No warranty service for a few months (April 2022) try again in June

[pitonyak]

I have a large stash of Cross pens and pencils. At least nine of the ball point and one pencil no longer work properly. I finally go around to filling out the warranty form to send ten of these in for service

 

https://www.cross.com/cr_en_us/warranty-service-form

 

For the last few days it has been failing to accept my payment for processing; $10 per pen. I called their support line and they said something about a problem with their web site, try again tomorrow. Well, finally today, there is the following disclaimer: 

 

Quote

Due to COVID-19 related staff shortages we currently have a 12 week wait time for all Warranty Claims. As a result we are not currently accepting any additional warranty claims. Please hold on to your item and contact us in June with your warranty claim via this page.

 

I have been procrastinating for at least six months to send these in, I can wait another few. Last time I sent a pen in for them, they promptly fixed it and returned it. 

 

So, this is not a complaint, just more of a heads-up. Also, some of their parts, refills, and cartridges are getting more difficult to buy. I have been using their ink cartridges in my Cross Fountain pens lately. 

 

I ordered some Monteverde Cross Style Ballpoint Pen Refills (C13) since I was having trouble finding Cross branded refills. I hope I like these, I ordered 20 of them. 

 

[pitonyak]

In July and still not accepting warranty returns. Must be pretty backlogged still! 

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the heads up.

I have a few Cross pens (two Solos -- a bright blue one and a red one -- and a Verve).  The Solos are great pens and I wish that they still made them.

The Verve, OTOH?  Ehhhhhh.  Sometime I'll give that one another shot -- but the two piece nib on the top and bottom of the feed with gaps on the sides of the feed was not exactly the best design on the planet (CERTAINLY not what you'd call "form follows function"); and I'm going to have to try to teach myself to hold the pen further up on the section.  OTOH, it cost me a buck at a thrift store that specializes in arts & crafts stuff -- and the prices I've seen on eBay for Verves are just SCARY.  (At the moment, $30 US and up -- WAY up -- for a rollerball; nearly $90 for the lowest end BP; and $400 and up for the only 2 fountain pens currently listed.... )  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Bill P]

New Cross Warranty....

 

https://www.cross.com/cr_en_us/blog/post/trust-in-the-cross-lifetime-warranty?trk_msg=D48SNG5DQH3KV32JDCG2R2T50K&trk_contact=KLG7DGAKCC66QMUITHGGT6F6LC&trk_sid=L4FEIGPDGQCJKVHIHGUCKREN6O&trk_link=T3BIU004BFV4VDGPU6MG45IT6G&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=READ+THE+BLOG&utm_campaign=Cross+4th+Of+July+Promo-+25%+Off

[A Smug Dill]

20 hours ago, Bill P said:

New Cross Warranty....

Quote

What happens if my defective item is covered by the warranty?

• We’ll send you a code for purchasing a replacement item of equivalent value on cross.com.

 

That sucks. As an owner of two Cross fountain pens (and some other writing instruments, too), I would prefer to put up with delays in Cross finding (directly employed, or transactionally engaged) craftsmen with the requisite skills as well as the materials to complete repairs on my pen; and if that proves impossible or too costly for the company, then replace my pen with the current iteration of the pen model if it is still in production (which may already suck, because I may end up with a pen that was wholly or partly made in China), else substitute it with something that is of equal or better standing in the brand's current product range.

 

By only offering a voucher/code:

• the customer is limited to a single retail channel, and that limitation can only be disadvantageous;
• the customer may end up having to pay for delivery charges when ordering a product on Cross.com, when one would expect the company to wear all delivery charges when replacing an item under warranty; and
• some customers may end up not using that voucher, in which case it would not have cost the company to make good its warranty after all. I'd prefer the company to send a fit replacement, for me to then choose not to use it, and allow it to end up in landfill, etc. while costing Cross in the first place to fulfil its warranty obligations.

[Arklawboy]

On 7/14/2022 at 8:19 AM, Bill P said:

New Cross Warranty....

 

https://www.cross.com/cr_en_us/blog/post/trust-in-the-cross-lifetime-warranty?trk_msg=D48SNG5DQH3KV32JDCG2R2T50K&trk_contact=KLG7DGAKCC66QMUITHGGT6F6LC&trk_sid=L4FEIGPDGQCJKVHIHGUCKREN6O&trk_link=T3BIU004BFV4VDGPU6MG45IT6G&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=READ+THE+BLOG&utm_campaign=Cross+4th+Of+July+Promo-+25%+Off

Many thanks for posting this; I was not aware of the change concerning warranty repairs.

 

It is particularly relevant, as I was about to send in a Century 2000 ballpoint that has an issue that would ordinarily be covered for repair under the warranty. Now, it seems I will have to send it in, expect to receive it back indicating it cannot be repaired, and expect to receive a voucher for a new pen - which, in fairness, should be a Townsend ballpoint owing to the similarities between the two models and the fact that the Century 2000 is no longer available.

 

I see, generally, where Cross is coming from here (although, generally, I don't like it) and I wouldn't necessarily object to this resolution in this instance. However, the real issue is the disappointment for folks who purchased Cross pens, in part, because of the warranty (like me) over the course of many years (like me) who now own unique pens that cannot be serviced by the manufacturer as originally promised and for which there is no current equivalent.

 

Of course, my disappointment in not being able to get a Cross pen repaired by Cross is no slight against the many capable and qualified pen repair folks out there - I'll be looking for one for that Century 2000 - and perhaps they'll see more Cross pens than they are used to, and that will be good for all of us.

[pitonyak]

I have between 10 and 20 (closer to 10). I should probably send them in if they are accepting them now. 

 

For most of them it is simply that I can no longer twist a ball point pen and have it come out. I expect that the lubrication has dried out or something. Might do something crazy like try heating it a bit first just to see if that loosens things up. 

 

[pitonyak]

I sent in 10 Century ball point pens and 1 Century Pencil. They all have the standard problem of not being able to twist and push things in or out of the pen. Four of the pens have a logo on them. Two are sterling silver and 7 are gold filled. I will be interested to see how long this takes and what is returned. 

 

I was tempted to try and fix them myself with one of the Chrome pens that have a problem. Will see what they do with them. If it were just one pen and it was Chrome (read inexpensive) I would have just given it a go, but, I think that it requires a pressure fit and probably special tools to take these apart. 

[JonDoh]

They've been moving toward this for some time.  About a decade ago I sent in a USA made Century rollerball that I'd had for over 25 years for repair and they replaced it with a Chinese model.  I really could have repaired it myself but thought I should let the experts handle it.  They ask if it had sentimental value and I told them it did so they promised to return it.  They didn't return it and when I called to inquire about it the old lady who ran the department was very hateful to me on the phone and told me they couldn't find it.  She said "what do you want it for anyway, we sent you a nice replacement."  Sentimental value I told her and she hung up on me.  

 

I have a gold filled Century I ball point that I really like, but rarely use.  They don't make them anymore and if I have any problems with it there's no voucher that can give me a pen of comparable quality or looks.  Cross has really gone downhill since moving operations to China.  

[JonDoh]

This is how Cross used to be before they outsourced everything.  When I was I was in college many decades ago my wife gave me a cross ballpoint pen for our anniversary.  I loved that pen and carried it with me everywhere.  One day while mowing the lawn it somehow fell out of my pocket and I ran over it with the mower.  It didn't do lot of damage, just putting a crease in the top of the pen.  This was before the internet, so I packaged the pen up and sent it to Cross with a letter explaining how the damage happened and asking them to repair it and let me know how much the repair would be.  I fully expected to pay something since this was my fault.  In short time I got the pen back repaired and in the box was the damaged top that they had returned to me since I had related the pen was an anniversary gift.  To my surprise they told me there was no charge for the repair.  Now that's customer service.  I became a loyal customer buying a variety of pens over the years from different ball points, to fountain pens and rollerballs.  I must have bought over a hundred to give as client gifts at Christmas.  But then they shipped manufacturing to China and the quality went down while the price increased.  They began charging $10 to replace, no longer repairing, pens under the warranty.  BTW, a few years back I saw a manifest from the factory who makes the pens in China and the basic Chrome ball point costs Cross $2.  So, charging the customer $10 they're making money on warranty replacements.  Now it makes sense why they would lay off their repair folks because they can make money not only in selling their pens, but in warranty replacements.  It's really sad what the company has become.

[adamselene]

I have to recalibrate my values, when companies change theirs.