How is your experience with Fahrney's Pens ?

[mstone]

I am going to be in DC next month, and I was thinking about stopping by. There are no fountain pen stores in Cleveland, so everything I buy has a shipping charge associated with it.

Well, Cleveland has a much better selection of hatters--and it's a lot easier to buy a pen on the internet than a hat.

[psfred]

My experience a couple years ago with them was fine -- I think I had Emile, too -- talked about using fine nibs as I was signing the credit card slip with my Parker "51". They don't carry Noodler's inks, though, but do have Private Reserve. In-store serivce for all the pens they have, but the guy who did the vintage pens has retired, I think.

 

I guess you take your chances for in store service, but I've not heard anything bad about mail order.

 

Peter

[njpen]

Stopped in a few months ago and found the staff to be somewhat rude. I was (and still am) on the search for a B&M store that I can use reliably and support them since they seem to be going the way of the dino. Unfortunately for Fahrney's they won't be it.

 

I had a similar experience where I went into the store to find a staff that didn't seem very interested in helping me. I was very upfront and explained what I wanted but the sales person didn't seem to really care about my restrictions/thought that they were a little too restrictive. Although I wasn't the only one in the store, they seemed very cold and I didn't appreciate that.

[Doug C]

Fahrney's has cornered the market in downtown D.C. Some stationery stores have small sections, but they are shadows of Fahrney's selection. Fahrney's is not a gigantic store - it is one of those long narrow stores so many cities have. They have more selection than they have room to put out, though they do carry all of the major brands and offer a good selection of each. Their service is spotty - one day great and the next a bit cold. Their ink selection is a bit small for my taste. Their prices are all over the place. Most pens are discounted but not as much as you can find on the deepest discounting web places. One the other hand they have several sales every year they knock down their prices on selected pens to well below the best prices you will find anywhere on the net. You just have to wait for these and hope the pen you want is on sale. Also a few times a year they bring in sales reps from all of the big pen makers and you can spend time talking with them one on one which I think is remarkable.

 

 

I just purchased one of the Visconti roll top cases from them yesterday at an exceptional price (List is $350, and I paid $98). This is one of those sales are you are referring to. I also bought a close out Divina Desert Springs from them two or three months ago, but when I got it I found that the burlwood box had been replaced by a standard Visconti faux lizard box.

 

Luckily, I found that Bryant (Pentime.net) had the pen with the fancier case and beat the price by $50. A no brainer, and I got to experience Bryant's wonderful level of service. I promptly returned the one that came from Fahrneys with no problem.

 

As long as you know what you're looking for, I think they are fine.

 

[montblancdude]

Sorry, I'm here in Oz and Farneys can kiss my proverbial. Bought 3 pens at $1000 bucks. One of them any idiot could have seen was faulty. Second one, totally misrepresented in the their pics and thirdly told me it was $100 extra for a Namiki Sterling silver dragon than a Hawk. (wrong, there was no reason given.) For me it's FPHospital. Lastly, Joon knobbed me around with my credit card so they're off the list too. Best o/s service, Pensinasia.

Thanks

 

I'm an FPH fan too! Great service!

[goodguy]

I'm an FPH fan too! Great service!

I hear you on FPH but the Faulkner's price was simply higher there.

[JonDoh]

Fahrney's has pretty good prices but rude customer service. As long as you never need to return anything you'll be fine buying from them. Like many others have said FPH can't be beat. But nibmeisters like Richard Bender and John Mottishaw simply can't be beat in my book. By ordering from them you are virtually guaranteed to receive a pen ready to write and problem free. Both have great prices with the only downside being they don't offer as big a variety as the aforementioned superstores.

[SueEllen]

In person, bad and indifferent to rude lack of service, but then, I stopped going there years ago (worked across the street, so this was not a one-time bad experience). In the old days, before it moved to its F St. location, nice, old-timey atmosphere. But that is going back decades, when D.C. still had some established, small city shops.

 

--but it all seems to depend, as there have been lots of comments on Fahrney's posted before and, while the edge goes to the bad service, some people have had good service and long-time relationships there.

 

+1 for your comments, lefty928. Went there on a Friday afternoon, was pretty much ignored by the sales staff. And I was the only customer in the store at the time. Next time I was in D. C., went to Bertram's Inkwell. Had a much better experience. Found out I can almost always get my purchases for less from an online store. So I won't be going back to Fahrney's.

 

 

I had a really similar experience. I was on vacation in DC and I'd never been in a physical brick and mortar store, so I decided to look around and maybe ask some questions. When I went in, I was the only customer in the store. There were a bunch of employees in the back talking and they kind of glared at me as I walked through the door. Nobody greeted me and I had to get someone's attention by myself. I asked a question about one of the pens I saw in the display and got a really snippy "Well, that's a fountain pen. Have you ever seen one before?" After that, I just walked out of the store. Maybe the lady was having a bad day or something but I will not be shopping there ever again. I don't know, maybe its because I'm young?

 

Inexcusable. Absolutely inexcusable. If you have time and feel kindly, you could write the manager to describe this treatment. I'm hoping the manager/owner will care enough to clean house. I will absolutely not do business with any store that treats teenagers, tourists-- or anyone-- badly. Fahrney's has just made my list of NEVERS. Even if you had no idea what a fountain pen was, they could have taken a minute out of their busy schedule of chatting to teach you some basics and ask what kinds of things you like. I would think that Fountain Pen stores should be eager to "grow" customers. It takes only a little encouragement to instill a lifelong love of beautiful writing, and a single instance of snotty condescension to earn a bad reputation for a store.

[Breck]

As promised, here's my quick evaluation of a trip to Fahrney's Pens:

 

I just went this afternoon (my last day of my visit to DC), and though I was dressed in tourist garb (ball cap, Birkenstoks, shorts and polo) that was a bit sweaty from walking around in the late July heat, I was greeted enthusiastically by two of the staff who were struggling to describe an ink color to someone by phone and were happy to have an impartial eye.

 

They left me alone to browse after that, but were happy to assist me with my purchase or a leather 12-pen case and small bottle of Amodex and let me look at a Pelikan M800 fountain pen (high on my very short list of modern pens).

 

Anyway, I wasn't overwhelmed by a feeling of warmth, nor was I put off by any cold reception. The atmosphere is a bit stuffy, but not much more so than you'd expect at any luxury goods store.

 

This was my first brick-and-mortar store experience, and it was fine. Not lousy, not great. If anything, I'll probably stick with Market Place, eBay, and pen show purchases in the future just because I prefer a more casual environment.

 

 

 

Also, it's too bad Fahrney's doesn't stock any vintage pens, but whaddayagonnado?

[Pinmin]

Sorry, I'm here in Oz and Farneys can kiss my proverbial. Bought 3 pens at $1000 bucks. One of them any idiot could have seen was faulty. Second one, totally misrepresented in the their pics and thirdly told me it was $100 extra for a Namiki Sterling silver dragon than a Hawk. (wrong, there was no reason given.) For me it's FPHospital. Lastly, Joon knobbed me around with my credit card so they're off the list too. Best o/s service, Pensinasia.

Thanks

There are some good merchants out there, but if one considers price, customer service, guarantee (from the owners), integrity, selection/product availability...FPH is #1. And it is a business fact that they are the larget seller of fine writing instuments by far, in the USA. For every complaint there are at least 1000 satisfied customers, I'm one of them for 18 years or so. This could get me a free scratch pad so FPH, you listenin'?

 

[Pinmin]

Just bought a pen from Fahrney's Pens and I wonder how is your buying experience with them ?

 

There are some good merchants out there, but if one considers price, customer service, guarantee (from the owners), integrity, selection/product availability...FPH is #1. And it is a business fact that they are the larget seller of fine writing instuments by far, in the USA. For every complaint there are at least 1000 satisfied customers, I'm one of them for 18 years or so. This could get me a free scratch pad so FPH, you listenin'?

 

[Toll]

I work in DC and I stop by Fahrney's a few times each year -- in fact, I plan to go there tomorrow because of their warehouse inventory sale. My experience is mixed -- it doesn't seem like the sales staff is all that intertested in pens or glad to be helping you. I find the staff at Bertrams (White Flint Mall, Bethesda, MD) to be far more pleasant. All that being said, I have also ordered from the Fahrney's catalog and had very prompt shipping.

[solaris]

The shop is great. The prices are not that great.

I've been to that shop several times and every single time the staff made me feel that I was interrupting them or asking stupid questions. They surely look and act as if they always wave something else much more interesting to do that talking to you.

Seems that dealing with them through the webshop is smoother.

[Erik Dalton]

I've bought a good half dozen pens from them over the years. If they have the pen in stock and the price is right then they are an option.

My first choices are Goulet, Fountain Pen Hospital, Goldspot and of course eBay.

[EricTheRed]

Great selection and generally high prices. Sometimes their sales items are a good deal. I have bought a dozen or so pens plus paper and ink from them over the years.

[jchch1950]

I have buy many pens since the 80's , by mail or in the store.Very good service and personal care for particular needs.