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Hey there, I was inspired by similar posts on this forum to start this discussion. Note that I never intend to defame or insult the store, or any party involved it's just a rant. Hope you guys don't mind sharing your experiences as I found this to be therapeutic. Hopefully we can get it out of our system and perhaps get a good laugh out of it. Sorry for the long post and the writing is not my finest work. I was deciding on a gold nib FP and hoped for a recommendation on which next level pen to get so I checked out a supposedly highly reputable FP store in my area which shall not be named. I was looking to try out a Pilot Custom 74 and Platinum 3776 B nib to get a feel of the pens, how they write and purchase it if I'm very satisfied. I looked around the store before stopping at the Pilot display and asked the staff for help which he obliged. I could tell he was eyeing me with suspicion and was convinced I'm merely window shopping. I asked to have a look at a transparent Custom 74 with B nib and when I asked to try writing with it, he refused unless I paid for the pen first and proceeded to give a lecture on "preserving the new-ness of fountain pens" and it would be like buying a car where test driving would devalue it. I was dumbfounded by this man's logic thinking who in their right mind buys a car without testing it out first. Instead I asked if 14k nibs is indeed thicker than steel nibs he rebuked and told me to find out online while insisting that the Custom 74 has a steel nib. I corrected him that it was rhodium-plated which gave it a silvery look but he wasn't having it and took out some Sailor 1911 with gold-plated nibs insisting that's what gold nibs look like. He then attempted to promote the 1911 and Pro Gear since I was interested in gold nibs. The last straw was when I took out a Lamy B nib writing sample to compare with the 1911 display plate which has EF to Music nib thickness, he commented "wow I never thought Lamy stubs are that thick". I left the store immediately and did the most sensible thing; left a two star rating out of kindness and a 'written' review on google. It's a pity I'll miss out on what the store has to offer but I definitely won't miss that clueless man working there.