Montblanc Season's Greetings

[milkpowder]

I got a bottle of this and it's an absolutely beautiful brown with a pleasant smell (IMO:D) It writes well with my pens.

[georges zaslavsky]

very original color.

[Tricia]

This ink is currently in my Pelikan White Tortoise. Perfect match.

 

I reach for it more often than I thought I would. It's a beautiful color on Clairefontaine paper, and I love to write with scented ink.

[Nibble]

I thought I should add that this was written with my Montblanc 149 with custom cursive italic nib.  (Strange, after using the Mikado for the last week, the MB 149 seemed a little small in my hand!)

 

Bryan

Bryan

 

I know this is getting off the subject, but your handwriting with a cursive italic is so excellent that I wondered what nib you have on your Mikado. (I really want one!)

 

Back on the subject... I have some Herbin "Ink for Man" Encre classique parfumée. I never quite have the nerve to use it. I think the MB may be a better bet next Christmas.

 

Stephen

[Tricia]

Just a quick update: I had written a line with the MB Season's Greetings on a paper with other samples and then ran it under water to see what survived and what didn't. I rinsed and rubbed until the paper started to disintegrate (not an overnight soak).

 

To my surprise, there was a very readable residual dark gray line from the SG's. The brown color was gone, but what was left was readable enough, to my eye, at least, to recover what had been written if I ever spilled something on a page written in it. Nice to know, imo.

[PAKMAN]

For Christmas I got a bottle of the Mont Blanc Seasons Greetings and a new Pelikan Grand Place pen. What a great combination, haven't had it out of my pocket since then! Great color brown, flows well from this pen and smells great to boot!

Edited March 25, 2007 by pakmanpony

[SamCapote]

MB still has the 2005 & 2006 Holiday inks listed in their catalog, and I confirmed this by phone after buying one of each over the weekend.

[mr goldfink]

MB still has the 2005 & 2006 Holiday inks listed in their catalog, and I confirmed this by phone after buying one of each over the weekend.

 

 

That might be the case but it is only available to US buyers. I e-mailed Montblanc customer services and made a request for 6 bottles advising I was happy to pay whatever postage charges they demand. After a very long wait I received a poorly written reply from customer services advising me that unfortunately they can't help me, as they only supply online to the US! However, their London branch who they copied into their reply would be able to help me. Of course I never heard from their London branch and my follow up correspondence to Montblanc went unanswered.

 

This has SERIOUSLY put me off Montblanc. I am a huge fan of vintage MB but after this service deficit I will be avoiding modern Montblanc accessories and products ! This frankly awful service is NOT what you expect of a luxury goods provider.

[Nibble]

...However, their London branch who they copied into their reply would be able to help me. Of course I never heard from their London branch and my follow up correspondence to Montblanc went unanswered.

 

This has SERIOUSLY put me off Montblanc. I am a huge fan of vintage MB but after this service deficit I will be avoiding modern Montblanc accessories and products !

I know they had some in the Bond Street store about six weeks ago as I bought some there. I would be tempted to give them a phonecall. If you have no luck pm me. When I am next in London I would be happy to call in and buy some bottles.

BTW have you tried either the Selfridges or the Harrods pen counters?

 

This frankly awful service is NOT what you expect of a luxury goods provider.

I'm afraid it is.

[mr goldfink]

...However, their London branch who they copied into their reply would be able to help me. Of course I never heard from their London branch and my follow up correspondence to Montblanc went unanswered.

 

This has SERIOUSLY put me off Montblanc. I am a huge fan of vintage MB but after this service deficit I will be avoiding modern Montblanc accessories and products !

I know they had some in the Bond Street store about six weeks ago as I bought some there. I would be tempted to give them a phonecall. If you have no luck pm me. When I am next in London I would be happy to call in and buy some bottles.

BTW have you tried either the Selfridges or the Harrods pen counters?

 

This frankly awful service is NOT what you expect of a luxury goods provider.

I'm afraid it is.

 

Hi Nibble - I tried the Bond Street boutique but they didn't have any of the 2005 bottles left (with black tops). If you could get your hands on some I would be most obliged to take 3 bottles off your hands! Did you know there is now cherry red limited edition season greetings ink for sale. I picked up a bottle that day.

 

On the topic of service at the Montblanc store - One girl working there that day was somewhat helpful but the others were at best indifferent. The helpful girl was about to call another branch to see if they had any (at my suggestion that another store just might have some)when the manager rebuked her and said it was 'unlikely as inks go off and with that ink being so old they would have gone off by now'. I then had to ask for the number and I called them myself right there and then from my mobile to show up this infuriating and horrid woman. She didn't even blink or appreciate just how rude she had been even when other customers looked at her with obvious disdain for the way she had behaved. And I had just spent £50 on accessories so it was not as if I fitted into the category of window shopper.

 

I know if this had been me treating a customer with such discourtesy I would have soon realised my idiocy, apologised and phoned every damn sore in London to help the customer! I suspect this is a London thing but service is everything and the right staff should be employed - God knows these guys have enough money to be able to recruit enthusiastic, helpful and professional staff who know how to treat customers right!

 

I hope someone with sense at Montblanc reads this and appreciates just how rubbish their service is and what a bad name they are giving themselves. Montblanc service = Bad JOKE !

Edited October 11, 2007 by mr goldfink

[encremental]

I bought the red (is this the 2007 ink, then?), together with the 2006 brown and a bottle of Violet yesterday afternoon at the Bond St store.

 

To me, the red smells of vanilla and looks like a slightly cooler version of Noodler's Antietam. A very classy colour - quite saturated for a MB ink, and with little or no shading, and as nice in its way as the ink under discussion.I would call it oxblood - I used to have some shoes almost the same colour! Hmmm maybe oxblood isn't that festive a name.....

 

The staff were quite perfectly pleasant, BTW (maybe they'd just sold a load of belts and silver plated money clips on commission) .

 

John

Edited October 13, 2007 by encremental

[sam]

...I would call it oxblood - I used to have some shoes almost the same colour! Hmmm maybe oxblood isn't that festive a name.....

 

John

hm, maybe it could be(?) :hmm1: ...

in some cultures and in ancient times,

where they have animal sacrifice...

...

 

[mr goldfink]

"The staff were quite perfectly pleasant, BTW"

 

Though I bet they couldn't even tell you what scent the ink is as they know nothing about the items they sell. Seriously they seemed utterly clueless to me.

 

"(maybe they'd just sold a load of belts and silver plated money clips on commission)."

 

Hopefully not to you!! LOL

Edited October 13, 2007 by mr goldfink

[PAKMAN]

Ooooh a vanilla smelling red seasons greeting MB ink???? Got to have some of that!! I love the Brown, and have the Love letter that smells like roses.

 

 

[encremental]

Well, mr goldfink - odd you should say that, because the only reason that I found myself in Bond St was that the girl at the Montblanc concession in Selfidges denied that the violet ink even existed.

 

'Who has this ink?' she asked, suspiciously.

'The rest of the world' I replied, ever the one for drama. 'Or at least I've read that they have it in Bond St' (giving the Violet ink thread a subtle plug, you'll notice)

'Excuse me sir, I'll just make a phone call....'

I looked at the belts for a bit then she came back and shamefacedly had to admit that I was right.

'They never tell me anything, she said sadly, 'and Selfridges supply all the stock'. (???)

 

No, I resisted the bracelets and clips - I don't really like clothes and accessories with brand advertising. And Bond Street is all a bit like that now. It used to have an interesting mix of old shops and galleries, but it's now more just airport shopping.

 

pakmanpony - the vanilla smells a bit cheap, actually. Not as good as the cinnamon scent of the brown ink. I'm coming to think that scented ink generally has limitations.

 

sam - I've got it - how about they call it Reindeer Blood !!! What could be more festive than that?

 

John

 

 

[mr goldfink]

Well, mr goldfink - odd you should say that, because the only reason that I found myself in Bond St was that the girl at the Montblanc concession in Selfidges denied that the violet ink even existed.

 

'Who has this ink?' she asked, suspiciously.

'The rest of the world' I replied, ever the one for drama. 'Or at least I've read that they have it in Bond St' (giving the Violet ink thread a subtle plug, you'll notice)

'Excuse me sir, I'll just make a phone call....'

I looked at the belts for a bit then she came back and shamefacedly had to admit that I was right.

'They never tell me anything, she said sadly, 'and Selfridges supply all the stock'. (???)

 

No, I resisted the bracelets and clips - I don't really like clothes and accessories with brand advertising. And Bond Street is all a bit like that now. It used to have an interesting mix of old shops and galleries, but it's now more just airport shopping.

 

pakmanpony - the vanilla smells a bit cheap, actually. Not as good as the cinnamon scent of the brown ink. I'm coming to think that scented ink generally has limitations.

 

sam - I've got it - how about they call it Reindeer Blood !!! What could be more festive than that?

John

 

Hi John- Firstly, can I say I am so glad you resisted the urge to buy grossly overpriced brand toting accessories. These should be the preserve of tourists from far away who have too much money and poor taste who just want a keepsake of their time abroad.

 

Honestly speaking I think the staff at Selfridges are the densest I have met anywhere on this planet, which is such a shame as it is such a spectacular dept. store architecturally and aesthetically. The memory that sticks with me is the chap at one of the cufflinks concessions who apologised for the reflections on a cufflink inlaid with an irridescent stone - he explained that the dazzle was from the fluorescent lighting and that the stone would be black outside the shop. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the shine came from the stone itself and that this was the whole purpose of using this particular stone.

 

This is one of many howlers I have had to brace through on my visits to Selfridges over the years. I find it a bit depressing to meet such dense people really but such is life. But at least the girl who served you did make an effort and called to enquire about the Violet ink - I ddn't get the same service from Montblanc even after quite unsubtle pique from me at their very poor service.

 

Azad

Edited October 14, 2007 by mr goldfink

[Rasputin]

Okay, I received my "Season's Greetings, 05" today. My 12 yr old said it smelled like cinnamon. I said, "How about cookies and spice?" "Yes" he agreed. Then I asked, "How about licorice?" "Definitely, that's it." I also had to agree. It writes a nice brown but no "Christmas" scent. I guess I'll wait on getting the other tiny $18 bottles.

[mr goldfink]

Okay, I received my "Season's Greetings, 05" today. My 12 yr old said it smelled like cinnamon. I said, "How about cookies and spice?" "Yes" he agreed. Then I asked, "How about licorice?" "Definitely, that's it." I also had to agree. It writes a nice brown but no "Christmas" scent. I guess I'll wait on getting the other tiny $18 bottles.

 

Are you sure it isn't the 06 bottle you have received as it is supposed to smell of cinammon! The 05 is cookies and spice.

For info the 05 bottle top is black and the 06 top is silver...

[Rasputin]

 

"Are you sure it isn't the 06 bottle you have received as it is supposed to smell of cinammon! The 05 is cookies and spice.

For info the 05 bottle top is black and the 06 top is silver..."

 

 

Nope. Black top and definite licorice scent. (although the ladies at the bank now want to smell more scented inks...they all think it's licorice, too!)

Edited October 19, 2007 by Rasputin

[mr goldfink]

"Are you sure it isn't the 06 bottle you have received as it is supposed to smell of cinammon! The 05 is cookies and spice.

For info the 05 bottle top is black and the 06 top is silver..."

 

 

Nope. Black top and definite licorice scent. (although the ladies at the bank now want to smell more scented inks...they all think it's licorice, too!)

 

sounds to me like you've pulled!