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Author Archives: Dragon Co. (Austin Smith)
Teller not a Fighter
Moleskine Customer Service
Moleskine, the company that produces moleskine notebooks under the trademark seems to pride itself in its customer service. This is something they would have to do considering the fact that they are inferior to most other notebook in their price range in most ways. In fact, each Moleskine book comes with a little sticker and a quality control number. If you receive a defective notebook in theory all you have to do is go to their website, enter some info, and they’ll send you a brand new replacement. How does this work in practice? Well, I was unfortunate enough to get a defective book and have to find out.
The first thing one has to do is go to the website and fill out a form. The questions are fairly easy and harmless. It does require the QC number and a photo of the defect. It’s all nothing too difficult. Their media uploader needs some work, in my opinion, but I’m uploading content all the time with some of the best uploads in the world so I guess I’m spoiled.
Something a bit misleading here is that they ask for your email address. I thought this would mean that they would send me some confirmation email about whether or not my new book was shipping. I got no such email, I got no email at all. Moleskine has, to this day, never emailed me.
So I sent off my request for a notebook and waited. They guarantee a new book in two weeks so that is how long I did this waiting. Deciding I must have done something wrong (Like enter my email wrong) I resent the request.
The literal next day I got a package in the mail that was my new Moleskine. It had only arrived two days late, which was no big deal, except for the fact that I had just reordered this book.
it was a lot better than this
Now I don’t want people thinking I’m a thief, so I called the customer support at the number on the package (the American distributor for Moleskine) and had them stop my second request. It only took a couple of minutes and everyone sounded very pleasant.
So, does Moleskine live up to the customer support they say they have? Absolutely. I received my a new notebook almost within two weeks of sending in my request (this is understandable because Moleskine is in Italy and I’m in south-west Texas, i.e. beyond the middle of nowhere). The entire process was quick, easy and painless. It would have been even better had it not been for my internet paranoia. So if you do receive a defective Moleskine, know that your problem can be quickly and painlessly rectified.
Review – Uni Paint Pen
So you want to paint, but you’re better at drawing. Or you want to mark on some surface unsuitable for Sharpie or other permanent markers. Well, the Uni Paint PX-21 by Sanford may be for you.
This pen is oil-based and needs to be shaken up like a spray can before use. It has a “fine” point, which means a medium or even broad point if you compare it to anything that is a not a paint pen. The line it writes is solid and about as thick as a large Crayola marker. This particular version is the black version which is especially solid, though it is fairly shiny, somewhere between a Sharpie and a matte black spray in terms of marking on plastic. It does mark on literally anything, though some shiner plastics and polished metals have it wear off easily.
The body of the pen is metal and feels solid in the hand. A shiny label has all the necessary information printed on it, including warnings and such. This label makes the pen slightly slippery in the hand so tight gripping is necessary.
The cap matches the color of the paint. It has ridges that are sharp and cut into the skin. It also fits very snugly onto the end, meaning it is quite difficult to remove, which is both a hindrance and a benefit.
Also be warned that since it is an oil-based pen it stinks mightily and will give you a headache after a few minutes of constant exposure. The label even tells you to put the cap on immediately after use, though this is most likely also to not let the paint dry out.
Overall this is a great little painting device. It is especially handy for touchups on plastic and metal painting. Or, if you’re like my relatives and have a shop were regular markers and price tags have a hard time sticking to the stock. It’s not really a home item, or one that will be useful to canvas painters, but it certainly will have its place with sculptors and model builders.