Conid Delivery Time

[challer61]

They can always use the Franklin Christoph system of only having limited number of pens stocked and doing raffles for more desirable models in the future. I don't know why high demand would kill off a business, unless competitors step in with copies.

 

Failure to meet demand and maintain quality is a classic failure of small businesses. The typical pattern is either they pull it off OR scale up lessening what the product was OR don't scale up and people lose interest.

[Intensity]

In my experience with small scale hobby customs in a different hobby, it's not the case that people lose interest. If anything, it heightens interest when a product is made in limited numbers and well-received. It becomes something of a status symbol to own or collect, with high resale value on secondary market.

[A Smug Dill]

... I have to say that I think the good people behind Conid would be appalled at the negativity being expressed here.

Frankly, I have to say I hope the team there would be personally appalled, to see the negativity that the company as a business entity has elicited in spite of having a good product to sell.

 

As some others have been at pains to point out, "we" in the fountain pen user community are not privy to what is actually happening inside the company and/or in terms of its production capability and processes, but if some of the bottlenecks and delays are caused by (say, by way of speculation) third-party suppliers of parts and materials, it's still Conid that has to wear the blame for non-delivery by the individual order's due date, because the company is the entity with which the customer is dealing and to which he/she has paid a non-trivial amount of money for the order.

 

The more personally appalled the managers are by the situation, consequences and reactions from "the community", the more motivated they're likely to be to fix the company's problem — including giving third-party suppliers hell in the capacity of a business-to-business customer, and also taking on different business risks by investing on a small stockpile of third-party parts, materials, and even Builkfiller components prefabricated in-house if the machinery has any idle time while orders are being stuck behind other bottlenecks.

[Bibliophage]

Right now, they have to do one of two things.

 

1) Increase production to meet demand.

2) Lower demand to match production.

 

They also have to have good customer response time. I'm not even saying it has to be 24 hours. A day or two would be fine (work day or two).

 

If they do 1 or 2, they'll survive. If they continue to try to keep the demand going without doing either, which can lead to longer and longer delays, it will kill their reputation.

 

We're not being negative _about Conid itself_. The bulk of the comments that could be said to be negative have been about a pattern of behavior. Not the product, and not the company.

 

As @A Smug Dill said, I also hope that someone at Conid has been pointed to this thread. If they take it to heart, we'll find out more of what's going on, and what is being done to fix the problem. That will help their reputation, as well as keep the several month 'no orders' time period from having a severely negative effect on the brand. If they give milestones and updates, that can even bring in more demand, as people that were dissuaded from ordering come back.

[Mew]

I'm extremely reluctant to weigh in on this thread given the tone of some of the posts, but I have to say that I think the good people behind Conid would be appalled at the negativity being expressed here. From my own experience (which was quite good - my pen took an extra two weeks but the team communicated with me about the delay and my Kingsize Bulkfiller has been one of my most used pens since I received it almost 2 years ago), these are sincere people working incredibly hard to put out a superb product. I, for one, want to do all I can to support their efforts.

Would you do the same with another brand like MontBlanc or Pelikan? I see no reason for the special treatment here.

Delays are not acceptable, irrespective of how good the product is. I am also quite appalled at people ignoring bare facts that other makers, who offer more customisation and have less staff deliver on time whereas Conid fails to do so.

[Mew]

I don't know if this was still true recently, but at one point Conid did allow in more customization, just not through the website (you had to email them to confirm what you wanted was possible before placing the order online). You were still limited to their existing models but I recall seeing different materials, nib housings (e.g., Bock, Jowo, MB, etc), nib customizations, etc (it should also be noted that you don't have to order a nib when you buy a pen, so if you want an OBBB you can provide your own). This isn't the same as a full-bespoke pen but even some custom pen makers have limits on what they allow.

Only thing you can do now is to ask for a different section I.e. ebonite instead of titanium, some other material which is a standard offering, and engraving on the clip. If this is considered customisation then I have to say, Conid has set user expectations and standards quite low.

Irrelevant, since most of the things you mentioned are no longer offered. Offerings thinned, waiting period increased.

But things used to be better earlier. In 2017 I ordered some extra nibs, they shipped it 7 days after the scheduled delivery date. I was quite forgiving at that time because they had the decency to keep me informed.

In my 2018 order of Demonstrator kingsize, I had specifically told them to deliver on time or not accept the order, because it was being received in another country. They delayed by 11 days.

These delays may seem minor, but see what would happen if you delay a project by 11 days at your own workplace. You promise X Date or delivery, you deliver on that, otherwise you keep the product even if it is made and issue a refund. Dont need the pen if there are any delays.

Edited November 21, 2019 by Mew

[Marcwithac]

Would you do the same with another brand like MontBlanc or Pelikan? I see no reason for the special treatment here.

Delays are not acceptable, irrespective of how good the product is. I am also quite appalled at people ignoring bare facts that other makers, who offer more customisation and have less staff deliver on time whereas Conid fails to do so.

 

If you think that’s an apt comparison, then I guess I understand your position. It’s like comparing a bespoke tailor to Brooks Brothers. Maybe Conid should do what certain Japanese pen makers do and tell customers that the wait time is at least a year. Of course, those pen makers charge three times what Conid does...

 

Please feel free to continue your rant. I’ve said my piece and am done with this thread.

[Mew]

If you think that’s an apt comparison, then I guess I understand your position. It’s like comparing a bespoke tailor to Brooks Brothers. Maybe Conid should do what certain Japanese pen makers do and tell customers that the wait time is at least a year. Of course, those pen makers charge three times what Conid does...

 

Please feel free to continue your rant. I’ve said my piece and am done with this thread.

And that’s where you are wrong. Conid is NOT a bespoke pen maker. If they are, then MontBlanc would be one too, consider they make whatever nib width you want under their bespoke nib program.

You are also wrong about Japanese. You get the pen exactly in the time period quoted at the starting and it is not randomly given out like Conid.

And they do charge 3 times of what Conid does, but for 3 times you get a buffalo horn and tortoise shell pen. Or rosewood, or urushi. They offer much more than what Conid does, rather than just some run of the mill bock nib that comes in a 300 euro pen too, and completely different material to boot rather than some ordinary acrylic.

[peroride]

11 pages?

 

Wanted to inject some positivity during the waiting game.

 

Finally got my nib 4 months past due and my wife got her lovely Jonathon Brooks commissioned pen pretty much on a handshake agreement.

 

Good things to those who wait.

 

I've been lucky, reputation matters, whether pens or the people who make them; they have delivered

 

I don't sense any ill will from Conid and I surmise they will continue to produce quality pens and people will buy time.

 

Hopefully we'll see more updates in 2020

 

Peace out and happy new year!

[mongrelnomad]

Mew, we both have long experience with custom makers and with Conid, so I will step in for a second to give my two cents and, I hope, give a counter point to your assertions. As you know, Hakase specifically has one-to-one contact with their clients. The process is far longer than a single click on the website, and as such, it is easier for Ryo to plan accordingly - painstakingly working out the schedule and creating an eerily accurate timetable. By virtue of Ryo being the only cog in the machine, there are also no variables that could affect the production.

Conid, by virtue of being mid-way between a custom manufacturer (as in: they manufacture to order) and a mass maker (as in: they have a limited and set number of model permutations) has the manufacturing process of one with the automated sales system of the other. This appears to have led to mismatch as the popularity grew - an automatic order with little relation to the actual timetable, scale, and possible schedule. As orders increase, so the timetable slips further and, I would hypothesize, that mismatch gets increasingly out of control. Please note, this is all speculation on my part...

Is the result acceptable to the customer? No.
Is it the result of nefariousness on the part of Conid? No.

As I stated before, I know most of the Conid team personally and I trust them entirely - in their good will, their product, and their willingness and desire to make this right - eventually. The halt in orders is a start. Overdue, yes, but better late than never.

I have no problem with people being upset - I would be as well. I do think the level of vitriol is excessive and slightly comical however...

[Joe124013]

And that’s where you are wrong. Conid is NOT a bespoke pen maker. If they are, then MontBlanc would be one too, consider they make whatever nib width you want under their bespoke nib program.

You are also wrong about Japanese. You get the pen exactly in the time period quoted at the starting and it is not randomly given out like Conid.

And they do charge 3 times of what Conid does, but for 3 times you get a buffalo horn and tortoise shell pen. Or rosewood, or urushi. They offer much more than what Conid does, rather than just some run of the mill bock nib that comes in a 300 euro pen too, and completely different material to boot rather than some ordinary acrylic.

If you're gonna knock Conid for using Bock nibs, you have to equally discredit Hakase for using Sailor/Pilot nibs found on pens that are 200 bucks. Or Nakaya for using nibs found on the Platinum 3776 (which is around 150-200). As for offering much more, that's highly subjective. Although the materials you mention may have more value to some, I would hardly call it universal. I actually find a lot of the Hakase pens I've seen quite ugly. Not to mention they don't have the bulkfiller system-I believe they're typically converter cartridge?

 

And as some others have mentioned, I do think the negativity and open concern trolling from some individuals in this thread to be somewhat surprising. Especially those who haven't had any bad dealings with Conid personally (or any dealings whatsoever). I'm all for people who have issues with them stating them. I myself had issues with Pineider and their US distributor that I talked about in a previous thread (and also stated how I'll never buy from either again, at least not knowingly in the distributor's case). But I didn't jump in any thread where someone expressed interest in those pens and complain, nor did I play amateur McKinsey consultant and pretend I know their business and how they can run it better or how it should be ran. The vehemence has been really shocking especially for a brand that previously seemed well regarded.

 

That said, I have noticed a somewhat more willingness for fountain pen buyers (myself included) to maybe put up with things that with other products they may not-especially dealing with nibs. So I can understand the frustration on the part of the customers who have dealt with excessive delays.

Edited November 23, 2019 by Joe124013

[Mew]

If you're gonna knock Conid for using Bock nibs, you have to equally discredit Hakase for using Sailor/Pilot nibs found on pens that are 200 bucks. Or Nakaya for using nibs found on the Platinum 3776 (which is around 150-200). As for offering much more, that's highly subjective. Although the materials you mention may have more value to some, I would hardly call it universal. I actually find a lot of the Hakase pens I've seen quite ugly. Not to mention they don't have the bulkfiller system-I believe they're typically converter cartridge?

 

 

Nibs - how many pen use pilot nibs outside of pilot and Hakase? Probably none. How many pens use bock nibs outside of Conid, too many to count.

 

Filling system - cartridge Convertor, yes, Hakase uses that. Hard to use anything other than that with natural materials. Would you be able to incorporate a piston filler with wood? Or tortoiseshell and buffalo horn?

As for the bulkfiller, main USP is the ink capacity and perhaps the reliability. If I want ink capacity, several Japanese eyedroppers hold more ink. With the shut-off valve, they dont leak either.

 

My point with the posts above is: you are machining literally everything, and yet not delivering the product on time, with little communication on delays. On the other hand, another maker is hand turning everything (except nib, outsourced), no other employees to work with, and yet manages to deliver in time, with outstanding communication to boot.

And no, side gig is not an excuse. You may start a part time work, but with clients the expectations will remain the same as that from someone fully engaged in it. Great product, communication and timely delivery.

As for myself, my previous order was 12 days overdue with no communication. I had to email to ask what is the status and why it hasnt been shipped. From what I can make out from the replies, things were worse now.

[JRWhite]

Quick question for Conid owners who have received their orders in the past 4-6 months: Did Conid notify you when they were ready to ship your order?

 

I found one suggestion in this thread that they do, but I'd like something more concrete. I ordered mine July 22nd. Still waiting. So it goes. I have other pens to get me through the wait, and I have no reason to doubt the pen will arrive eventually.

[como]

I ordered mine in May and the pen was delivered almost 5 months later, in October, about two months delay. They sent email the day they shipped it, and I also got a message from courier on the same day confirming package coming.

Quick question for Conid owners who have received their orders in the past 4-6 months: Did Conid notify you when they were ready to ship your order?

 

I found one suggestion in this thread that they do, but I'd like something more concrete. I ordered mine July 22nd. Still waiting. So it goes. I have other pens to get me through the wait, and I have no reason to doubt the pen will arrive eventually.

[JRWhite]

Thanks, Como. That's helpful. I guess I'm likely looking at the end of December if not longer.

[silverlifter]

Before your order ships, they email you with a photo of the pen (and any additional parts, etc) and the writing test sheet (if you ordered a nib). The pen arrives a couple of days after that.

[inkypinkies]

Just curious if anyone has had any experience recently.

Just curious how long others have waited. For reference, I ordered in late July.

Edited January 22, 2020 by inkypinkies

[Karmachanic]

Cancelled my order after five months. When they get back into production, and can deliver a pen in a reasonable time I'll try again.

[penzel_washinkton]

Cancelled my order after five months. When they get back into production, and can deliver a pen in a reasonable time I'll try again.

Wait... Weren't you the one who told other buyers to be patient with their Conid purchase?

Remembered a bit about the swaying bamboo or something.

[Karmachanic]

Wait... Weren't you the one who told other buyers to be patient with their Conid purchase?

Remembered a bit about the swaying bamboo or something.

 

Yes that was/is me. As pointed out above I'm still being patient, in that I'll purchase at a later date. So no contradiction. In the interim I'll put those monetary units to use elsewhere.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Karmachanic