Kudos to Parker Pens

Originally posted 2006-11-05 03:58:52

I collect pens, a hobby I inherited from my father. In a digital world, I habitually revert to analog paper and ink. Writing with a fine pen provides an exquisite tactile experience that everyone should enjoy. I love fountain pens and roller balls, in that order, and tolerate ballpoints. While I use the Logitech io2 Digital Pen for taking notes, I keep hoping they’ll release at least a roller ball version. A coworker recently returned from Italy and gave me a gorgeous wooden dip fountain pen, which I’ve been using with an inkwell to sign people’s time sheets. My pen habit used to get me in trouble with my spouse, until I told her to think of them as my jewelry, and since then I’ve had no problems with her.

Last September I attended the SD Best Practices Expo in Boston. A mall connected my hotel to the conference center, so I passed a Levenger store at least twice daily. Proud of myself for purchasing only one pen, I bought a gorgeous Parker 100 Diamond Blue Fountain Pen. It has a hooded nib and hearkens back to vintage pens from the ’40s and ’50s like the Parker 51. It looks like this: .

After a few days of usage, I noticed significant scratches on the barrel about where the end of the posted cap rested. Horrors! Inspecting the cap revealed a sharp ring that was scratching the barrel anytime I posted the cap. Sickened, I emailed Parker’s customer support, asking them what they could do. They had me ship them the pen, and I waited to hear back what my recourse could be. Yesterday, they mailed my pen back. They’d replaced both the barrel and the cap, and the new cap was free of a sharp, scratching ring. This was done free of charge. That’s customer service!