years ago under the lifetime warranty.

Have the terms under which I purchased the pen changed?

The response was

Lamy has changed the terms of their warranty to what was stated in the email.

My last response, which has not been answered

So am I to understand that the warranty under which I purchased the pen will no longer be honored? I am very disappointed as a loyal Lamy customer and will certainly not be purchasing any further products. I was also not aware that it was legal to retroactively change the terms of the warranty at original purchase.

 

[0128672]

In the fine print of the lifetime warranty, is there any language to the effect that the company reserves the right to change the terms?

 

[bunnspecial]

In the fine print of the lifetime warranty, is there any language to the effect that the company reserves the right to change the terms?

I'm looking at a couple of warranty cards from when I bought several Lamy pens around the same time. TBH, I don't know which came with which pen, but it's irrelevant since all cards are identical.

The "fine print" states that they are not liable for repairs from abuse, misuse, etc. and that is it.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

In the fine print of the lifetime warranty, is there any language to the effect that the company reserves the right to change the terms?

They can always change the terms, - which would then apply to products sold after the new terms came into effect (and that is perfectly legal) but - certainly in Europe, to the best of my knowledge - it is not legal for them to change the terms so that they apply retroactively.

@bunnspecial: It is precious on their part to refer back to an email without actually answering the question that was asked of them which is, whether it can be considered legal to seek to change terms & conditions of a "lifetime" warranty so that they apply retroactively.

A quick message to the AG of the state where their distributor is located - seeking clarification on such matters - strikes me as an excellent approach.

 

[bunnspecial]

Here is the full text of the warranty card in the 2000 box(fortunately, I'd folded the receipt up and stuck it in the box also).

I'm afraid, though, that even if they relented and wanted the receipt, I'm afraid to give it to them. After 8 years, it's also badly faded, so likely wouldn't copy/scan well.

 

[Dingster101]

Glad to see this thread revived!

 

[jpn]

i didn't know this thread existed until today.
happy to have found it.

i upload some photos of my daily driver FP, and, a special edition from Parker.

Daily Driver Fountain Pen
Pilot Capless
Had this matte black beauty for about 5 years now.
Not a very special pen, but a workhorse, and is always with me to take business notes and dairy entries.

Parker Duofold Special Edition (Japanese Lacquer)
I obtained these two slightly different special editions from Parker around 2002 or 2003.
Japanese Lacquer. Exquisite colouring. Two, very slightly different designs.
Unused.

 

[firedept]

Here are a few of my daily drivers. They are sterling & lapis lazuli, sterling & onyx, lapis lazuli and chrome. My favorite one is the lapis. Always feels cool to the touch.

 

[cdcastillo]

This thing is a beauty, it is sober, elegant, the size is great, it's really well balanced and its weight feels wonderful on the hand both when removing the cap and when writing. I think it has the smoothest writing of all my pens.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

This thing is a beauty, it is sober, elegant, the size is great, it's really well balanced and its weight feels wonderful on the hand both when removing the cap and when writing. I think it has the smoothest writing of all my pens. View attachment 943185 View attachment 943184 View attachment 943182 View attachment 943183

Simply gorgeous.

Well wear, and enjoy using it.

 

[jpn]

This thing is a beauty, it is sober, elegant, the size is great, it's really well balanced and its weight feels wonderful on the hand both when removing the cap and when writing. I think it has the smoothest writing of all my pens. View attachment 943185 View attachment 943184 View attachment 943182 View attachment 943183

your words are the best to describe this

sober
elegant
wonderful weight for hand feel

thanks.

 

[Chafka]

Useful-but unfortunate-information for US Lamy owners-

I contacted them recently to see about having a cracked section repaired on my 2000, which I bought in 2012 and with a warranty card which explicitly stated "Lifetime." Lamy has been know for a while for having one of the best warranties around, and in the past when I've used them, I just sent it off with a check for return shipping and the pen came back repaired perfectly in a few weeks.

Apparently Lamy USA has decided to retroactively change the terms of the "Lifetime Warranty" and now will only honor the warranty 2 years from the date of purchase.

I'm really disappointed in them, and it looks like I will no longer be a Lamy customer. I'd be fine if they'd changed the terms on new purchases, but to me it's a big deal to not honor the warranty which the pen was sold with.

Oddly, just yesterday I was using my Lamy 2000 and noticed a bunch of ink on my fingers. It is leaking from the dog ears. I have kept this pen up really well and it really should not be doing this. The same thing happened to my previous one and after I sent that one in to them, the threads on the nib came back cross threaded... I have been contemplating selling my 2000 series and going a different direction (love my TWSBI...) I have a rollerball, fountain, and pencil... shame. I feel for you - but then maybe better not to send it in to them...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

This thing is a beauty, it is sober, elegant, the size is great, it's really well balanced and its weight feels wonderful on the hand both when removing the cap and when writing. I think it has the smoothest writing of all my pens. View attachment 943185 View attachment 943184 View attachment 943182 View attachment 943183

Well balanced, - actually, perfectly balanced (so that they feel as though they are an extension of your hand), timeless, classic & elegant are the adjectives that I use to describe my Mont Blanc Meisterstuck pens, as well.

 

[bunnspecial]

Wanted one of these for a while-finally broke down and bought one.

This is my first EF nib, and I'm still getting use to how scratchy it is(even though Japanese F/EFs are usually very good) but I like it for what I bought it for.

I thought the clip placement would take a lot of getting use to, but it really doesn't. Given how tiny the nib is, the clip makes it easy to hold at the correct angle/orientation without having to peer at the tiny nib.

This one was in the same box. Nothing too exotic here other than being a demonstrator, but it also has a nice smooth fine 14K nib(and yes, it's a true fine-easily what a German pen would call EF).

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Wanted one of these for a while-finally broke down and bought one.

This is my first EF nib, and I'm still getting use to how scratchy it is(even though Japanese F/EFs are usually very good) but I like it for what I bought it for.

I thought the clip placement would take a lot of getting use to, but it really doesn't. Given how tiny the nib is, the clip makes it easy to hold at the correct angle/orientation without having to peer at the tiny nib.

View attachment 953462

This one was in the same box. Nothing too exotic here other than being a demonstrator, but it also has a nice smooth fine 14K nib(and yes, it's a true fine-easily what a German pen would call EF).

View attachment 953464

Well wear, and enjoy.

 

[Dingster101]

I’m glad this thread hasn’t died.

 

[bunnspecial]

Something I've run into on the Vanishing Point, which I've been using a lot since yesterday...

It came with a CON-40 converter, which has a specified volume of .4mL. It's a weird design-unlike filling the full length(or most of it) as I'm use to on a typical piston filler pen or converter, it only fills a tiny bottom part of it. The rest contains a metal "strainer" and a couple of glass agitator balls. These are supposed to break surface tension, help the air exchange, and be sure you actually get the full volume of the converter. I don't use many cartridges, but many of the ones I've used(both International and other brands) have a glass bead in them supposedly for the same reason.

.4mL of course doesn't sound like much. A standard international cartridge holds a little under 1mL, and you'll find that a lot of other cartridges hold anywhere from about .8mL to about 1.5mL(give or take a little on each end). Most converters for cartridge pens hold a bit less than the same cartridge, but still something around that amount(I've been known to refill cartridges with a syringe for exactly this reason-not being cheap so much, but to get ink not otherwise available in a compatible cartridge if at all in a pen, but also because it holds more ink than using a converter). Piston fillers are a bit more generous in capacity normally-the Lamy 2000 holds 1.1mL, the Pelikan 200/400 hold 1.2mL, and the MB 146 holds 1.3mL. The larger Pelikans and Mont Blancs often hold a bit more.

Surprisingly enough, though, I have been using this Pilot almost constantly since yesterday, and it went quite a long way before running out. I suspect that it's because the nib is fine enough that it just doesn't use much ink. I certainly went a lot longer than the medium on my MB146 would have.