I’ve dealt with a lot of online retailers, and most are satisfactory, average, OK, all those sort of words. But a few are different, so here goes.
The Good Ones
I’ve dealt with these folk more than once. I’d recommend them anytime. No comment about their pricing, product range, etc but if you are looking for customer service people that respond to questions, people that won’t rip you off, people that will fix up their mistake in the unlikely event they make one, then:-
- Swisher Pens in the USA, http://www.swisherpens.com/
- Pen Gallery in Malaysia, http://www.pengallery.com/
The Bad Ones
I’ve had the misfortune to deal with these folk more than once too. Maybe I’m a sucker for punishment, but I guess anyone can make a mistake, everyone deserves a second chance. Well these folk had theirs, maybe even a third chance.
“The foul bitter aftertaste of poor service lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
- I did have a retailer listed here. However, a couple of years have now passed since I last dealt with them, and they might have improved, so I don't think it's fair to continue to list them without a current evaluation of their performance.
Helpful Folk
Well actually I haven’t bought anything from these people, but they’re helpful communicative types so I’m pretty sure one day they’ll end up on ‘The Good Ones’ list.
- Cult Pens in the UK, http://www.cultpens.com/ In particular, and without critiquing it, I commend them for their “Guide to Mechanical Pencils”, particularly the Table of Features therein.
Disclaimer: Just for the record, these opinions are my own, from my own personal experience. No one paid me for anyone to appear on this page, but in the past I have had some inexpensive freebies or discounts from two of them, but only as part of an on-going relationship between a retailer and a (good?) customer.
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