Montblanc Nib Replacement

[Seney724]

I am sure this question has been asked before here but I'm not able to find it.

If the answer exists in a recent / up to date thread I will gladly delete my inquiry.

 

As I understand it, if one wishes to have a nib on a new / unused MB FP, MB will do so within six weeks of the original purchase....and one year if a limited edition.

My question is this:  If one has a new and unused MB FP which is either past the six week mark or for which there is no documentation of the actual date of purchase I assume MB will not provide the nib swap on a complimentary basis.  Will they, however, offer the swap at a cost and, if so, does anyone know just how much it would cost to get it done?

[NoType]

16 minutes ago, Seney724 said:

I am sure this question has been asked before here but I'm not able to find it.

If the answer exists in a recent / up to date thread I will gladly delete my inquiry.

 

As I understand it, if one wishes to have a nib on a new / unused MB FP, MB will do so within six weeks of the original purchase....and one year if a limited edition.

My question is this:  If one has a new and unused MB FP which is either past the six week mark or for which there is no documentation of the actual date of purchase I assume MB will not provide the nib swap on a complimentary basis.  Will they, however, offer the swap at a cost and, if so, does anyone know just how much it would cost to get it done?

@Seney724 Your summary and presumption above are all correct.  

 

As to your question, I believe that the cost for a nib exchange varies from roughly $350 to significantly higher, depending on whether it is a nib with a standard or model-specific stamping, but I will confirm price-dependent factors and price range with the local boutique.  (I will also inquire about the availability of O3B for The Origin 149 through the Complimentary Nib Exchange Program, as you asked about in the 100th Anniversary Editions thread.)

[Seney724]

Many thanks @NoType.  I am one of the many here who so very much appreciates your ever present willingness to provide information and to help get questions answered.

[NoType]

2 minutes ago, Seney724 said:

Many thanks

@Seney724 My pleasure.  I hope I will be able to provide a definitive answer today.

[Seney724]

That would be great @NoType.  Thanks so very much.

[NoType]

7 hours ago, Seney724 said:

Will they, however, offer the swap at a cost and, if so, does anyone know just how much it would cost to get it done?

@Seney724 The local boutique manager says that one may pay for a nib exchange, and that there are factors too numerous to mention which affect the price, such as the pen model, whether the pen is part of the currently available standard line, whether the pen is discontinued, how long the pen has been discontinued, whether the pen is a limited edition, whether the nib has a standard stamp, whether the nib has a special stamp, the complexity of the special stamp, what gold is used for the nib, etc, etc.  So one must request the price on a case-by-case basis, and each pen model’s nib exchange will have its own price.

 

The manager did admit that the price for a nib exchange for a standard nib stamp begins at around $280.  But that is for a specific pen model, and a different pen model with a standard nib stamp may have a higher price, especially if the nib size is larger (i.e., a #9 nib with a standard stamp may be more expensive than a #6 nib with a standard stamp).  

 

As an example, The Origin Collection has a special nib stamp that is not considered to be a standard stamp.  The price for a nib exchange for The Origin Collection 149 begins at $700 for the standard range of nib widths, while a nib width not in the standard range will be priced even higher through the Bespoke Nib Program.

[Seney724]

Well @NoType, once again I am greatly indebted to you for acquiring, and providing, exactly what it is I was hoping to learn. 

The very detailed and precise information you have offered is so very deeply appreciated.

The $$ numbers for the Origin Collection are eye watering but make sense, I suppose, given the very limited number of pens, and thus nibs, which were produced.

Many thanks @NoType.

[NoType]

56 minutes ago, Seney724 said:

Well @NoType, once again I am greatly indebted to you for acquiring, and providing, exactly what it is I was hoping to learn. 

The very detailed and precise information you have offered is so very deeply appreciated.

The $$ numbers for the Origin Collection are eye watering but make sense, I suppose, given the very limited number of pens, and thus nibs, which were produced.

Many thanks @NoType.

@Seney724 For someone as gracious as you, it is a greater than usual pleasure for me to try to be of service.  As I am quite detail-oriented, to put it politely, it is in my nature to provide information as complete as possible, and because some may find my approach fatiguing, I am all the happier that that is not the case here.  

 

Yes, I too was slightly taken aback at The Origin 149’s $700 nib exchange price, not having expected the surcharge above the roughly $300 tariff for a standard-stamp nib to be quite that much.  It definitely behooves one to try to utilise the Complimentary Nib Exchange Program for The Origin 149, if at all possible.  (Considerations to scrimp by purchasing a secondhand model or “grey market” offering with an unwanted nib width do not make sense, if one wishes to pay for a nib exchange, unless the pen is discounted substantially more than $700.)

 

The Origin Collection 149 is not a numbered limited edition; however, because its production has been reduced by rumoured manufacturing hiccups and may be restricted for only one year, the model might prove to be relatively scarce.  Thus, as you mentioned, the nib exchange price must be judged in this context.

[dbs]

Montblanc was very nice on nib exchange. If you have a newly released, they normally won't ask for the receipt or warranty stamp. They exchanged my Le petit nib without asking for a receipt.  I thought all US pen companies do so until I encountered Pelikan nightmare.

 

 

[NoType]

26 minutes ago, dbs said:

Montblanc was very nice on nib exchange. If you have a newly released, they normally won't ask for the receipt or warranty stamp. They exchanged my Le petit nib without asking for a receipt.  I thought all US pen companies do so until I encountered Pelikan nightmare.

 

 

@dbs That is wonderful to hear!

 

Unfortunately, several different US boutiques have strictly enforced the six-week-from-purchase nib exchange window for me and required a stamped warranty card confirming date of purchase.  In fact, I was initially denied a nib exchange from five US boutiques which mistakenly applied that six-week window to my Writers Edition Brothers Grimm 9800, which being a numbered limited edition had a one-year window for a complimentary nib exchange.  I had to call the Montblanc 800 service number and the brand ambassador with whom I spoke took it upon themself to phone those five boutiques and correct their misapprehension about the time window for a nib exchange on my Grimm 9800.  

 

One of those boutiques was the local one, and the boutique manager phoned me and apologised for their error.  The manager then reminded me that they would need the stamped warranty booklet to confirm that the pen was purchased within the one-year window for complimentary nib exchanges on numbered limited editions.  I have requested complimentary nib exchanges from this boutique manager for about three dozen pens, and there was not one instance in which the manager did not ask for the stamped warranty booklet.  Each and every time, the warranty booklet was photocopied and then returned to me, and the photocopy was attached to the paperwork that the boutique submitted for the complimentary nib exchange.

 

I presumed all Montblanc boutiques and retailers were this strict about complimentary nib exchanges.  Thus, your narrative comes as a pleasant surprise.

[dbs]

I directly sent pen to Texas service center. In the past, FPH never stamped any of my Montblanc booklet so I do not mail booklet too. But now Texas center is closed so nobody can tell what will happen.

[NoType]

1 hour ago, dbs said:

I directly sent pen to Texas service center. In the past, FPH never stamped any of my Montblanc booklet so I do not mail booklet too. But now Texas center is closed so nobody can tell what will happen.

@dbs Oh, I see.  Yes, times have changed and probably the former casual nib exchange policy with them, sadly.

[como]

@Seney724 Hi hope you are well. As I understand, you should expect the boutique to ask you for proof of purchase when you want to do nib exchange. May I ask what is it that you want out of a new nib? Perhaps you can find a spare, or have a nibmeister to grind it to your liking? It would be cheaper than having to buy a new nib from MB. If you just want MB to adjust your nib, it would be cheaper but then you are really better off to send it to a nibmeister.

[CS388]

Here in the UK, I was quoted £335 for a 149 nib exchange via the Bond Street Boutique (London), 6 weeks ago.

 

No proof of purchase was required, the pen would be sent to Hamburg for the exchange.

 

The pen I was enquiring about was from 1992 and had never been inked, so the nib was pristine - not sure if this had any bearing on the quote?

[Seney724]

9 hours ago, como said:

@Seney724 Hi hope you are well. As I understand, you should expect the boutique to ask you for proof of purchase when you want to do nib exchange. May I ask what is it that you want out of a new nib? Perhaps you can find a spare, or have a nibmeister to grind it to your liking? It would be cheaper than having to buy a new nib from MB. If you just want MB to adjust your nib, it would be cheaper but then you are really better off to send it to a nibmeister.

Hi @como  Thank you for your kind post.  I am well and hope you are, as well.

I posed the question on behalf of a friend who is a non-member.  I would not put myself in that sort of a situation.

I do not mean to be critical of her; she says it was a gift and feels awkward asking for the sales receipt.  Fortunately (or unfortunately) I do not have any acquaintances who gift me a MB FP!!

Thank you for checking and offering your usual sage advice.  Someone will read your post and find the guidance you've offered to be very helpful!

[NoType]

1 hour ago, CS388 said:

Here in the UK, I was quoted £335 for a 149 nib exchange via the Bond Street Boutique (London), 6 weeks ago.

 

No proof of purchase was required, the pen would be sent to Hamburg for the exchange.

 

The pen I was enquiring about was from 1992 and had never been inked, so the nib was pristine - not sure if this had any bearing on the quote?

@CS388 I believe for a nib exchange for which a customer is charged a fee, no proof of purchase is required, similar to if a customer is paying for a repair or service.  It is sufficient for the boutique to know that the pen is a genuine Montblanc.

 

The quoted price seems to fall within the expected range for a #9 nib with standard nib stamping.  As nib exchange prices vary greatly depending on many factors such as pen model, specific nib stamping, etc, it is not unexpected that the price quote for your early ‘90s 149 would be different than for, say, The Origin 149.  

 

One thing that I am fairly confident about is that the pristine condition of your nib did not factor into the quote.  Nib condition is important for complimentary nib exchanges rather than those for which the customer is asked to pay.  At least, that is my understanding.

[CS388]

14 minutes ago, NoType said:

@CS388

One thing that I am fairly confident about is that the pristine condition of your nib did not factor into the quote.  Nib condition is important for complimentary nib exchanges rather than those for which the customer is asked to pay.  At least, that is my understanding.

 

Thanks.

 

In such cases (when the customer is paying) is the original nib returned to the customer? 

This may have some effect on my decision.

[NoType]

23 minutes ago, CS388 said:

 

Thanks.

 

In such cases (when the customer is paying) is the original nib returned to the customer? 

This may have some effect on my decision.

@CS388 I have never arranged for a “paid nib exchange” (for lack of knowledge of the correct term), so I do not write with the benefit of firsthand experience, but I suspect that Montblanc would balk at the prospect of a loose Montblanc nib outside the factory, vulnerable to the mere whims of a loyal customer, the victim of who knows what malfeasance, such as being affixed to an altogether different fountain pen.  
 

Oh, the horror.  

 

So, unfortunately, I expect that Montblanc will not return the original nib to the paying customer, more’s the pity.

 

If anyone has greater understanding of the issue, please correct me.  I would be delighted to be disabused of this presumption.  

[NoType]

1 hour ago, Seney724 said:

Hi @como  Thank you for your kind post.  I am well and hope you are, as well.

I posed the question on behalf of a friend who is a non-member.  I would not put myself in that sort of a situation.

I do not mean to be critical of her; she says it was a gift and feels awkward asking for the sales receipt.  Fortunately (or unfortunately) I do not have any acquaintances who gift me a MB FP!!

Thank you for checking and offering your usual sage advice.  Someone will read your post and find the guidance you've offered to be very helpful!

@Seney724 Ah, I see.  I presumed yours was a hypothetical question the answer for which might help you determine your purchase decision.  I am sorry to hear the predicament of your friend, but at the risk of breaching rules of etiquette, if I were in this situation I would definitely explain to my benefactor the importance of obtaining the original sales receipt.  But, then again, fountain pen enthusiasts oftentimes are looked at askance by what remains of polite, or indeed sane, society.

[Seney724]

9 minutes ago, NoType said:

@Seney724 Ah, I see.  I presumed yours was a hypothetical question the answer for which might help you determine your purchase decision.  I am sorry to hear the predicament of your friend, but at the risk of breaching rules of etiquette, if I were in this situation I would definitely explain to my benefactor the importance of obtaining the original sales receipt.  But, then again, fountain pen enthusiasts oftentimes are looked at askance by what remains of polite, or indeed sane, society.

Hi @NoType  No breaching of any rules of etiquette here!!  I'd do exactly the same.  In fact, when told the purchase is a gift, many stores (perhaps even a MB Boutique) gladly provide a gift receipt.