I need users opinions... about a inky transaction

[davelindberg]

PLEASE NOTE: The company name and company reps names have been changed. I'm not here to spread bad press that is unwarranted.


Hi All,

I need your opinion with an inky transaction.

I bought three inks and two pens from an online pen and ink distributor. This was maybe my third or fourth order with them. Two of the three inks I bought, reacted badly to all of the paper I had in the house. I bought a few additional journals locally, but the ink all feathered on 4-6 types of paper I tried. I chalked it up to not an effectively created ink line. No biggie. The seller has a "no refund policy on used inks", which was known to me. I offered to send the inks back (on my dime) so they could be sold or given away as samples, or however the seller wanted to and I did not ask for a refund. I just wanted the ink to go to people who would use the ink, as I could not. The seller did not want the ink for free and said... no-No-NO.

I "thought" I was doing a good thing to get the ink back in the hands of users who wanted to use it. Yes, I could have sold the ink (which I did on a FP site), but why would a seller not want the ink back for free where they would not refund me any money, and offer samples to others (maybe for free) to their customers. This whole, we have a policy and do not entertain anythings else... seems weird to me.

If I owned a company, I would take the ink back (and refund it at a discount) and give the ink away for free as sample... but that is just how I would help my customer.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Dave

[jar]

It is their policy. Seems fine to me.

[manoeuver]

When you own a business, life is complicated enough.

Once product is out the door and money is in the bank it's time to move down the to-do list.

Your offer is nice. For a busy retailer it may well represent more hassle than value.

[davelindberg]

manoeuver,

So nice guys finish last?

Sad. FP Community and retailers are only there to sell items - then next. Which is fine, as capitalism is the bread and butter of USA. I sell my services to create specialized programs and websites. I guess life for me would have better if I was born in 1950 - with fountain pens in "every" home and plenty of takers of free ink.

Dave

P.S. More hassle for seller? They get free ink. They sell samples anyway as part of their business model. What is the hassle again?

P.S.S. Moderator's can close this post... the God's have spoken... [The angry clouds open up and swallow davelindberg. Curtain closes.]

[manoeuver]

Dave, please don't take offense. Just trying to give some perspective from a business owner's viewpoint.

I certainly don't speak for any pen merchant and I don't know what procedures and policies guided the transaction that left you with a bad taste in your mouth.

Well intentioned offers from customers can and do lead to staff confusion and wasted time when there isn't a procedure in place to deal with said offers.

It sounds like you would have been happier if they'd have taken the ink back and put it directly in the trash.

I think you did the right thing in getting the ink to folks who could use it. It just so happens that the original retailer was not the best vehicle to achieve that end. Perhaps it was better for them to focus their efforts on efficiently serving their customers.

[KrazyIvan]

I am not a retailer but I probably would not take the ink back either. Too much of a risk of cross contamination which could be bad for business. I am not saying that you contaminated your ink but there is always a chance. Something a retailer with a good name is going to be careful to preserve.

I like the fact that the moderation team here let threads run their course and are not over zealous with the thread closing button. :)

[peterpen53]

I agree with KI's and especially Manoeuver's points. Having been an operational auditor for many years I have seen from up close that returned goods (of whatever kind, not just ink) are indeed a source of great hassle and additional cost to any distributor. Nobody really wants them and it's always a matter of balancing the extra cost and effort with mostly your reputation in the market. A distributor with a customer-friendly return policy can therefore not be commended enough.
On top of that, returned goods need to be closely controlled and therefore require additional and strict procedures as Manoeuver has stated. If those procedures are not in place or insufficiently maintained (again, a source of costs) the distributor will run a serious risk of (unintentional) mistakes, that could damage his reputation, or (intentional) misappropriation or fraud at his or maybe even a customer's expense. And, I'm sorry to say, I have encountered a few of those cases as well.
Just another perspective.

Cheers,
Peter

[jar]

manoeuver,

So nice guys finish last?

Sad. FP Community and retailers are only there to sell items - then next. Which is fine, as capitalism is the bread and butter of USA. I sell my services to create specialized programs and websites. I guess life for me would have better if I was born in 1950 - with fountain pens in "every" home and plenty of takers of free ink.

Dave

P.S. More hassle for seller? They get free ink. They sell samples anyway as part of their business model. What is the hassle again?

P.S.S. Moderator's can close this post... the God's have spoken... [The angry clouds open up and swallow davelindberg. Curtain closes.]

There are, I'm sure, lots of takers out there for free ink, just not likely an ink retailer that would be a taker.

Consider offering the ink here to whomever will pay the shipping or match the ink with a fountain pen and give it to a local teacher so it can be used as education in the classroom.

[Bogon07]

"Two of the three inks I bought, reacted badly to all of the paper I had in the house. I bought a few additional journals locally, but the ink all feathered on 4-6 types of paper I tried. I chalked it up to not an effectively created ink line"

Dave, while I can understand the distributor not wanting to take your inks back for reselling or samples for all the reasons previously specified I would have thought they could have suggested you contact the ink manufacturer or they do it on your behalf if you thought the inks were not fit for purpose.

I suppose it boils down to at what point does bad feathering make an ink defective and how many types of paper do you need to test it on to prove that. On the other hand different people have different expectations of unacceptable feathering. And how much responsibility the seller takes for the product he or she is selling.

I recall instances of one well known on-line seller who accepts samples of the customer's dissastified inks to test against their remaining stock to check if there are any apparent problems with batches of the ink they have.

[Maja]

I am not a retailer but I probably would not take the ink back either. Too much of a risk of cross contamination which could be bad for business. I am not saying that you contaminated your ink but there is always a chance. Something a retailer with a good name is going to be careful to preserve.


I agree with Ivan. I'm sure you meant well, Dave, but if they don't take back opened ink, it means they can't resell it, so it's no use to them. If you keep the ink, however, you are free to trade it, give it away or re-sell it (since there is nothing physically wrong with it---it just feathers, it's not moldy, etc). I tend to research a new ink to death before I decide whether or not I want to buy it :redface:, so that might be something to consider in the future if you are seeking an ink that feathers very little or not at all. FPN (Fountain Pen Network) has an amazing collection of ink reviews for your perusal. Best of luck (ink feathering is annoying!)

[Saintpaulia]

@Maja +1
Seems to me it would have been more generous and effective to offer the inks to someone here on the Forum who may not be able to afford very many inks and would have considered your offer as a real boon. My 2 centavos.

[de_pen_dent]

If I had a pen/ink retail business, I wouldnt take back the ink and sell it onwards or give it away.

As Manouever said, if they dont have a policy for something like this, it is an ad-hoc process, which is always time/people intensive.

As for forwarding it onwards: they cannot really do that. What if the person returning the ink had contaminated it somehow? Now the retailer has send that ink to other customers who may have problems, affecting their reputation/adding more return-refund woes. Etc.

Perfectly reasonable of the seller, I'd say.