Bad Experience With Montblanc Repair Service

[vintagefplover]

Here goes a long story about my bad experience with Montblanc's bad repair service.

Some background, I have to start with 2 shattered 60's Montblanc 149s. I bought them online and bad protection coupled with the bad handling of the courier shattered the pens completely. I had no choice but to send them into Montblanc for repair. (RIP Vintage!) Sorry no photos of the pens. Luckily, the nibs were fine so I expected the repair costs to not exceed their flat rate service level 2, which includes everything but the nib for about USD$100. 

Well here goes the story.

I sent in the 2 pens in separately from 2 different boutiques here in Hong Kong about a month apart because I was forgetful enough to not bring one out once *sigh*. The pens were in similar condition and they were both sent to the central repair centre in Hong Kong. So I expected them to have similar or the same repair costs. The results that came back shocked me!

One of them only costed me USD$100 at flat rate 2, which I was happy to pay. They replaced everything except the nib as expected. I got the pen and it was brand new with my beloved 60s nib. Brilliant. Very happy with this experience. Here was the receipt from that repaired their original diagnosis:

 

The other one wasn't so lucky... It came back a whopping around USD$540! This was absolutely insane. Here is the receipt for that: 

 

Frankly, this was absolutely absurd. The repair quote was wayyy too expensive to be acceptable, I can buy a brand new 149 for that amount! As you can see, the diagnosis and the parts that needed to be replaced were pretty much the same and somehow they decided that charging $440 more for the same repair to be acceptable. It didn't even need to have the nib replaced! I don't want to decline the repair as they will charge me USD$40 just for telling me what is wrong with it (probably in place to force people to fix things). I have sent a letter of complaint to Montblanc's service email and I wish to get a reply soon. So far they have not replied. 

I am very disappointed with this experience and I hope something will be done about it from Montblanc. I will keep you guys updated in case of any reply from Montblanc. 

 

[omarcenaro]

I see what you mean that the pens had similar issues. Can’t wait to read what they say to your email.

 

Current service pricing for reference.

 

[FredRydr]

Why not ask them to simply perform the same service that you had on the first pen?

[vintagefplover]

2 hours ago, FredRydr said:

Why not ask them to simply perform the same service that you had on the first pen?

The pens were sent in from different boutiques, they probably would not have known about the service done on the other pen a month apart. 

 

If I showed them the receipt for the repair done on the other pen at a reasonable price, most likely they would just say that it is dependant on the actual situation of the pen as determined the repair centre. 

[JCC123]

Unfortunately, as you can see from the cost estimate, they comped the replacement parts on the first pen but refused on the second. I guess technically, they didn't have to comp you on anything. Perhaps they saw that you sent in two pens in succession so they decided that you needed to pay for the second since they already comped you on the first?

[JCC123]

5 hours ago, omarcenaro said:

I see what you mean that the pens had similar issues. Can’t wait to read what they say to your email.

 

Current service pricing for reference.

 

I've never heard of people ever getting charged the $69. It's always $99 for the level 1 service. I wonder what the $69 entails? It looks like the color chart points to just the snowcap, feed on the resin models?

 

I have an old rollerball that needs a new inner sleeve as the cap is now loose. I heard that they charge $99 for that which to me is ridicules since it's just a cheap plastic part with brass threads.

[bunnspecial]

I don't disagree that essentially the same service having a greater than 5x increase in cost makes no sense, and that it's against what should fall into a "Tier 2" repair.

 

With that said, I'd still take a step back and look at it. At least in the US, a new 149 is over $900. I don't know if international prices are similar or not, but in the US, $540 is solidly in the 145 pricing tier.

 

By your own admission, you want to save the nibs on these(I don't blame you) which is why you sent them in. Effectively, for your $540, you're getting a new pen fitted with a vintage nib for nearly half the price of a new 149. If someone wanted to customize such a creation themselves, they'd have to buy the new 149 and then pay an independent another hundred dollars or better to fit and set the vintage nib to the new body. Granted at the end of it, you'd be left with a new 18K tri-tone nib, which has significant secondary market value, but probably not $500 worth of it(I'd guess more like $200-300). The other route, then, to get such a pen would still be more expensive.

[maclink]

2 hours ago, JCC123 said:

Unfortunately, as you can see from the cost estimate, they comped the replacement parts on the first pen but refused on the second. I guess technically, they didn't have to comp you on anything. Perhaps they saw that you sent in two pens in succession so they decided that you needed to pay for the second since they already comped you on the first?

I agree with this.

[Seney724]

10 minutes ago, maclink said:

I agree with this.

Agree.  It appears to me that the second pen was processed correctly and the first was a gift from them to you.

From their perspective they are justified in thinking that "No good deed goes unpunished.

[Uncial]

Im not sure how this is a bad experience. You bought two pens second hand and not from the company you then sent them to, expecting to get (effectively) two brand new pens back along with your choice of nib. Amazingly they actually do it for one of your pens and charge you less than half for the second one. I honestly think I'd call that a win myself.

[mizgeorge]

14 hours ago, vintagefplover said:

I bought them online and bad protection coupled with the bad handling of the courier shattered the pens completely. I had no choice but to send them into Montblanc for repair.

Did you not have insurance? Surely for an online purchase, pens of this sort of value should have been shipped with a reputable, insured courier (by a reputable seller) and you should have been covered for any costs involved in repair or have received a refund.

[A Smug Dill]

4 hours ago, bunnspecial said:

I don't disagree that essentially the same service having a greater than 5x increase in cost makes no sense, and that it's against what should fall into a "Tier 2" repair.

 

It doesn't make sense if you only look at the bottom line to ‘yourself’, from the perspective of the customer; but it makes perfect sense once you look at the breakdown quoted. I don't see anywhere in Montblanc's chart that service — which is the intangible part of the offering that it takes time and effort on the part of the company's workforce to deliver — is inclusive of materials (or price/cost of replacement parts).

 

4 hours ago, JCC123 said:

as you can see from the cost estimate, they comped the replacement parts on the first pen but refused on the second. I guess technically, they didn't have to comp you on anything.

 

Exactly. By having separate line items even in the first quote, it means the repair assessment process and results were consistent in both cases, and it was not implied that materials were included or covered by the service charge in the case of the first repair, but simply that the company has, at its sole discretion, chose to waive the charges on four out of five chargeable items. That was not the customer's entitlement in the first instance; and most certainly isn't his/her entitlement in the second instance on account of having experienced and benefitted from it once already.

[vintagefplover]

15 hours ago, JCC123 said:

Unfortunately, as you can see from the cost estimate, they comped the replacement parts on the first pen but refused on the second. I guess technically, they didn't have to comp you on anything. Perhaps they saw that you sent in two pens in succession so they decided that you needed to pay for the second since they already comped you on the first?

I would actually agree with this viewpoint. 
On the other hand, I found that the charges for the individual parts' replacement costs make no sense. I would be fine if they did not comp me on my repair, but I think the prices of the individual parts should be charged on a 'Per-Service tier level' basis. Level one covers the cap top....etc. for $69 then they should charge me $69 for a cap top. Level 2 covers the body and clip, then the clip and body should each be individually charged $100, instead of the $1110HKD ($143USD) for the body and $810HKD ($104USD) for a clip. 

The individual costs make no sense to me.

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, vintagefplover said:

I would be fine if they did not comp me on my repair, but I think the prices of the individual parts should be charged on a 'Per-Service tier level' basis.

 

The service component, irrespective of the tier at which it is charged, does not have any bearing on Montblanc's costs to manufacture and stock a particular replacement part, or the price at which it is charged to the customer. Why should the pen body be considered a material item of the same value as the clip, or that individually it's worth no more than the price of a single lot of the service charge that covers Montblanc's time and effort (including the initial assessment and quoting activity) for the repair?

 

Or, going with your proposed framework, should Montblanc then set the service charge for the tier at the replacement price of the most expensive item, and so you get charged five lots of the replacement item price for the pen cap just to make things nice and simple for you and also ensure Montblanc isn't undercharging you or anyone for the pen cap (if, at its sole discretion, it chooses not to make it complimentary or offer any discount)?

[bunnspecial]

13 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

On 2/27/2021 at 4:05 AM, vintagefplover said:

 

Did you not have insurance? Surely for an online purchase, pens of this sort of value should have been shipped with a reputable, insured courier (by a reputable seller) and you should have been covered for any costs involved in repair or have received a refund.

 

I was wondering this as well.

 

I've paid $400-600 for modern(say mid-70s to now) used 149s. 60s resin models aren't as valuable as celluloid 149s, but the early resin 149s are certainly creeping up in price.

 

Granted I've opted not to file insurance claims before on items because I thought the item was worth "saving" regardless of the damage, and it's been my experience that carriers will sometimes(although I don't know if they do now) want the item after they pay out a claim. It's certainly their right.

[vintagefplover]

40 minutes ago, bunnspecial said:

 

I was wondering this as well.

 

I've paid $400-600 for modern(say mid-70s to now) used 149s. 60s resin models aren't as valuable as celluloid 149s, but the early resin 149s are certainly creeping up in price.

 

Granted I've opted not to file insurance claims before on items because I thought the item was worth "saving" regardless of the damage, and it's been my experience that carriers will sometimes(although I don't know if they do now) want the item after they pay out a claim. It's certainly their right.

The nibs on the pen were certainly gorgeous, flexy 18C nibs... 

I kept them for the reason you have stated, since these nibs are quite hard to come by now. 

[vintagefplover]

57 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

The service component, irrespective of the tier at which it is charged, does not have any bearing on Montblanc's costs to manufacture and stock a particular replacement part, or the price at which it is charged to the customer. Why should the pen body be considered a material item of the same value as the clip, or that individually it's worth no more than the price of a single lot of the service charge that covers Montblanc's time and effort (including the initial assessment and quoting activity) for the repair?

 

Or, going with your proposed framework, should Montblanc then set the service charge for the tier at the replacement price of the most expensive item, and so you get charged five lots of the replacement item price for the pen cap just to make things nice and simple for you and also ensure Montblanc isn't undercharging you or anyone for the pen cap (if, at its sole discretion, it chooses not to make it complimentary or offer any discount)?

I think you are a little mistaken with Montblanc's repair policy. 
Refer to the table that someone has provided. The service level charge includes component replacement+non tangible service fees and workmanship. Montblanc heavily simplifies their repair services to a simple flat fee. The initial assessment and quoting activity charge is only charged if you decline the repair. It is removed if you go for the repair. 

Under each service charge, every component covered under a service level can be replaced for that flat fee under most circumstances. 

[Dione]

19 minutes ago, vintagefplover said:

I think you are a little mistaken with Montblanc's repair policy. 
Refer to the table that someone has provided. The service level charge includes component replacement+non tangible service fees and workmanship. Montblanc heavily simplifies their repair services to a simple flat fee. The initial assessment and quoting activity charge is only charged if you decline the repair. It is removed if you go for the repair. 

Under each service charge, every component covered under a service level can be replaced for that flat fee under most circumstances. 

IMHO you are entirely correct. The Montblanc flat rate service charges include parts and service. They were always designed that way. You should have paid service level two on both pens and to be honest you ought to have queried that 2nd charge straight away. Try emailing one of the CS directors.

[vintagefplover]

13 minutes ago, Dione said:

IMHO you are entirely correct. The Montblanc flat rate service charges include parts and service. They were always designed that way. You should have paid service level two on both pens and to be honest you ought to have queried that 2nd charge straight away. Try emailing one of the CS directors.

Thank you for that, would you have any of the emails for them? I only emailed the general service@montblanc.com email and they haven't replied 2 days later. 

[A Smug Dill]

54 minutes ago, vintagefplover said:

I think you are a little mistaken with Montblanc's repair policy. 
Refer to the table that someone has provided. The service level charge includes component replacement+non tangible service fees and workmanship.

 

While I'd be quite happy to be proven wrong, the fact is I don't see any statement on Montblanc's official service price list (shown above, and I've also downloaded independently through Montblanc's web site) or FAQ to the effect of what you claim. The fact that the company's system and repair assessment process allows staff to charge you separately on the quote for components certainly suggest they are considered separately chargeable items.