Reviews & Guides

Write a guide

Beware "Mont Blanc" Buyers

by: imsmum( 102Feedback score is 100 to 499) Top 1000 Reviewer
160 out of 164 people found this guide helpful.
Guide viewed: 3478 times Tags: Pen | Starwalker | Mont Blanc


I want to share my experience with other people searching for Mont Blanc pens on Ebay.  I had long wanted a "Starwalker" Ball point, and after watching many such auctions on Ebay, I found one which appeared to be totally genuine.  It had an apparently genuine guarantee and came in its original packaging - I even checked out that the place the pen was originally purchased from was a genuine Mont Blanc dealer, and that the pen had a serial number.  It was even backed up by a story about it being an unwanted gift from an ex-employer.  I bid on the pen, and won it for around £100 including packaging.  When it arrived, it seemed to stack up, however, I noted that the "floating star" in the lid was very slightly off centre, but put that down to the fact that it may have been a "second" and decided to accept it, after all, I got almost 1/3 off the price of a brand new one!  However, about 3 weeks later, the casing of the pen came apart.  No problem, I thought, I have a guarantee, I'll just take it to be repaired.  I took the pen into a registered Mont Blanc dealer, who informed me that the pen was fake.  I immediately emailed the Seller, asking for a refund, as the item was fake.  Unfortunately, the Seller responded with emails accusing me of having broken the pen, telling me that there was no way a well-respected international employer would be giving away fake Mont Blanc pens to their employees, and categorically denying that it was fake.  It was then that I noticed the same Seller had sold 3 "Mont Blanc Starwalker pens, an unwanted gift from an ex-employer" within the last month!

To cut a long saga short, I escalated this to resolution at Paypal, who, after requesting proof that the pen was indeed fake, decided in my favour, and I received a full refund.  I had to destroy the fake pen (a Paypal rule) and ended up buying the genuine article from a genuine dealership.  I have learned my lesson, and now only use ebay occassionally - but just wanted to make potential buyers aware, especially as the Seller is still listed on Ebay, and hasn't been struck off.


Guide ID: 10000000004560449Guide created: 11/10/07 (updated 19/08/08)

 
Was this guide helpful? Report this guide

Ready to share your knowledge with others? Write a guide


Related tags: Starwalker | Mont Blanc | Pen


About eBay | Announcements | Safety Centre | Partner Centre | VeRO Protecting IP | Policies | Feedback Forum | Site Map | Help
Copyright © 1995-2008 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
eBay official time