Montblanc

I’m still angry, y’all. It’s been three years and I’m still hot under the collar. I had in my possession a pristine-​looking, vintage Montblanc pen, found among my father’s personal effects, since 1994. The pen was heavy in the hand, made of a very dense, very black-​colored plastic (I’d imagine), the likes of which don’t seem to be used in making contemporary Montblancs. –more on that in a moment. The pen was made to fit in the hand, with a ridged-​motif running along the length of the pen. Had I been savvy enough to take a photo of the pen before letting Montblanc Canary Wharf take it, I would have posted it here for you to view.
I had taken the pen into this shop as it had not been functioning for some years. Bear in mind that when I received the pen there was no Montblanc store in No. California, where I lived. There was also no internet. I had no real way of finding a store that would service the pen back then. So I waited and waited and finally, sort of, forgot about the pen, leaving it in my desk drawer for years without much thought. Moving to LDN in 2011 meant that I could finally have the pen serviced. I brought my pen in and a clerk told me that it would appear that there would need to be extensive work done as the interior of the pen had corroded. However, she stressed, she did not really know to extent to which the pen needed to be serviced as that was not her forte. The pen, she said, would need to be sent away for inspection. I told her that I wanted to be told of what work needed to be done before I gave my consent. I had stressed that if the work would be deemed too great, then I’d not have anything done at this time. She assured me that the initial assessment (costing £20) would be just that and that the pen would be returned to the shop with suggested repairs that I could then give consent to having be completed. I was given a copy of the order and told I’d be called when the pen inspection was completed. Again, this was to be prior to any work done. Instead, I was called some weeks later and told that my pen had been repaired and I was told I could come in and pick it up. My assured initial inspection became a full-​on unauthorized ‘pen swap’. Not only was I presented with an entirely new pen (made with lightweight plastic and sans none of the original design that had been apart of my pen) I was presented with a £60 repair bill. Again, instead of determining what work needed to be done on the pen and verified by me before any work was to be completed — mind you, this was all marked on the invoice – I was presented with NOT MY PEN. The casing was entirely modern, felt extremely light in the hand, and came with computerized-​looking bar-​code emblazoned on the pen’s cap. I was mortified and confused. The only original bit on this new pen, I was told, was the nib. I paid the sixty quid and left, but not before explaining that I was upset at what had transpired. My upset was met with cool apologies, but the situation was not rectified. Honestly, I should have raised a stink, but I was in shock. The icing on the cake was when the clerk helping me tried to sell me ink and other attendant pen products. Way to ‘up sell’ someone who’s actually quite upset at having had her father’s vintage pen taken and replaced with another. Either she was quite slick or really unclear as to the gravity of the situation. Regardless, I thought her behavior was bad form.
The folk who work on pens at Montblanc, in essence, stole my pen and replaced it with an inferior product and I was gullible enough to let them. The lesson here is DO NOT let Montblanc work on your vintage pens. (Find a master craftsman whom you trust. I know that that is easier said then done.) If you do let MB perform repairs, then document your pen with photos, so that if they do try to give you back a pen that isn’t yours, you’ll have some proof showing that very fact.
9. Sept.: I just had an informative conversation with an SF Montblanc employee. Pens sent for repair from No. Cal go to Texas. Estimate on repair job is initially determined & customer consent is needed prior to work being completed. I was also told that the integrity of pen would be respected, i.e., a corroded pen would have its interior bits removed while the original pen casing would be kept. A pen would be sent to DE (where my pen had been ‘repaired’), if replacement vintage parts were required. ‘They have all parts dating back 90 years’. That’s right, they do. Nice racket, Montblanc!

Montblanc is a luxury boutique that adds a hint of glamour and sophistication to your office attire. Its celebrity representatives include the screen goddess Uma Thurman. They specialise in corporate sophistication and carry sunglasses, jewellery, leather bags, watches, fragrances, and pens. All of their collection is extremely pricey, but probably a good place to go for gifts if you are married to a CEO. The products are quite nice but basic at the same time, it is not the most dynamic brand in this price range.