Moleskines Made In China

[SFWriter]

I noticed a significant decrease in the quality of the last Moleskine
notebook I purchased. I looked at the tag and it said "Bound and
Printed In China" "Designed and Packaged in Italy."

I was kind of shocked to see that Modo is now manufacturing over there.
I sent two email inquiries to them, but got no response. I also called
Moleskine US and they did not have any information.

I'd like to know, is this a permanent change? If so I need to start
stashing away the older ones. I think it's really abysmal to let the
quality of such a good product slip, and also for them to trade on the
"European" tradition for something that is now being commoditzed and
for all we know, made in some sweatshop.

Has anyone else had this experience?
Does anyone else have any info they can share?

Thanks

[Keiko Yoshimi]

WHAT??
is this for real?? nothing against chinese produced goods, but that's
just wrong.
So, I know that Modo e Modo was up for sale, but never found out who
bought it.
Do you guys think that the company who bought Modo decided to
manufacture Moleskine notebooks in China?
If this is true, then the whole meaning of the M's may change...

I don't understand, I think we need facts.
As far as I know, my M's didn't say that it was made in China
though... :S

[SFWriter]

Yes, sadly this is for real. Next time you're at Borders or Barnes and
Noble, flip over to the back and read the fine print.
All the new 2007 diaries are made in China too.
I'm crushed... not to mention I'll go broke stashing up the old ones!

[Michael G. Ellis CPA]

I have been stashing them to what might be called a bizarre extent (no known reason), now I found one! They have always had limitations on many FP inks, but the Cahier are nice and I have two file boxes full of all types reporter, notebook, etc. They are cult like and my kids and several clients have played into it and become fans, this is not the greatest news. The price of the books and the recent increased distribution channels led me to not think this type of a change was in the works, I was thinking more innovative on Modo and Modo's part.

 

I don't believe the French will compromise Rhodia and Clairefontaine, although, Waterman was sold along the way (I think) and Parker (UK) has had it's changes.

 

Best Regards
Mike

 

[SFWriter]

I sent a letter (hard copy/snail mail) to Modo today. Let's see if they
answer that. Though it's August now, vacation month in Europe... I'll
keep you all posted.

[Evan Edwards]

Could you post the address? I have a feeling that we're a letter writing
crowd.

--
Evan "JabberWokky" Edwards
http://www.cheshirehall.org/

[molesk...@gmail.com]

Their postal address is:
MODO & MODO S.p.a.
V.le Porta Vercellina, 10
20123 MILANO (Italy)

Their email address is:
in...@modoemodo.com

The press office:
silvia...@modoemodo.com

[SFWriter]

The more people who write to express concern the better! Thank you in
advance for any and all support. :-)

[Keiko Yoshimi]

if individual letters don't work, then a petition?

[Jim-L]

If it's a help, the paper strip label for those printed and bound in
China have the usual orange color on the front, but then changes to red
as it wraps around the left binding and the back.

But I've never yet discovered what the sometimes green strip label
means, sometimes on both the moleskine and the Cahiers (softer cover).

[Daly de Gagne]

I support any effort to urge Moleskine's makers to put quality first, and have sent the following post to Modoemodo:

I love my Moleskine Notebooks. I use the pocket reporter notebooks, and the large, lined note books, as well as various sizes of the Cahiers. Also, I have stopped using Franklin or TimeDesign products, and use the pocket and larger 18-month journal.

With the reporter notebooks and a couple of the larger, lined notebooks, I have had problems because the bindings come apart. I have had two reporter notebooks that I had to stop using when they were only about one third full because of the bindings coming apart.

Also, there's seems to be no consistency as to show-through with fountain pen ink. The same ink, ie. the same brand, colour and bottle, shows through in some Moleskines, but not others.

Given the reputation that Moleskine has, plus an ever-growing cult-following on the Internet which, in my own small way I have contributed to, it is imperative that Modoemodo strive to maintain and improve the quality of each and every Moleskine notebook.

While I appreciate that your market has grown substantially, and perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, I ask of you to please do all possible to keep quality high.

Thank you very much.

Daly de Gagne

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On 8/1/06, SFWriter <janine...@astound.net> wrote:

The more people who write to express concern the better! Thank you in
advance for any and all support. :-)

--
Discuss and learn about David Allen's Getting Things Done:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Getting_Things_Done/

[Daly de Gagne]

I have sent the following post to Modoemodo, emphasizing the need to enhance and to maintain quality. I urge all Moleskine users with similar concerns to write to Modoemodo. Here's the post I sent:

I love my Moleskine Notebooks. I use the pocket reporter notebooks, and the large, lined note books, as well as various sizes of the Cahiers. Also, I have stopped using Franklin or TimeDesign products, and use the pocket and larger 18-month journal.

With the reporter notebooks and a couple of the larger, lined notebooks, I have had problems because the bindings come apart. I have had two reporter notebooks that I had to stop using when they were only about one third full because of the bindings coming apart.

Also, there's seems to be no consistency as to show-through with fountain pen ink. The same ink, ie. the same brand, colour and bottle, shows through in some Moleskines, but not others.

Given the reputation that Moleskine has, plus an ever-growing cult-following on the Internet which, in my own small way I have contributed to, it is imperative that Modoemodo strive to maintain and improve the quality of each and every Moleskine notebook.

While I appreciate that your market has grown substantially, and perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, I ask of you to please do all possible to keep quality high.

Thank you very much.

Daly de Gagne

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Discuss and learn about David Allen's Getting Things Done: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Getting_Things_Done/

On 8/1/06, SFWriter <janine...@astound.net> wrote:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Getting_Things_Done/

[Jim-L]

re the reporters' notebooks: I know the online sketches of them show
the cover being completely bent back behind. But that simply doesn't
work. If you do so, you will break the binding.

But I still prefer the reporters, because, with the lid/cover lifted, I
have the use of a full flat page, and not a curved page as in the books
with the binding on the left side.

[marcus...@dhl.com]

Thank you very much. I have sent an email to them now as well.

The first attempt to "ii...@modoemodo.com" came back and
"in...@modoemodo.com" seems to work.

I have recently bought the new 18 months calendar and as Fountain Pen
user I was disappointed as the ink bleeds through much worse than with
all other notebooks I am using. And some pages are worse than others.
Ok, the pages are thinner but still. I have tried the Pilot G2 which shows
through as well so I will stick to my Fountain Pen. I had ordered a fine
nib yesterday in the hope that this will help.

Not sure about where it was produced though. I had not checked at the
time when I bought it.

Best regards,
Marcus

molesk...@gmail.com Sent by: Molesk...@googlegroups.com 01/08/2006 22:23 Please respond to Moleskinerie

To:        "Moleskinerie" <Molesk...@googlegroups.com>         cc:                 Subject:        Re: Moleskines Made In China-not surprised

That should be:
ii...@modoemodo.com

My apologies.

[arm...@gmail.com]

I thought I was crazy when I bought my most recent squared large
notebook. The cover is, well *different*. It is thinner feeling and
the finish is much more dull and less *oiled* feeling. It feels dry
and cheap, if that makes an sense. Not to mention that I had to return
it immediately because the covers were misaligned and crooked about 1/4
inch (i.e., not flush with the paper inside). I promptly returned it
and got another one. I didn't notice until a few written pages later
that it too had a flaw on the cover, what looks to be where a wheel of
sorts that would move the cover along the assembly line got stuck and
slightly *spun out* on the edge.

I got hooked on Moleskines early this year and loved them, but if this
what to expect from now on I'll never buy another.

Aaron

[Daly de Gagne]

Folks, please let modoemodo know what is happening.

To a large extent the Internet made their business -- and we can also make their business slump, leaving them with thousands of unsold books.

We love our Moleskines so let's rally to the cause (not to be over melodramatic or anything!)!

My Moleskines are too important for shoddy craftsmanship.

Daly

[SFWriter]

I echo Daly's sentiments! This is the time to let Modo know. I sent
them the following letter yesterday:

August 1, 2006

Ms. Silvia Trenta
Marketing Department
MODO&MODO S.p.A.
Viale di Porta Vercellina, 10
20123 Milano - Italy

Dear Ms. Trenta,

I recently emailed Modo e Modo about the lower quality of your
Moleskine notebooks made in China and did not receive a response. I am
following up now via regular mail, as I'm a dedicated user of your
products and would like to know about their future.

The fact that Modo is now manufacturing Moleskines in China is
distressing on many levels. First, and also most important, is the
noticeably lower quality of the product. I recently opened a large
squared notebook, not knowing where it was made, and it had a terrible
smell, something like diesel fuel. The cover material was also
different, and after holding the book for more than a few seconds, my
hands got all sweaty. After less than a page of writing, my pen was so
clogged up with debris I couldn't use it. On my way to toss the book
out, I finally checked the packaging and saw "Printed and Bound in
China," which explained everything.

Secondly, I do not think it is ethical to continue marketing these
products as artifacts of the "European Intellectual Tradition" if
they are now being mass-produced in Asia. It's like a slap in the
face to your customers, who are obviously intelligent, and willing to
spend a significant amount for what they perceive as a better product
or something that has a certain cachet. To try to pass these off as
"original" Moleskine notebooks, the same as Hemingway and Chatwin
used, is just plain insulting to the buyer's intelligence.

Lastly, I fail to see how a company like Modo, that would seem to care
about things like human rights and the environment, can justify having
their products even partially made in China. Paper manufacturing and
printing is a notoriously toxic process, and the only reason the
Chinese can do it so cheaply is their total disregard for polluting the
environment.

It's also common knowledge they treat most of their factory workers
like indentured servants, and the working conditions in most Chinese
manufacturing plants is inhumane at best. Even though Modo must be
saving significantly on costs by moving some or all production to
China, I did not notice the retail price of your products coming down.
Nor would I want see that. I'd gladly pay even more for "il
originale," if it's still available. I'm sure I am not alone in
my sentiments.

I hope that you will consider these concerns and reply promptly. I
appreciate your attention to the matter.

[Juan Pablo Tapia]

From a Moleskine User from Chile, I support this letter. Don`t we have to make a group lettter, signed for all of us??

regards

--
Juan Pablo Tapia
(56 8) 239 2141
www.juanpablotapia.cl

[Evan Edwards]

Every type of notebook has a different color. Orange is lined. Green is
plain. Pale blue is music staff lined. Yellow is squared (graph paper).
Magenta is storyboard layout.

There are a few others, but basically, you can glance at the size and
color and know what's inside. I like small and green... i.e., pocket plain.

[Evan Edwards]

On Wednesday 02 August 2006 9:44, Juan Pablo Tapia wrote:
> Don`t we have to
> make a group lettter, signed for all of us??

I'd imagine that would have much less of an impact that everybody sending
individual letters.

[SFWriter]

I think it would be better to send your own letter.

[broo...@gmail.com]

I've read through all these comments. It makes me wonder - I purchased
my first in Austin in March 2005. It's a lined pocket notebook,
carried in briefcase and back pocket. The pocket in the back has split
and the cover has seperated from the spine in the back as well. It's
never struck me that it's matched the reputation i've read about. So,
I'm now suspecting that I have a Chinese edition. It would be well
that either the current owners of Moleskine's shape up, or find an
alternative, at least for me. I've been quite pleased, thus far, with
some notebooks from a Canadian Hardware/Woodworkers/Garderners company,
Lee Valley Tools. I have their logbook X2 and another notebook. They
don't get quite the abuse of the Moleskine, but they aren't
pocket-sized either.

J

[Daly de Gagne]

The Lee Valley log book is great. I actually carry my large Moleskine
notebook and my large 18 month planner around in the green leather cover
Lee Valley sells for the log book and/or the Harvard Planner it also sells.

I have had the same kind of problem with my pocket notebooks since the
second reporter's notebook I used.

It pisses me off that no one from the company seems to have replied to
any of us who has written. Perhaps they have been too busy arranging for
the sale too the French.

The French may again meet their Waterloo or, for Canadian content, their
Plains of Abraham, if they do not bring the Moleskines up to snuff.. I
will not have my name and recommendations attached to a second rate
product, and just as I have done all I can to promote Moleskines, the
new owners may be assured that I, and I suspect others, will do all we
can to find and recommend other products if the shoddy quality persists.

An advertising executive friend of mine spent some time analyzing the
Moleskine phenomenon on the web, and concluded that the value of word of
mouth on various groups came at least to the high six figures in US
dollars. I would hate to have that kind of advertising power turning
people away from my products.

Daly

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[DigiPicker]

Well, now I'm pissed off. I recently ordered four pocket ruled
notebooks and a large sketchbook. Turns out that all the pocket
notebooks are made in China. I never even thought to look. After all,
who would have ever suspected that Modo y Modo would pull such a stunt?
Certainly not me. I got these from Moleskine USA and I'm rather upset
with them, too - so much so that I will never purchase anything from
them again.

I certainly hope the French buyers will stop this nonsense immediately,
and return Moleskine to its former quality. If not, well I guess I'll
have to find something to replace Moleskines. I really don't look
forward to that process.

Now that I've ranted about this major annoyance, does anyone know where
I might be able to purchase a small stock of older NON-Chinese pocket
ruled notebooks and pocket sketchbooks - mint in the original
packaging, of course?

Thank you !!!

[Keiko Yoshimi]

soon after i discovered the M's being made in China, i went to a
nearby borders and bought some that are not made in china to stock up.
even in the same stack of one type of moleskine on the shelf, most of
them were that of made in china already.
i don't know what's happening, or what will happen with the purchase
of modo e modo by the french company, but if they decide to continue
producing the notebooks in china, then i believe that a number of
things may/will/should happen:
- price of the notebooks should go down due to lower labor costs
- moleskine may lose its very meaning to a large number of current
users as well as the notebook itself
- if the quality of the paper doesn't improve, many may defect to
another brand(s). as for me, i buy and use cahier for writing with
certain ball point pens of mine, and i use ruled pocket notebooks to
write/sketch with my fountain pens because they feel right to me for
different pens i use.

but the thing that'd not be cool for me is that i haven't come across
any other notebooks that are as durable and simple as Moleskine...so
it'd be very hard for me to go to another brand :S

but, in retrospect, i did notice an increased availability of
Moleskine notebooks at local bookstores recently, which may coincide
with the time they started to make them in china? i wonder...

best,

[Jim-L]

Next to try: Clairefontaine. Heavier paper, pure white, lined,
stitched bindings, stiff cover but not quite as stiff a M. More pages
per book. Frequently on sale.

Also, Barnes and Noble, generic brand bound books, actual hardbound
books. Maybe not for carrying, but sure a deal for a desk ledger.

[Cinemafia]

This is extremely distressing...though it could be a symptom of why the
brand has now been sold to Société générale. Let's all hope that
the new management will discontinue this as soon as possible...

[Michael G. Ellis CPA]

Where do you find Clairefontaine on sale? I buy that and Rhodia and the only place it's on sale for me is when a client goes to France and buys some for me. Thanks.

----- Original Message -----

From: Jim-L

To: Moleskinerie

Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 12:18 AM

Subject: Re: Moleskines Made In China

[Armand]

May I invite you to start a discussion on Clairefontaine and other
alternatives at Notebookism?

The link is here:
http://groups.google.com/group/notebookism

Thank you.

[GM]

I've horded about 12 large lined books over the last year, and that
should last me a couple years. But I've noticed a slight variation in
quality. When I read this post I hauled them down from the shelf to
check and can't see any printing/binding/packaging info on them. They
just say Kikkerland Design on the back. Where would the China info be,
were it there?

Moleskine isn't the only high end product out there. They'll definitely
lose my loyalty if they choose to continue this route. My 18 month
dayplanner is falling apart. If one of my writing books starts to go,
I'll abandon the product line completely.

G

SFWriter wrote:
> I noticed a significant decrease in the quality of the last Moleskine
> notebook I purchased. I looked at the tag and it said "Bound and
> Printed In China" "Designed and Packaged in Italy."
>
> I was kind of shocked to see that Modo is now manufacturing over there.
> I sent two email inquiries to them, but got no response. I also called
> Moleskine US and they did not have any information.
>
> I'd like to know, is this a permanent change? If so I need to start
> stashing away the older ones. I think it's really abysmal to let the
> quality of such a good product slip, and also for them to trade on the
> "European" tradition for something that is now being commoditzed and
> for all we know, made in some sweatshop.
>
> Has anyone else had this experience?
> Does anyone else have any info they can share?
>
> Thanks

[Matthew Johnson]

Mine, too.  The pocket in the back has come off the cover.

[C]

I wrote to them with my two cents. Seems letter-writing worthy to me.
C

> ------=_Part_7618_30404182.1154525440788
> Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
> X-Google-AttachSize: 1875
>
> Folks, please let modoemodo know what is happening.<br><br>To a large extent the Internet made their business -- and we can also make their business slump, leaving them with thousands of unsold books.<br><br>We love our Moleskines so let's rally to the cause (not to be over melodramatic or anything!)!
> <br><br>My Moleskines are too important for shoddy craftsmanship.<br><br>Daly<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 8/2/06, <b class="gmail_sendername"><a href="mailto:arm...@gmail.com">arm...@gmail.com</a></b> &lt;<a href="mailto:arm...@gmail.com">
> arm...@gmail.com</a>&gt; wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><br>I thought I was crazy when I bought my most recent squared large
> <br>notebook.&nbsp;&nbsp;The cover is, well *different*.&nbsp;&nbsp;It is thinner feeling and<br>the finish is much more dull and less *oiled* feeling.&nbsp;&nbsp;It feels dry<br>and cheap, if that makes an sense.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not to mention that I had to return<br>
> it immediately because the covers were misaligned and crooked about 1/4<br>inch (i.e., not flush with the paper inside).&nbsp;&nbsp;I promptly returned it<br>and got another one.&nbsp;&nbsp;I didn't notice until a few written pages later<br>
> that it too had a flaw on the cover, what looks to be where a wheel of<br>sorts that would move the cover along the assembly line got stuck and<br>slightly *spun out* on the edge.<br><br>I got hooked on Moleskines early this year and loved them, but if this
> <br>what to expect from now on I'll never buy another.<br><br>Aaron<br><br><br><br><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Discuss and learn about David Allen's Getting Things Done: <br><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Getting_Things_Done/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Getting_Things_Done/
> </a>
>
> ------=_Part_7618_30404182.1154525440788--

[shirley...@gmail.com]

I've gone back and looked at my unopened Moleskines and sure enough,
for the ones I got at Barnes and Noble, on the paper band around the
middle, it says they were printed in china. The ones I purchased at a
stationery store do not have any info on where they were printed or
assembled. These are the original ones

No one has mentioned it yet, but the "original" ones had stickers that
said "W R I T I N G" on them. The new chinese-manufactured moleskines
do not have these. It's another way to tell.

I recently purchased a large sketchbook from Barnes and Noble and the
elastic band was broken and frayed. I didn't notice until I got home
and I needed to use it that night, so I just repaired it myself.

Also, if you look at the covers under a bright light, you can clearly
see the difference in textures between the old and new materials used
for the covers.

Much as we hate the loss of quality, chinese manufacture and labor are
probably so much less expensive for Modo e Modo that they aren't going
to yank it back to Europe.

So what can we do??? Just write letters?? Any other ideas, anyone?

[Daly de Gagne]

Is there are snail mail/email address for the new owners?

I think it is worthwhile to make sure they are aware of the concerns.

Daly

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[molesk...@gmail.com]

We're trying to find out. Will post it here as soon as we have it.

[GM]

Well, none of the ones I have say anything about China on them, but I
do have some from the WRI/TIN/G.. days when cards and stickers came in
the back (I always found that a bit trite, to tell you the truth, and
was relieved when it stopped) and some that don't. So I cracked into my
stash of non-WRI/TIN/G.. ones to see if there was a difference. I'm
releived to say, not much. So I don't think any of my ones are from the
Chinese production zone. I'll be keeping an eye out like the rest of
you to snap up the remaining non-China books. After that, unless things
revert back to quality over quantity, I'll be switching brands. The
danger we all face as afficionados of a product is becoming the blind
sheep the product makers rely on as their evangelical base. I've been
giving Molies as gifts to other writers and artists for years. If
Moleskines sticks it to people like us, those who built them one
convert at a time, they have only themselves to blame if/when things
tank. I'd hate to see them in the stationary section next to Hilroy,
but if that's where they're headed, they can count me and my friends
out.

[C]

Yes, we should turn up the heat as quickly as possible so that they
know they have a problem on their hands. And get the word out to
others that may not be in the know (this is only my second post here,
and I happened in out of curiousity.)

[Mr. Moleskine]

I hate to disappoint you, but Moleskine's have ALWAYS been made in
China, but imported into the US from Italy. I say this with
confidence.

The quality difference you may be finding is probably due to another
factor -- maybe a different printer, or, maybe it's just pyschosomatic
because of our association of bad quality with Chinese manufacturing.

[SFWriter]

How do you know this? I ask as the person who started this thread a few
weeks back. I had an email exchange with the contact at Kikkerland who
implied this but never directly stated.

If this is true, I have to say, I'm deeply saddened. It's been marketed
as a European product and clearly now, it is not. Maybe it never has
been, but they sure had us fooled. The quality was once outstanding.
Now it's mixed at best.

I don't think the differences are psychosomatic. If you read the
details on this thread, it's all pretty much objective. Bad paper. Bad
cover. Spine splitting. Band breaking. Etc. Something did definitely
change recently.

[Keiko]

interesting...

so, if it has always been made in china, then why did they start showing the country of origin in the recent ones only?

and i thought that i've read that after the original (the french company) stopped producing the notebook, years later the italian company (modo e modo) revived the moleskine notebooks.

the reason why they put themselves up for sale was, i believe, because demand got so much higher in recent years that their production capacity couldn't keep up with it, which got me believing that they were made in italy at least until the sale of modo e modo...

 

has anyone gotten any response on your letters by modo e modo?

 

best,

 

[molesk...@gmail.com]

Modo&Modo is closed for summer vacation from August 4th until the 25th.
With the reported sale I'm sure sure if they'll even be back in their
offices.

[Armand]

make that "I'm NOT sure"

[Matthew Johnson]

I wish I was Italian.  A summer break sounds really nice right about now.

mhj

[Mr. Moleskine]

I'm not saying that there isn't a difference in quality, I'm just
saying it's not because of a supposed change to Chinese manufacturing.

Unfortunately, I have to be this way about it, but I really can't tell
you how I know this (I know, how cliche). But I have absolutely
nothing to gain from them being made in China.

I too think it is disgraceful that Moleskines have been marketed as a
European product. However, Chinese manufacturing is a part of life
now. Most Americans just aren't willing to pay the price for American
or European-made products. That being said, I find it difficult for
one to pay $10-$15 for a Chinese notebook.

[joelsanda]

SFWriter wrote:
> I noticed a significant decrease in the quality of the last Moleskine
> notebook I purchased. I looked at the tag and it said "Bound and
> Printed In China" "Designed and Packaged in Italy."
>

I'm only eight weeks into my 18-month planner and it's already showing
significant 'structural' wear. The planner is never in my pants pocket
- it goes from home office to work office and travels in my bag
otherwise - I treat it very kindly because I want it around for 18
months.

The cover is already starting to detach from the binding below and
above the stitching. I'll make a simple repair with tape on the inside,
but I'm a little unimpressed with the quality.

I don't care where the notebooks are manufactured - but I'm aware of
the fact I pay extra for the Moleskine quality I'm used to. I hope any
change in manufacturing doesn't challenge the quality we've all grown
accustomed over the years.

[Mr. Moleskine]

> so, if it has always been made in china, then why did they start showing the
> country of origin in the recent ones only?

I'm thinking for legal reasons. I almost wish they would have just
kept it to themselves at this point.

> and i thought that i've read that after the original (the french company)
> stopped producing the notebook, years later the italian company (modo e
> modo) revived the moleskine notebooks.

This is true. When I said that they were always made in China, I was
refrerring to the Moleskines as we know them today, the ones by Modo e
Modo.

> the reason why they put themselves up for sale was, i believe, because
> demand got so much higher in recent years that their production capacity
> couldn't keep up with it, which got me believing that they were made in
> italy at least until the sale of modo e modo...

I personally think the owner wanted to cash in on their brand and
retire. Or, maybe they were afraid that printing "Printed and bound in
China" on the notebooks would tank their sales and wanted to sell the
company.

Also, when they publicly went up for sale, they were said to have 13
employees. There is no way they could produce the amount of notebooks
they do with only 13 employees -- unless they were outsourcing the
production.

[Daly de Gagne]

China produces many high quality products. Like any other country, when it manufactures a brand-name product it does so to strict specifications provided by the customer. If the producer does not live up to the specifications, the customer finds a new one in that, or in another country.

Modo e Modo must be seen as soley responsible for the quality of the product flooding the market. If we are now getting second rate product at first rate prices it is because Modo e Modo a) screwed up in providing specs, or (b) for the sake of maximizing profit in the face of high demand accepted product that was sub-spec.

If I was the French buyer of Modo e Modo I would right now be mad as blazes at Modo e Modo and asking my solicitors to explore whether there could be a basis for a case at bar if in some way the business I was buying was misrepresented.

A misrepresentation could be to say that the product was top rate, and enjoyed uniform acceptance, knowiing that complaints were increasing about poor quallity.

As early as May or June there were reports on the Internet of Moleskines ripping at the binding, etc. At what point can it be assumed that Modo e Modo should have been aware of the growing disquiet with poor quality, and had an onus to disclose this issue to a potential buyer?

Freud once said that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Alas, sometimes business is just business, and a notebook is just a notebook.

Daly

[The Inquisitor]

It is quite likely that the Chinese (well, according to "Mr.
Moleskine," the new batch of Chinese) Moleskines will follow a
production model in which the quality will improve with each new batch.
Assuming they are using new machines, new workers, etc., it is
inevitable that a product identical to the earlier notebooks cannot be
produced initially.

What is likely to happen, assuming that these notebooks are actually
inferior according to the lofty quality standards we have some to
expect, is that quality will rise as the production team becomes more
adept at producing high-quality notebooks. This may take some time, but
it makes sense: if you were making paper airplanes, would your first
attempt, your 10th, your 100th or your 1000th be of the highest
quality? I would venture a guess that if we were to find the first run
of the very first Modo e Modo Moleskines, they would not be as good as
the one I am currently using as a journal.

However, that being said, a more concerning development are allegations
of inferior materials--the elastic band, the paper, etc. One can chalk
up things like the spine breaking to production inexperience, etc., but
inferior materials cannot be explained away. This is far more serious
and cannot be fixed by experience.

If you really want to move away from these Moleskines, Clairefontaine
and Rhodia both produce excellent, extremely high-quality notebooks &
pads, although they lack an abstract "warmth." If you go to your local
bookstore you will find dozens of Moleskine knockoffs that might suit
your fancy.

My question is: while the leatherbound notebooks have seen a decrease
in quality, is that also true for the cahiers?

And my other, more pressing question is: how can I tell the new,
poorer-quality ones from the older, high-quality ones? I want to go to
a few bookstores and stock up before it's too late.

[indigo]

I'm totally shocked to learn that my supposedly Italian notebooks are
now made in China. What the...?!

That being said, I have to point out many beloved brands are now
manufactured in China. One of which is my favourite Coach. You'd think
that prices would be a less but they are still charging a premium
because of the brand. And many still buy thinking they're getting a
"Made in the USA" product. And that's exactly what's happening to
moleskines now.

I honestly don't think letters to Modo are going to work. It's purely
economics and profits. Are you seriously going to stop buying them now?
I know I'm not...there isn't anything else out there as good. We'll all
grumble about it here and in our blogs but we'll still buy them. And
after a while, all this will just...stop.

[sbraley]

Ok, we're all getting hysterical (I know I am). "The Inquisitor" made
an interesting point, that if we are seeing Moleskines from a new
manufacturing arrangement, the books will get better over time.
UNLESS, we are ALSO seeing a degradation of materials. I see these as
two different problems. Bad manufacturing could get better over time,
but crummy elastic bands and cheap glue will only get worse. And
believe me, in the emails I've been clicking off to Modo e Modo, I've
pointed this out :-)

As far as the European-marketing issue, this cuts both ways. This is
hard for me to believe, but for a couple of years I saw Moleskine
displays in the stores where I was buying my (many types of)
notesbooks, and put my nose in the air. I was thinking, why would I
buy these because Hemingway supposedly used one? C'mon, I want a
notebook that PERFORMS.

So when I first tried Moleskine, sure enough, it was the top performer,
so now I go through stacks of them, because I love the size, shape,
paper quality, construction, and (sadly) the durability.

My point is (you knew I'd get to it sooner or later) I'm not going to
confuse form with function. As long as my Moleskines are functioning
as I want, I'm not going to let the form of marketing bother me.

I completely understand the sentiment though, because I have to admit
that I really loved the thought of my notebooks being stitched together
in a picturesque Italian shop and kept on a dusty shelf in a European
stationerer's until I needed one, at which point it was whisked through
time and space into my waiting hands. Should I give up my dream?

[Daly de Gagne]

indigo wrote:
> I honestly don't think letters to Modo are going to work. It's purely
> economics and profits. Are you seriously going to stop buying them now?
> I know I'm not...there isn't anything else out there as good. We'll all
> grumble about it here and in our blogs but we'll still buy them. And
> after a while, all this will just...stop.
>

Letters to Modo e Modo won't do any good now that the company is sold to
a French firm. However, letters to the French firm, once we get the
address may well help to get quality improvements. I suspect the French
firm may have got into this without knowing that M & M had a quality
problem.

If you can live with the quality lottery -- never knowing which book is
the one that will start to fall apart if you look at it the wrong way --
fine, but I am not. I had one of the small lined Moleskines that had
never been used. When I opened it one day with a view to using it, the
spine cracked and came loose from the cover. I am gentle with books, so
it wasn't that I was being forceful with it in any way. That hasn't
stopped a number of others from falling apart either.

And there are alternatives, such as the Triform books -- www.triform,com
-- created for use by police and others requiring a good notebook. The
pages of these pocket notebooks are ruled and *numbered*, which is a
plus. The covers are heavy paper for slipping into a plastic, leather,
or cordura cover. I have the cordura covers, and it is indestructable. I
stopped using the system when I discovered Moleskine, but it is my
fallback position.

As I have started using a fountain pen since I stopped using Triform, I
have tested my fountain pens on some Triform pages, and found that they
work as well if not better than in Moleskines.

Daly

>
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Tested on: 11/08/2006 7:51:07 AM

[SFWriter]

I'm stopping. I stopped already. I can't support that kind of lying.
They were marketed as a european product and they're not.
They have european roots but the way they've been sold is just not
honest.

[SFWriter]

One other thing I wanted to add - that if I'm going to buy a pocket
notebook from China, there are plenty of Moleskine knock offs hitting
the market now at $5.00 a pop.
If you live near a Books A Million - they have a line called Readables
Naturals. Identical to Moleskine for half the price. Barnes and Noble
have a linen bound knock off of the pocket size for $4.95 and there
will be many others cropping up I'm sure.
If you truly love the function - then you don't have to pay for the
name any more.

[drewmills]

I wrote to Sra Trenta, basically decrying the step backward in quality
for a premium priced product.

SFWriter wrote:
>
> Ms. Silvia Trenta
> Marketing Department
> MODO&MODO S.p.A.
> Viale di Porta Vercellina, 10
> 20123 Milano - Italy
>
>

Via babelfish, I hand-wrote both in Italian and English. But I also
sent it on Clairfontaine stationary. And I mentioned switching to
Clairfontaine in the message. I hope that wasn't too pushy! :)

[DigitalAlan]

This is why I have switched over to my new favorite brand of notebook
the Miquelrius Notebook - They have Grid, Lined, Blank - Come in
several sizes 100 pages, 200 pages, 300 pages - All very nice and VERY
fountain pen friendly - I use my Lamy and Waterman and Parker etc ..
on them with no bleed thru

And they came out with a very nice similar "Moleskines" looking
notebook But my favorite is still the Leather Like Journal in 4x6 size.
The price is $8 - $12 depending on the version that your purchase -
Available in several colors (Red, Green, Black, And Blue)

The 100 Page 4x6 size is very similar size to the moleskine but soft
cover and much much better paper quality. You can really tell the
difference.

They carry them locally in a couple of the bookstores (B&N, Borders)

Here is the article that I wrote about the newer version is located
here:
http://www.merlinstower.com/2006/07/16/new-miquelrius-journals-on-their-site/

I have had one that I carry with all my important phone #'s, passwords,
notes on websites, business info, personal info. This is my catch-all
journal that only houses that kind of info and I have had it for 2
years of me lugging it around in my leather holder I made and the
bindings are still strong - the cover is still nice and none of the
pages ever fell out. And I use this a lot for reference. I throw my 3x5
cars into various pages to keep me up to date and carry a printed
calendar around in it as well. It has served me well and continues to
do so with out all the issues the moleskine is having.

That is my 2 cents on this subject.

Alan - Digital Alan - www.MerlinsTower.com

[Armand]

Please continue discussions of alternative notebooks to the thread
Drewmills has started over at Notebookism/Google:

http://groups.google.com/group/notebookism/browse_frm/thread/65645d53...

Thank you.

[iJerry]

Actually - it IS about quality, and moleskines are, after all simply
notebooks. I buy them because they have squared paper and because there
is little bleed with a fountain pen, and because I like a number of
aspects of design - the bookmark, the elastic band, the rounded corners
and the pocket all contribute to my view of this as a well-thought-out
product. But if it falls apart, or the paper won't support fountain
pen, then its value to me is diminished (I'm still using ones I bought
a while back so I haven't experienced the quality issues yet). If need
be, at the price of Moleskines I will find the paper, make the bookmark
and the band and get my own notebooks bound. At the moment I can get an
a4 thesis library bound in hard covers with custom lettering for less
than the cost of a new moleskine cahier/pocket size. So the answer is
yes, if the quality is poor I'll move on - there's more than one way to
skin a notebook. Hopefully the new French owners will hold the
manufacturer to more strict quality assurance and once again make the
Moleskine a serious competitor for the Other French notebook.

Jerry (Canberra Australia)

[KK]

if this is true, im going bankrupt soon ,im a poor starving college
student. dang...we have to rally and let modo know what we think

[pure.mind]

SFWriter wrote:
> I noticed a significant decrease in the quality of the last Moleskine
> notebook I purchased. I looked at the tag and it said "Bound and
> Printed In China" "Designed and Packaged in Italy."
>

> I was kind of shocked to see that Modo is now manufacturing over there.
> I sent two email inquiries to them, but got no response. I also called
> Moleskine US and they did not have any information.
>
> I'd like to know, is this a permanent change? If so I need to start
> stashing away the older ones. I think it's really abysmal to let the
> quality of such a good product slip, and also for them to trade on the
> "European" tradition for something that is now being commoditzed and
> for all we know, made in some sweatshop.
>
> Has anyone else had this experience?
> Does anyone else have any info they can share?
>
> Thanks

[pure.mind]

Looks like it was decided a while ago that Moleskine would now be made
in China, see this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moleskineart/152871765/

[Keiko Yoshimi]

i have not yet used the ones made in china and all my stock notebooks
are, i believe, the older ones (prior to production being moved to
china). but if the quality of the paper deteriorates while they
continue to command premium price, i may have to look for an
alternative. HOWEVER, as i have mentioned before, it is hard to find
an alternative, especially when others don't have that back pocket
and the sturdy covers (more so the pocket, except for Rollbahn
notebooks, which has 3 plastic pockets(?) pouches(?) at the end of
the notebook, but these notebooks are nearly impossible to find)...

my second favourite brands are the above mentioned Rollbahn and
Miquelrius. I guess for the time being, i'll have to switch between
those three and see which one works the best for me, considering long-
term patronage into the future.

[pure.mind]

you won't have to wait long for some look-a-likers I think see this:
http://flickr.com/photos/mekkaniak/213435304/in/pool-36521985904@N01/

[Ken]

I guess you'll have to write moleskineus.com to let them know that
their website is wrong. It says "Moleskine journals are made in Italy."

[Daly de Gagne]

Are yiu sure that this is the company itself -- or simply the main US supplier.

I notice the name European Paper Company appeared on the site, and not Modo that I could see.

Is European Paper the new owner?

Daly

On 8/14/06, Ken <Ken....@gmail.com> wrote:

I guess you'll have to write moleskineus.com to let them know that
their website is wrong.  It says "Moleskine journals are made in Italy."

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Getting_Things_Done/

[sbraley]

I have been looking in all my local bookstores and stationers and I
find that even in one pile of brand-new Moleskines, there is a mixture
of the old and new. I think it would be a crapshoot to buy them over
the web, since the seller might not even be aware of the difference.
Have you tried eBay?

[Cinemafia]

Yeah, pretty soon (if not now) there's going to be a market on eBay for
Moleskine that don't have the MIC label! They might even end up going
for more than they do retail...

[Daly de Gagne]

Or there could be a market for trying to dump all the extra Moleskines people like me have bought to make sure we never run out.

And still I have heard no word from the American distributor after my posts re quality.

Here's a thought folks:

If you are aware of any publication that has run articles praising Moleskine and its cult-like following, send them emails making them aware of the quality problems.

Let's create a buzz about our quality concerns.

Daly

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Getting_Things_Done/

[Evan Edwards]

On Wednesday 16 August 2006 11:58, Daly de Gagne wrote:
> If you are aware of any publication that has run articles praising
> Moleskine and its cult-like following, send them emails making them aware
> of the quality problems.
>
> Let's create a buzz about our quality concerns.

Enough of a buzz could kill the company (or at least the brand) before
they even have a chance to address the issue.

--
Evan "JabberWokky" Edwards
http://www.cheshirehall.org/

[Daly de Gagne]

Point well taken.

I hope the American distributor realizes that there is more to be gained by communicating than continuing to ignore us.

Daly

[MarcClarke]

Good point. That is what can happen in the Internet age when a company
with a premium-priced product dramatically lowers their product's
quality and keeps the price the same. For me, the Moleskine brand is
already dead, as I won't buy any more of their products until I hear a
rousing chorus of satisfaction from other users, reporting that all the
paper quality, cover quality, and binding quality issues have been
resolved. I will not tolerate my journals coming apart. This is a
very highly competitive market. Moleskine has already lost me as a
customer. It will take tremendous effort on their part to even
possibly win me back. I suspect other former Moleskine enthusiasts
feel similarly about Moleskine's breach of faith with us.

[Evan Edwards]

On Wednesday 16 August 2006 10:16, MarcClarke wrote:
> I suspect other former Moleskine enthusiasts
> feel similarly about Moleskine's breach of faith with us.

Well, it could either be a breach of faith or a shipment of volumes from a
factory that did not meet their quality standards, but they were stuck with
no other choice; either go bankrupt or sell their inventory. Molo e Molo was
quite a small company and the sale is too new for the new owners to have an
effect on inventory that is currently in the marketplace.

You appear to assume, quite arrogantly, that you have knowledge that their
recent batch of notebooks was intentionally done "on the cheap". They were
looking to sell themselves, which is a flag that they may well have been in
financial difficulties (quite possibly doing well, but unable to expand),
there had been a dearth of products in the marketplace just before this new
batch, and they announced several new lines, which would likely need a new
manufacturer if the old one was already having trouble meeting their shipment
needs. Working with new manufacturers, especially when you are a small
company, is a walk through a mine field.

I am not assuming that the decline was, as alluded to in the sketch I have
written above, due to business pressure. I am not assuming anything; I (and
most people here) simply do not know. Whatever the reason, we are seeing the
issues within one shipment of volumes. If this one batch was done poorly
they have not yet had a chance to rectify the situation... and not selling
the batch may not have been a financially viable option. Either that, or
your fears are justified, and they have lowered their standards for more
profit -- but I cannot justify that with any information I have seen pass
this group. It is quite possible you have knowledge of the inner workings of
the company that have led you to this conclusion. I am sure I am not alone
in asking you for that information.

I do not know what is going on with the Moleskine brand, but I suspect
that your characterization of the quality issue as a "breach of faith" is
less of an informed statement and more of an emotional response.

[Daly de Gagne]

Evan, you are right, there is a lot we do not know for fact.

But we do know this for fact:

Both the US distributor and Modo e Modo, as far as we know, have not responded to none of the many people who have written to them. This behaviour predates the Modo e Modo holiday period.

We do not know the motive for ignoring their customer base, but the American distributor and Modo e Modo are acting stupidly

Modo e Modo is certainly putting their buyer into an awkward position, and the American distributor is allowing its customer base to be eaten up by disatisfaction.

Is any of this a breach of faith? Intentionally, maybe not. But objectively.....

Daly

On 8/17/06, Evan Edwards < jabbe...@gmail.com> wrote:

 

    I am not assuming that the decline was, as alluded to in the sketch I have
written above, due to business pressure.  I am not assuming anything; I (and
most people here) simply do not know.  Whatever the reason, we are seeing the
issues within one shipment of volumes.  If this one batch was done poorly
they have not yet had a chance to rectify the situation... and not selling
the batch may not have been a financially viable option.  Either that, or
your fears are justified, and they have lowered their standards for more
profit -- but I cannot justify that with any information I have seen pass
this group.  It is quite possible you have knowledge of the inner workings of
the company that have led you to this conclusion.  I am sure I am not alone
in asking you for that information.

    I do not know what is going on with the Moleskine brand, but I suspect
that your characterization of the quality issue as a "breach of faith" is
less of an informed statement and more of an emotional response.


--
Evan "JabberWokky" Edwards
http://www.cheshirehall.org/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Getting_Things_Done/

[MarcClarke]

Yes, I assume that who ever sells Moleskine journals is ultimately
responsible for the quality of those journals.

If a company decides to sell a batch of defective volumes, the company
can reasonably expect customer backlash such as this thread carries.

If a company is not monitoring the quality of their suppliers, the
company can reasonably expect customer backlash such as this thread
carries.

You grant me more knowledge and arrogance than I actually have. I do
not know who made what decision where or when. I do know that the
journals now shipping are not up to the quality standards of the
Moleskine journals I have bought in the past. I do know that someone
somewhere in the Moleskine supply chain made a decision to reduce
quality, using new covers, new binding, and new paper. The reports on
this thread make all of that clear, as there are now new covers, new
binding, and new paper. Are you with me so far? No matter who made
those quality-reducing decisions, the sellers of the Moleskine journals
(Modo e Modo or the new owners) are responsible for ensuring that their
supply chain is producing high quality journals (as before). The
quality decrease happend "on their watch", no matter who made the
implicit or explicit decision to reduce quality.

Let us take a few other examples, maybe automobile tires. If a tire
manufacturer sells a premium tire and has a quality problem with one of
their suppliers, you don't mind driving around with your family on
defective tires that could get you all killed, do you? I certainly
would mind. Can you say Ford Explorers and Bridgestone tires?

I hope you are not saying that it is OK for manufacturers of formerly
high quality products to reduce quality and keep the same high price,
are you?

Sure, a Moleskine journal is not a tire, and a quality decrease in a
paper journal is not a life-threatening issue. It certainly is an
emotional issue. I LOVE my old Moleskine journals. I luxuriate in
writing in them. I enjoy reading them.

Modo e Mode went out of their way to foster the emotional connection I
had to their journals with the ads about how various famous artists and
writers used their journals and relied on them (even though the
journals those artists used were not made by Modo e Modo, but Mode e
Mode used the emotional link anyway). Sure, for me writing in a
journal is all about sensation and emotions. I like the feel and the
sound of my fountain pen gliding across the beautifully finished paper
in m old Moleskine journals. I enjoy running the book mark through my
fingers while I think. Sure, writing in a Moleskine journal is an
emotinoal experience, and Modo e Mode worked hard to establish that
emotional connection.

Sure, somebody at Modo e Modo or the new owners have performed a breach
of faith. I used to have faith in their quality and I paid their very
high prices to get that. Now, I don't get that same quality, but the
high price remains the same. Yes, of course there has been a breach of
faith by the sellers of Moleskine journals. Yes I am highly emotional
about the breach of faith, I am very dissapointed that the Moleskine
journals I used to know and love and enjoy and buy are apparently gone
(new manufacturer, new owner, new wrapper label, new low quality, same
old name, same old high price). Any one who assumes that emtions are
not a factor in a customer's selection of a product does not yet know
very much about marketing, I fear.

At this time, all the information I have says the made in China labeled
Moleskine journals are exhibiting poorer bindings, poorer covers, and
poorer paper.

But maybe you know something the rest of us do not.

How do you know the quality issues we are seeing are only in one lot of
journals? Are there lot numbers somewhere we can check? I have looked
at all my Moleskine journals and I can not find any such identifying
numbers. If there are both good lots and bad lots with the made in
China wrappers, can we start to figure out which are the good lots so
we can all avoid the bad lots? Or are you just inventing the
information that the problem is restricted to one bad lot, without any
actual data to back up your supposition?

[MarcClarke]

Evan, your post really got me thinking. Are you not suggesting that
Moleskine might be the unknowing victim of Chinese counterfeiters?
That would explain the lower quality and the very slightly changed
packaging. With the Italian Modo e Modo on their predicted vacation, a
new owner, inevitable confusion surrounding the change-over in owners,
the US distributors expecting to receive shipments from a new Chinese
supplier, and so on. I have heard of counterfeit blue jeans, watches,
consumer products, and books. I have seen pirated counterfeit copies
of American copyrighted books in the past. Counterfeit Moleskine
journals? I think you might be onto something here.

[GM]

They key is to just stop buying and make your voices heard by those in
charge. Then wait for a reply. Then wait for a marked change in the
quality for the better. If neither of those come, continue to not buy.
Continue to voice your dissatisfaction to others who might, or already
do, buy. Turn the marketing campaign of word of mouth upside down on
them. Of course, people like Armand have much more influence than any
given user. Will he continue to support Moleskine if the quality goes
down?

[MarcClarke]

I have sent e-mail and snail-mail to Modo e Modo. I have complained to
the store managers at my two local stores that sell Moleskine products.
I hope that the end retailer's voices may be heard by the distributor,
even if my individual voice may not be heard.

[Evan Edwards]

On Thursday 17 August 2006 5:15, MarcClarke wrote:

> Evan Edwards wrote:
> >     I do not know what is going on with the Moleskine brand, but I
>

> we can all avoid the bad lots? Or are you just inventing the
> information that the problem is restricted to one bad lot, without any
> actual data to back up your supposition?

I believe that I answered your question. My point is that we don't know.
My main problem was your use of the term "faith". Faith is for God and
lovers. Both artists and businesses are forced to be a bit more pragmatic or
they will be found to, like the boojum, have "softly and suddenly vanished
away".

[Evan Edwards]

On Thursday 17 August 2006 8:00, MarcClarke wrote:
> Are you not suggesting that
> Moleskine might be the unknowing victim of Chinese counterfeiters?

Not at all... that they may be the victims of a manufacturing facility
that produced some prototypes that were quite nice and met the quality of
Moleskines. They then ordered shipping crates full of them and what was in
the shipping crates was not at all the same quality as the prototypes.

It happens quite often with Chinese scooter parts. That's why my mind
went to that concept; many people who commission parts from Chinese factories
have run into the same problem. One factory might do a fairly good job,
another shows nicer prototypes at a less expensive rate, but then delivers
even worse than the first factory. In some cases you can find dealers
dumping the inventory close to cost to recoup their losses; they generally
aren't large enough to take a loss on the order of parts.

To make it even more... ahem... interesting, Chinese factories have a
habit of (at least for scooter parts) bidding out sub-lots of a large order
that they can't handle. Some regions have high quality factories and do very
nice work... and mixed in with that are products from lower quality
factories.

Counterfeit? Well, not quite. But also quite possibly not the product
that Molo e Molo expected when they placed their large order of the new
expanded line of notebooks this time around. At least not in quality. And
once they arrive, they may simply not have the option of tossing them and
reordering. It is quite nice to talk of them going bankrupt for some sort
of "faith" issue, but that really isn't a sensible option, especially when
they are brokering a buyout.

And again, the brutal truth is that we don't know. Writing to the company
is a good idea. Causing a fuss is a good idea. My main problem with the
original post was the use of the term "faith". It's a product, not a
religion. If it is lousy, I simply don't buy it. If it becomes good again,
I do. It is not some sort of personal affront. No worries; they aren't big
ticket items, they are simply notebooks around the same cost of an evening
dining out. I have certainly known restaurants that have had bad runs, some
recover, some don't. Some go out of business and some stay in business.

Speculation on the cause of your burned entree is fun, but either the food
is good or it ain't. They just hired a new French chef: I'll wait until he
starts cooking, stop on by and see if it's any good. If not... well, it's no
personal attack on me. I'll just find a new place to dine at.

[MarcClarke]

Evan, now I think I understand the confusion. "Breach of faith" is
also a legalistic term. I was using it in that sense, not in a
religious sense. I had faith that Moleskine was going to continue
producing the same journals I love. You might be more comfortable with
the phrase "breach of trust". I apologize for the confusion. I did
not mean to make any sort of religious allusion. Perhaps you would be
more comfortable to say, "We can no longer trust the Moleskine brand to
mean high quality covers, high quality paper, and high quality
bindings. Moleskine has committed a breach of trust with its loyal and
passionate customers." Does that work better for you?

[MarcClarke]

Evan, the use of the word "faith" is not restricted solely to religion
and relationships as you suggest it is. The term "faith" has uses in
law and philosophy, not just in religion and relationships. Please see
the Wikipedia definitions for "good faith"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_faith): "Good faith, or in Latin
bona fides, is the mental and moral state of honesty, conviction as to
the truth or falsehood of a proposition or body of opinion, or as to
the rectitude or depravity of a line of conduct, even if the conviction
is objectively unfounded. This concept is important in law."

Please also see the Wikipedia definition for "bad faith"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_faith): "In philosophy bad faith is
the flight from existential responsibility Bad faith (Latin: male
fides) is a legal concept that can be found in many areas of the law."

While I do find a Moleskine journal to fit well in my suit coat's
jacket pocket and to be quite useful for jotting notes during a sermon
or a religious discussion, I certainly did not mean to drag my religion
or your religion into a discussion of Moleskine's decreased quality of
covers, bindings, and paper. Again, I apologize for your confusion; I
was and am talking about Moleskine's recent decrease in quality in the
sense of "good faith" and "bad faith" (per the Wikipedia definitions)
rather than in any sense of religious faith.

I realize that many readers of this thread may not be native English
speakers, so I thank you for raising this point about the multiple
English uses of the word "faith".

[Evan Edwards]

On Friday 18 August 2006 8:59, MarcClarke wrote:
>  I did
> not mean to make any sort of religious allusion.  Perhaps you would be
> more comfortable to say, "We can no longer trust the Moleskine brand to
> mean high quality covers, high quality paper, and high quality
> bindings.  Moleskine has committed a breach of trust with its loyal and
> passionate customers."  Does that work better for you?

I wasn't taking it as specifically religious (which is why I said "Faith
is for God and lovers"), but rather as a personal injustice. I don't see
anything personal in a product dipping in quality. I think that, even when
honestly trying to made an outstanding product, there can be problems. They
are a fairly small business working within realistic bounds of their
product -- a rather inexpensive notebook. They aren't Mead, who can dump a
bad shipment and eat the loss, nor do they have the clout of a major company
like Mead. Nor are they producing high end several hundred dollar leather
bound journals in small lots. They're a fairly small company making large
numbers of pretty cheap notebooks. The quality versus price was always
surprisingly good. Now it's a bit more in line with the price (a la
Miquelrius, which have always fallen apart on me). Hopefully they can
increase the quality to again exceed what one would expect for such a low
price.

I'm not making excuses... I'm just being realistic. It's a notebook, not
an expensive journal. For a long time they were better than their price
would suggest. They have recently dropped in quality, and it looks like
there were manufacturing changes.

If we weren't all writers and artists, there would be far fewer words
written on this. If these were oil filters (about the same price, bought by
people about as often) and we were gear heads, we'd all warn each
other "yeah, the McGuffin oil filters used to be a great deal until last
April". There would be no lamenting nor gnashing of teeth and talk
about "breech of trust". Some people would move on, some would stock up on
old filters, some would make a quiet mental note to try them again in a few
months.

Moleskines are cheap notebooks. They still are. The latest batch isn't
as good as in the past. This is not an injustice... it's just what happens
sometimes with products. Complain to the company, hope they get better. If
they do, enjoy them. If they don't, find another notebook.

[Cinemafia]

Yesterday I happened to go into my local Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up
some new bed sheets, when I ran into (almost literally) a display case
with an assortment of 'Back To School' odds-and-ends at the front
entrance of the store. What was the first item I noticed in this
display? You guessed it, a bin of Moleskine notebooks.

I've been an avid BB&B shopper for several years, and this was the
first time they've ever carried Moleskines that I've been aware of.
Untypical from the manner in which I generally find Moleskine notebooks
displayed, these notebooks were stacked haphazardly in a plain
cardboard box on a shelf of the display. It had a very 'clearance
sale' look to it, which although common at BB&B, is not how I'd expect
to find Moleskines.

Since this was the first time I'd seen any Moleskines being sold in a
retail setting since long before this issue began, I decided to take a
close look at them. Sure enough, along the bottom of the paper strip
on the back of each notebook were those dreaded words, 'Manufactured
and Printed in China'. I found one had already been opened, and was
laying on top of the others.

Picking the unsealed notebook up in my hands, I immediately noticed the
difference in the cover. The material was all wrong...sure it was
black, but it was too shiny, too smooth, and just felt 'cheap'. There
was also a significant gap between the inside of the cover and the
spine that allowed me to see how poorly it was bound. Finally, the
paper was different...not soft enough, and too smooth.

Of course, these observations have already been made by many others in
this very thread. But, perhaps I had to witness them myself to truly
understand the heft of this issue. Although with 4 'original-quality'
Moleskines currently at my disposal, I have no immediate need for any
new ones, I am at least in spirit joining the boycott. Oh, and in case
anyone's wondering, the substandard Moleskines I saw at BB&B were
priced at US$12.