My beautiful red pen was a birthday gift in six or seven years ago. It fits perfectly in my hand, the ink flows beautifully, and it just ‘feels’ good to write with.
Sadly, I’ve had it repaired three times.
Most people would throw away a pen that broke, but I couldn’t imagine ever throwing this fabulous pen away.
There is a weakness on the barrel where there is a very fine segmented metal band that has three little bends that step into the barrel material. These provide a spring-like resistance that keeps the cap in place when the pen is not in use. But the act of repeatedly capping and uncapping the pen over time stressed the barrel material and eventually it chipped a little bit and then the cap became sticky, eventually becoming impossible to secure the cap.
This time I recognized it happening early because I could feel it beginning to catch and when I ran my finger around the barrel I could feel a little catch where it was releasing.
The beautiful thing about a really good pen is that the company stands behind the product, and their repairs.
When I stopped in to the shop two weeks ago I was greeted but incredibly attentive and professional sales associates held out his (literally) white cotton-gloved hands and took my pen, examined it, and said that the material has proven to be very delicate and that the company is working on an improvement. In the meantime, since it was repaired a little less than a year ago, they will repair it again, for no charge.
When I received a text yesterday, indicating that it was ready for me to pick up, I was conveniently only a few blocks away. It was handed to me and I was told, again, to use it as I normally would and that, should it fail again within the next 12 months, they will repair it again.
I love my pen, it’s a little luxury that brings me happiness ☺️
