Great Customer Service (Poor Communication)

[WillT]

I'm going a bit bonkers trying to deal with Lamy customer service at the moment. I don't like to call them out, but I haven't had any success going through their normal avenues.

 

I have a 2000M, which I love. I bought it on holiday, and it is a really special pen. Undoubtedly the most expensive pen I have. As noted in a thread a week or two ago, the cap recently became quite loose. The classic click disappeared, and the cap is quite loose (the "ears" are still in place, and the metal body works fine with a Makrolon lid, but the Makrolon body gets the same result with the metal lid). I don't feel that confident about carrying it in my pocket. Moreover, it now can spin quite freely on the body, and as the photo shows, it has started to wear a halo onto the brushed finish of the pen body.

 

I emailed customer service, and was told to return it to the shop (it was bought on holiday, making is very difficult) or to take it to a dealer for repair (I did, and was told that they didn't carry spare parts for the 2000M). I've reached out again through replying to customer service by email (no return reply received), by Facebook (told to email customer@lamy.de) and by Twitter (no response). What I'm really looking for is for them to take the pen in for repair of the cap/refinishing of the body.

 

Has anybody had any similar issues? If so, any success in getting it sorted?

[2manypens]

Hi Willt,

 

I'm a newcomer on here and sometimes am a bit shy about giving advice - but what I am totally sure of if Lamy's customer service being 2 things:

A: Top drawer

and B: Old School in the comms department!

 

In my experience I wanted to change a nib in a 2000 and here in the UK there is no one listed as a dealer to do this (unbelieveable really) so I sent it recorded international to Lamy's repair centre :

C. Josef Lamy GmbH
Repair-Center
D-69111 Heidelberg

 

It took them longer to reply to my email about doing this than it took the actual pen to be physically returned to me recorded delivery. The work and postage were all free.

 

The second occasion was a faulty Accent- again - sending direct to Heidelberg with a note led to an immediate turn around: but again no communication other than the pen being sent back post haste.

 

Hope that helps / sets your mind at ease.

 

 

[WillT]

Thanks 2Manypens. What did you include when you sent the pens off apart from the covering note?

[2manypens]

I just put the pen in a box, a covering note (in English) including my phone and email in case they wanted to contact me (they never did). And the return address obviously. That was it really.

 

It felt a bit strange sending them off 'blind' but that was the general advice from other UK users.

[soapytwist]

+1 to 2manypens' suggestion - straight to Heidelberg with it. You won't get any feedback, but my three pens came back about a week later all fixed. They also refinished the makrolon on the two 2000s I sent, so I would imagine they would do the same with your steel one.

[cmeisenzahl]

I'm sorry to hear that. I've only had once interaction with Lamy USA (about 10 years ago, scratchy Al-Star) nib, but it went well. I hope it works out.

[FayeV]

In my experience I wanted to change a nib in a 2000 and here in the UK there is no one listed as a dealer to do this (unbelieveable really) so I sent it recorded international to Lamy's repair centre :

C. Josef Lamy GmbH

Repair-Center

D-69111 Heidelberg

 

 

Thank you for this bit of info. I'm filing it away for future reference in case I need it.

Haven't had any problems with any of my 9 Lamy pens yet, knock on wood.

 

Is this the customer support address for just those in Europe or is it for everyone in the world?

Is there a repair center in the United States?

[WillT]

It has now officially been sent! After the messages on here, and other bits I've read, I decided to take the plunge and sent it registered post with a brief note. I will update when it comes back (dear God, let it come back).

[Bill P]

SINCE CS MOVED TO TEXAS....In my experience the current Lamy USA Customer Support is NOT very good....unresponsive to email and telephone communications...Almost impossible to communicate with.

 

Additionally they have eliminated programs like nib exchange etc...

 

When CS was in Connecticut I thought they were very very good.

 

Best to deal directly with with Lamy Germany.

[WillT]

10 days on: the nervous wait continues.

[Millefleurs]

Subscribing to this thread as I'm very curious to see what the outcome will be. I have an issue with my Lamy 2k leaking and I've emailed customer support numerous times and have yet to receive a response.

[2manypens]

I think the fact you haven't heard back is actually a good thing- they haven't rejected it out of hand.

 

Well I hope so anyway. Or else I'm going to look bad! Really bad.

[ParkerQuink]

Best of luck with your pen! I just ordered my first 2000 and can't wait to receive it- I hope that I don't have any of the quality control issues happen.

[WillT]

I love my 2000. LOVE. IT.

[Blue_Moon]

I love my 2000. LOVE. IT.

 

I take it you received it back, and it writes beyond your wildest expectations.

[WillT]

Alas, it hasn't come back yet. I have a Makrolon 2000 which is a dream. I guess I'm just greedy...

[ingolf]

Hi WillT,

my own experience with the Lamy customer service is quite different to your experience. Maybe it´s because my contact was directly to the German support.

I had an issue with a Lamy Dialog3 (misalignment of the two barrel sections and of the nib). I sent an email to the support asking for help. 3 or 4 hours later I got a phone call from a support respresentitive giving me lots of information how they will care about the issue. I sent my Dialog3 to Lamy on Friday (using the original wooden box of the Dialog3). Next Tuesday I receiced my Dialog3 back with completely new (except for the nib). Furthermore they added a Lamy ballpoint as present. And finally, on Wednesday, I got another phone call from the service asking me if everthing went satisfying for me.

That was my personal "wow-effect" on customer support. For me it was the best support I´ve ever received. In the meanwhile I own two more Lamy fountain pens (Lamy 2000 Makrolon and Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel). They are both beautiful pens and actual all 3 Lamys are my daily pens.

I wish that you will receive your Lamy 2000 back soon, fully repaired and without any issues.

Regards from Stuttgart, Ingolf.

 

P.S.: Currently I own some more pens but the Lamys have an exciting an timeless design. The nib quality is outstanding.

Edited March 21, 2015 by ingolf

[WillT]

Hi Ingolf, your experience is very reassuring. I'm hoping to be able to write a post soon, telling everyone that it has arrived safe and sound and fixed. All fingers and toes crossed.

[ParkerQuink]

Alas, it hasn't come back yet. I have a Makrolon 2000 which is a dream. I guess I'm just greedy...

Which nib widths?

[WillT]

Just got a reply from Lamy telling me that the pen was on its way back - from the repair receipt attached to the email it looks like they are sending a new pen (my German is a little rusty...).

 

ParkerQuink, both my Makrolon and Steel 2000s are EF nibs, which suits me fine (excuse the pun). If I'm writing for myself, it's on nice paper (Rhodia or Leuchtturm, both of which are nice enough for my purposes), but for work it tends to be marking pupils' exercise books, which are usually less than stellar, so a fine line is a must.

 

Mods, is there anyway to change the title of this thread to "Great Customer Service (Poor Communication)"?