Mr R

Your note of yesterday was more than a surprise. I find it unfortunate

that you have chosen to follow the route that you have taken in posting it on the internet in the way that you have without any recourse to me in the first instance. In my view this has made the matter much more difficult to handle. As you will have found, and this is a clear matter of fact, I choose to send out work done along with an invoice for a customer to settle up having had chance to inspect my work. I do this with confidence and I have a large collection of most pleasant and positive commendations. Surely a personal contact describing your issues, without public exposure, and before any payment was sent, would have been a more business like and gentlemanly approach. As it is I find that your complaint, regardless of any merit, has been posted on a website without any reply from me being laid alongside. A consequence is that some of the remarks posted by others, having only your comments to hand, are at the very least insulting and in some instances personally so.

I turn to the practicalities of the work I did :-

1. Adjustment of the clutch, [the word used by Parker rather than basket], in a 51 cap involves its removal from the cap. The first step in this is to remove the tassie or jewel from the top of the cap. These are bonded into the cap retaining screw by Parker during manufacture. On only about 50% of occasions is it possible to remove this usually aged and discoloured plastic component without either damage to its surface or broken screw threads on this tassie. Heat is carefully used but failure is common. A stock of new pearl tassies [bought from the USA] is kept so as to be ready for this eventuality. After the tassie is taken off, the clip can be unscrewed and the outside of the cap can be protected with tape ready for extraction of the clutch using a special tool which is able to draw the clutch out of the cap. The clutch in your cap, whilst needing adjustment to set the cap to barrel setting, was in good order in my view, so I judged that there was little point in replacement. Here I must point out that a disagreement by you on this point would have been a simple matter to put right should you have disagreed with my keeping back the spare for your future use.

After setting the clutch by fitting it on the barrel, and comparing the fit with the sample you sent, the cap was reassembled and a new tassie fitted. On reassembly I am perfectly aware that the clip has a recess in the top of the cap [in many instances –but not always, especially in rolled silver caps as yours, and I am convinced that your clip was put back in this way. My final check is to sight the clip to ensure it correct alignment. Your comments are therefore a puzzle to me, although I must add that, again, it would have been a simple matter to put right regardless of how this came about.

2. You refer to marks and scratches on the cap. The cap is protected with tape during the work and I cannot accept your remarks on this as being of relevance to me.

I repeat my opening comments. Any issues arising from the work I did for you could surely have been cleared up without giving others the opportunity to throw unnecessary personal insults. Finally I stress that these notes are addressed to you and have not been put forward to the forum you chose to use. I prefer to tackle any difficulties at a personal level in a business like manner as befits the approach of my profession

Eur.Ing.Peter Crook

Footnote

  1. The complaint was routed through a web site “Fountain Pen Geeks” at the outset. My response initially was to the client alone. For obvious reasons I have now chosen to make this more public..
  2. The client chose later to report my workmanship to the trading standards authority. The bill for the work was £12 plus post.
  3. The principal reason for the client sending me the work in the first place was to improve the cap to barrel fit. This was achieved . The client has chosen not to mention this.

I take great pride in the service I offer clients and have received many many letters with payments describing great satisfaction with my work.

Peter Crook, Carneil Pens