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Repairs & Service

What makes our on-site repair workshop unique?

Here at Pens Plus of Oxford we have an on-site repair workshop. There are several things that make this unique:


1. The workshop is at the back of our bricks and mortar shop in Oxford, so if you are local you can actually pop in and have someone assess the repair in person.

2. The Pengineers: We have experienced repair technicians working on repairs. When this is not enough, we have personally trained a local engineer in the art of pen repair and they pick up any overflow.

3. We have many tools from the manufacturers themselves that are required to mend the pens.

4. We carry an extensive range of spares for many traditional and modern brands.


The repairs that we receive come in many shapes and sizes:

· Vintage and modern pens from historic and new brands.

· Fountain pens, ballpoints, rollerballs and mechanical pencils.

· Required work being a straight forward service of a fountain pen to get the ink flowing again through to a complex replacement of internal sacs or mechanisms.


We especially enjoy repairing sentimental pens, such as lifelong companions and heirlooms. We would be delighted to restore any pen to their full potential. 

Who does the repair?

There are 3 main ways in which repairs will be processed:


In-house:. We can service/repair the vast majority of pens under our own roof.  We have experienced and sought-after technicians who have years of experience in the tricky art of pen repair. We also carry many spare parts in-house for vintage and modern writing equipment, and are able to source parts from extended networks of suppliers.


Manufacturer Repair Services: Most major brands offer a repair service at their global repairs hubs. If we are unable to repair your writing instrument in house, we are often able to forward repairs to the repair centres of our suppliers. Please note, some suppliers will only repair current line items not old ones.


Network of experts: We have built up a network of contacts that specialise in pen repairs. Some are specialists for certain brands, or certain issues, i.e., piston repairs or nib regrinding. Nearly all carry a wide range of spare parts. If we haven’t got it or can’t do it; 99% of the time we know someone who can, and we can fully facilitate a repair with them.



What is the process?

Initial Enquiry:

In Shop: Simply bring the writing instrument in any time during our opening hours (Mon-Sat: 1015-1800, Sun: 1200-1700). No appointment is required, our staff will be happy to help.


Via Post: Please complete one submission of the form below per instrument sent to us, with as many details as possible of the pen and its faults. Don’t worry if you don’t know the brand or model. Click submit. This will log your pen in our system, notify us to expect your pen, and generate a confirmation email sent to the email provided. If possible, please print a copy of this confirmation email and include it with your instrument(s). If you do not have a facility to print, don’t worry - simply write the information onto a piece of paper and put in with the writing instrument. (You will be amazed how often we receive pens with no paperwork to tell us who they came from or what the problem is!)


Getting the pen to us:

You can either drop it to us in the shop, or post it to us. If posting:


How to pack:

When sending the writing instrument, please do not include any presentation boxes that came with the pen. Instead, please wrap the pen in some bubble wrap or equivalent, and then enclose this in a sturdier shell of card or cardboard (e.g. from a cereal packet, etc.). Then place into a padded jiffy bag together with a copy of the form. 


Please note, if presentation boxes are sent with the pen, then we may need to charge additional return postage, as the pen may have to be returned as a Small Parcel rather than a Large Letter.


Where to send it:

Service Dept.

Pens Plus (of Oxford),

69-70 High Street,

Oxford,

OX1 4BD.


If you wish to discuss your requirements before sending, please give us a call on 01865 241174.


What Postal Service:

We recommend to always used a tracked service with appropriate insurance for the value of your instrument(s). These take several forms and the table below shows what each can offer in terms of delivery time and most importantly insurance. For most pens sent from UK addresses, we recommend an appropriate service from Royal Mail. The table below details some options (details correct as of Nov 2023).  

Service Name


Insurance 

Cover

Estimated Delivery 

(Days)




Tracked 24hr

£150.00

Next Day (not guaranteed)


Tracked 48hr

£150.00

Two Days  (not guaranteed)


Special Delivery

£750.00 - £2,500.00

Next Day before 1pm- Guaranteed



Please note, when we return your pen the postage cost will be more due to VAT and packaging. We return most pens in the post via Royal Mail Tracked and Signed 24hrs (for pens of value under £150) or Royal Mail Special Delivery (for pens of value £150-£2500)


Acknowledgement of Receipt of Instrument

In Store: You will be emailed a receipt confirming our possession of the instrument when you drop it off. Print copies can be provided on request.

Posted: Provided the email submitted to us in the form is correct, we will aim to acknowledge receipt of your writing instrument within 2 working days of its receipt.


Quotation:

For pens still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, please send certificates of authenticity with the pen. We will send to the manufacturer and will manage the repair process for you. For this there is a handling charge of £15 plus return postage. 


In Shop: If possible, we will aim to provide a quote on the spot when you drop the item off. For more complex repairs, or if a technician is not available at the time, we will take in the pen for inspection. We will aim to email or telephone you with a quote within 7 working days. 


Posted: Unless you received a quote over the telephone as part of an initial discussion, we will provide a quote to you within 7 working days. As a rough guide, we find most repairs and services that do not require replacement parts are around £30 - 45 for issues such as inkflow problems, scratchy nibs, etc. and £45-60 for repairing/reworking broken nibs, or repairing complex filling systems e.g. piston-fillers.


Should you decide not to proceed with the repair after receiving the quote the pen will be returned without labour charge, with only postage will be charged.


How long will it take?

We are currently very busy with repair work, so turnaround times for in-house repair work is 4-6 weeks, unless otherwise stated. For work sent to manufacturer repair facilities, timescales can range from 4 weeks - 3+ months, depending on the manufacturer. We will provide an estimate of timescale to the best of our ability. Please note we are a very small brick and mortar store (one of the last 2 remaining pen specialists in the UK). We work to the best of our ability to ensure lead times are kept to a minimum, but we will always prioritise quality of repair over quick turnaround times. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding in the repairs process. 


Our Warranty

All repairs are covered by a 3 month warranty. During this period any repeat of the original issue will be repaired free of charge, or a full refund given. Please note that old pens can be notoriously difficult sometimes, so we are committed to as much follow-up work as is required in that warranty period. 

Repair – Service Form


Please ensure all of the information above has been read before the form is completed.


Please complete the form below if you i) have posted / will post us your writing instrument(s) for servicing or repair; or ii) if you are dropping the instrument(s) to the shop (you can complete the form in the shop upon drop-off). Once completed you should receive a confirmation email with the details from the form. If posting the instrument(s) to us, please print this email and enclose with the writing instrument(s). Please post to the address above and ensure name and contact details are included inside the package.

























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