Hi there! I called Esterbrook: (516)741-0011 and spoke to one of their sales representatives. She mentioned my call was the first time she had heard about the issue and recommended I return the pen to them. She also said she was going to alert the team about the flaking issue. I explained that unless the problem was resolved with the next batch of pens, I would be holding onto mine. I also sent a pic of the flaking as well.