Manuscript Repairs Hub
Warranty and repairs
Cross pen servicing and repair
Most Cross writing instruments are guaranteed for life against mechanical failure. Work through the five steps below and you will know whether your pen is covered, whether you can put it right yourself, and whether there is anything to pay.
Manuscript Pen Company is the exclusive distributor for A.T. Cross in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and administers the Cross warranty here.
Step one
What sort of fault is it?
The Cross guarantee covers mechanical failure — the pen not working as it was built to. It does not cover damage or wear, at any age. Everything else on this page follows from which of these two your pen falls into.
Covered
The mechanism has failed
It will not advance or retract. It will not hold a refill. It will not screw together. The clutch spins without engaging. A fountain pen will not draw ink through a clean feed.
If the pen has not been dropped, crushed or taken apart, this is a warranty claim and we settle it by replacing the pen.
Not covered
It has been damaged or worn
Dents, scratches, a bent or broken clip, chipped or lifting lacquer, a dropped nib, a cap that has worked loose, or a stylus tip that has worn down.
None of this is covered at any age, however the pen was bought, and it is not work we can put right. Please contact us before sending anything in.
Step two
Try this before you send anything
These are the problems we are asked about most, and several are not faults at all. Please try the remedy here first — if it does not put things right, carry on below.
It has stopped writing altogether
Nine times out of ten this is simply an empty refill, and it is the single most common reason a pen is sent to us for repair. Unscrew or pull the pen apart, take the refill out and look at the ink level through the barrel.
If it still has ink but will not start, scribble on a scrap of paper for twenty seconds or so — a ballpoint left unused can dry at the very tip and usually clears itself.
The new refill will not fit, or rattles about
Cross uses its own refill formats, and they are not interchangeable with Parker-style refills despite looking similar. A refill that is slightly too short will rattle and will not advance properly; one that is slightly too long will jam the mechanism.
Check the old refill against the range before ordering. If a non-Cross refill has damaged the mechanism, that damage is not covered by the guarantee — please get in touch before sending the pen anywhere.
It skips, or leaves blobs of ink
Wipe the tip on a soft cloth first — fibres and dried ink collect there and are the usual cause of both.
Very glossy or coated paper can also make a ballpoint skip, so try it on plain paper before assuming the pen is at fault. If it still misbehaves, the refill is likely past its best; ink dries out over time even in an unused refill.
My fountain pen will not start after being put away
Ink dries in the feed when a fountain pen is left standing. Remove the cartridge or converter and flush the section through with cool water until it runs clear — warm water can affect the adhesives, so keep it cool.
Leave it to dry nib-down on kitchen paper, then fit a fresh cartridge. Most pens that arrive here ‘not working’ need nothing more than this.
The cap has gone loose and will not stay on
A push-on cap loosens with use. That is wear rather than a mechanical fault, so it is not covered by the guarantee and it is not something an assessment will put right.
There is one exception. If the cap screws on and the thread itself has split or broken — a known issue on the Peerless — that is a mechanical failure and is covered. Tell us that is what has happened when you get in touch.
The stylus no longer works on my screen
Stylus tips wear down with use. On the Tech2 and Tech3+ the tip is a consumable and is sold separately — replacing it takes seconds and needs no tools.
If you have a Tech Pro or a Townsend Fine Tip Stylus and the electronics have failed rather than the tip, that is covered for one year from purchase. Send us the date of purchase when you get in touch.
My Cross TrackR pen no longer connects
TrackR withdrew support for its Bluetooth modules, so the tracking function on these pens no longer works and cannot be restored. There is no repair we can carry out and no replacement module available.
The writing instrument itself is unaffected and remains covered by the usual Cross mechanical guarantee.
Step three
Is there anything to pay?
If the mechanism has failed, what happens next depends on when and where the pen was bought. The lifetime warranty applies either way — this only decides whether there is anything to pay for handling the claim.
First 12 months — no charge
You bought it from uk.cross.com
We sold it, so we handle it. There is nothing to pay and no receipt to chase — just tell us what has gone wrong.
First 6 months — ask the seller
You bought it somewhere else
Whoever sold it to you — shop or marketplace — has to put a fault right, and that is the quickest way. Come to us if they refuse, go quiet, or have closed.
£20.00
You bought it longer ago than that
The lifetime mechanical warranty still applies, whatever the age of the pen. The charge covers assessing it and posting it back to you.
Before you go on
Neither route covers accidental damage. The assessment charge is not refunded, including where we find the fault is damage or wear rather than a mechanical failure. If there is any chance your pen has been dropped or knocked, please contact us first.
Whichever of these applies to you, read on: the next sections explain both ways of starting your claim and the process that follows.
Step four
How do I arrange to return my pen?
-
You get an order number from us
You need an order number from us before you return your pen. Please do not send your pen without one — we will not be able to process your claim.
Paying for an assessment gets you your order number at checkout, and we email the return address straight away.
Claiming free, you send the claim form with photographs and we check your claim first. If it qualifies we email you a confirmation with nothing to pay; if it does not, we tell you why. From that point the two processes are identical. -
You post the pen to us
We email the return address with your confirmation. Print your order confirmation — it shows your order number, which is how we identify your pen — and put it in the parcel. Please pack the pen properly to avoid damage in transit, and use a tracked and insured service: until it reaches us, it is your responsibility. -
We assess it
We inspect the pen and decide whether the fault is mechanical. If you paid the assessment charge, that is what it bought: the charge is for the assessment process and is not refunded whichever way the decision goes. -
You get a replacement, or your pen back
If the fault is covered by the lifetime mechanical warranty we replace the pen with the same model or its nearest equivalent — or, occasionally, repair it where we have the parts. If we replace your pen, the original is not returned and no further claim can be made on it.
If it is accidental damage or wear we cannot put it right, so your own pen comes back to you unchanged.
Either way we tell you what we found, and it is posted back at our cost with tracking.
How long it takes
Assessment usually takes a few weeks from the day your pen reaches us. Lead times on replacement pens vary, and a discontinued or unusual model can take longer to match. We would rather say that than quote a date we cannot stand behind.
Reference
The guarantee in full
The detail behind the summary above — which products are covered for how long, what the guarantee excludes, and where your rights in law sit alongside it.
Cover by product, and what counts as mechanical failure
Mechanical failure means a product that is defective, or unable to function, as a result of its construction or workmanship, when used in accordance with the care and use instructions. Cross decides whether an item is mechanically defective. Claims are settled by replacement with the same or an equivalent item, and replacements are not engraved.
| Product | Period | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Cross writing instruments | Lifetime | Mechanical failure, regardless of age |
| Foundry, Lume, Prism and Ashford | Two years | Mechanical failure, from the date of delivery |
| Cross leather and journals | One year | Manufacturing defects, from the date of purchase |
| Tech Pro and Townsend Fine Tip Stylus | One year electronic | Electronic failure, alongside the mechanical warranty |
Tech2, Tech3+ and Tech4 carry the standard mechanical warranty. TrackR has withdrawn support for its Bluetooth modules, so the tracking function on Cross TrackR pens no longer works; the writing function is unaffected and remains covered.
What the guarantee does not cover
A guarantee covers manufacturing faults. However long it runs — and on most Cross pens it runs for the life of the pen — it does not cover accidental damage, ordinary wear, or parts that are simply used up.
- Normal wear and tear, staining, discolouration and scratches.
- Accident, fire, theft, flood, or other causes beyond our control.
- Ink leaking onto clothing, textiles or other property.
- Misuse, abuse or negligence — including damage to pocket clips, tops, fountain pen nibs, emblems, engraving and other personalisation.
- Repairs or alterations carried out by anyone other than an authorised service centre.
- Damage caused by refills or ink cartridges other than Cross.
- Loose caps. The one exception we make is a threaded cap whose thread has split or broken — a known issue on the Peerless — so do tell us if that is what has happened.
- Refills, leads, erasers and ink exhausted in normal use. These are consumables rather than faults, and there is no need to send the pen anywhere. Buy Cross refills.
- Stylus tips on the Tech2 and Tech3+. These wear out and are sold separately.
Your rights in law
These are the terms of the Cross guarantee, and they sit alongside your rights in law rather than replacing them. A pen that fails unusually early may not have been of satisfactory quality under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, whatever the guarantee says, and that is a claim against whoever sold it to you.
Step five
Start your claim
There are two ways in, and which one you use depends on the answer you reached in step three. Both end the same way: an order number, and an email with the address to post your pen to.
No charge from us
Bought from uk.cross.com within the last twelve months, or bought elsewhere and the seller has refused, not replied, or is no longer trading.
Send us the details and a couple of photographs. We check every claim by hand, and if it qualifies we email you a confirmation with the address to post your pen to. There is no charge from us at any stage — the only cost to you is posting the pen here, and we cover the postage back.
Start a free claimAssessment charge — £20.00
Bought longer ago than that, or you are not sure when or where it was bought.
Fill in a short form and pay the assessment charge at checkout. You get your order number and the return address straight away. The charge is not refunded, including if we find the fault is not covered — so if you are still inside a free window, use the free claim instead.
Book an assessmentQuestions
Ask before you post
If you are not sure whether your pen is covered, whether you should be paying, or it is not a Cross, get in touch first — please do not post anything until you have.
- Opening hours
- Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm. Friday, 9am to 3pm.
This servicing operation is provided by Manuscript Pen Company Ltd, exclusive distributor for A.T. Cross in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Cross and the Cross logo are trademarks of A.T. Cross Company, used under licence. Nothing on this page affects your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.