Lenovo Outlet - Pricematch Help!

I recently purchased a W520 from the Lenovo Outlet for $1291 (excluding taxes, shipping etc.) -

Condition New
Core i7 2860 2.5 Ghz
Win 7 Professional
Nvidia Quadro 2000
4 gb RAM
FHD Screen 1920 X 1080
No Fingerprint Scanner
DVD Drive
160GB SSD
9 Cell Battery
1 Year Depot Warranty

The next morning (less than 12 hours later) I rechecked the Lenovo Outlet website and see that the exact same configuration was available for $936! That was a more than $350 dollar difference!

I also found another laptop which was the exact same configuration but had an additional 12gb ram as compared to the above configuration. Even this model was selling for $1108 almost $200 cheaper than what I paid.

As expected, I was furious and immediately called Customer Support. After the initial there is nothing we can do, they finally connected me to sales and the lady there said she can prepare a RMA for returning my laptop and I can place an order for a new one. She refused to cancel the current order even though it had only been < 12 hours. Anyways, I asked her what other options I had and later she said she could do a price match provided I add the above said machines to a cart and send it to her.

When I went back to the outlet website, the $936 laptop was out of stock but the $1108 laptop was still in stock so I quickly added it and mailed her the cart, even though it had an additional 12gb of RAM. I also sent her a screenshot of the same config. laptop which was selling for $936 just to let her know that it was visible on their website.

To summarize -
Laptop I paid for $1291 (configuration above)
1st Laptop available on their website next morning same config - $936
2nd Laptop same config but addtional 12gb ram - $1108

I called multiple times but I am told that they cannot do a price match till my current order ships. How is this fair practice? Has anyone experienced something like this before and can guide me? I expected more from a brand name like Lenovo. I do not want to go through the hassle of re-sending the laptop I receive and ordering another one. The deals are no longer even available on their website its a good thing I took screenshots. I really hope they do a price match its the ethical thing to do.

 

Just my own opinion here, I don't think Lenovo owes you anything. They offered you a notebook at a certain price, which you agreed to, and then they sold it to you at that price. The fact that you found a better price the next day is irrelevant. It's not Lenovo's duty to offer you the best price. I don't think Lenovo did anything shady or unethical. Getting the best price is always tough to do, but if that's a priority for you, you should do your homework or at least read the relevant policies.

 

I don't want to get into a debate here. If it were the way you have put it, there would be no such thing as a price match. The fact that the sales rep agreed to do a price match (not done yet but verbally agreed) shows that Lenovo agrees its incorrect to have a price dropped by $350 dollars overnight. I asked if anyone had a similar experience and need help from someone who has been in the same situation. I just want to know if they were able to get their situation resolved. Thanks for replying but I need help from someone who has been through this not personal opinion.

 

No, I think you asked if it was fair, which is an opinion, or did I misquote? I think you also implied that lowering their price was somehow unethical, which I is why I replied as I did. There's nothing unethical or incorrect about it nor do I think anyone is entitled to the best price. Businesses flip-flop their prices everyday and Lenovo lived up to their end of the bargain.

 

Not interested in arguing about something that's irrelevant to the topic of this thread.

You've given me your opinion, can we please move on? I disagree that no one is entitled to the best price.

I am trying to find someone who has dealt with something like this before. The only reason I got ethics into the picture is because of the way Customer Care has dealt with me. First I was told nothing can be done (no returns/refunds). Then I was told by another Customer rep that a return was the only option and a price match/cancellation was out of the question. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, suddenly a price match was an option. If the rules and policies are are so well defined and enforced at Lenovo, how is it that different options suddenly become available thorough different Cust reps? I made it a point to note down the Cust rep ID so I can deal with the same person here on.

If you haven't been in such a situation, please ignore this thread. I mean no disrespect.

 

I don't believe that you'll find many people who have been in situation similar to yours, for one simple reason: Outlet purchases are NOT subject to price match the way "standard" ones from the "main" website are.

You might get somewhere with your quest, or you might not. Keep us posted on any progress or lack thereof by all means.

Good luck.

 

You should have purchased the $936 one and call to cancel your original order. As long as the order hasn't been shipped Lenovo will attempt to cancel the order, if they can't intercept it, which is most likely you will get a prepaid shipping label to send it back once you have accepted it.

I agree that Lenovo is not obliged to do a price match for you, they did out of courtesy so I think it's perfectly fair and ethical.

 

That was exactly what I wanted to do. But they said that my order cannot be cancelled even though it had been only a couple of hours. It shipped 4 days after I called them up the first time and asked them to cancel, so obviously there was time to cancel. The Cust Rep said the only option available to me is a return and I need to wait for it to ship for that to happen. What I found unfair was the fact that they said cancellation is not an option and only a return was possible. Only later did they agree to a price match. Anyways, they haven't yet done any pricematch, only promised to look into it. I will update this thread with the outcome but I am not holding my breath especially after the way the whole situation was handled by them.

 

during checkout there should have been a terms and conditions area requiring user agreement stating something to the effect that orders cannot be canceled once placed.

at a minimum it's in the "shopping help" link found at the bottom of every page in the outlet.
Shopping Help | Lenovo Outlet (US) | Lenovo | (US)

if the customer service rep said the only option was to return and not cancel then he or she was following policy.

regarding price matching, i can't find a price match policy anywhere in the outlet.

 

Thanks for looking and for pointing that out. I searched on forums online and I got mixed results with some claiming that a cancellation is possible and some saying its not. As for the price-match, I couldn't find relevant information just a couple of users on forums claiming they did get it done. For now I am just waiting to hear back from them.

 

I too, noticed a few days later that the same exact system I bought from the Outlet was available for a lower price (not as big as $350 difference). I called an inquired about a price match, they said no can do, so I moved on - no big deal.

I would suggest that you watch the Outlet prices for a while and grab the system you want at a price that you think is acceptable to you. You may never get the lowest price that system has ever shown up in the Outlet for, but the key is a price that is acceptable to you. Now, you have a pretty good idea of the upper and lower bound for this particular system, let's say 900 ≤ $ ≤ 1100. Next time you'll have more information to make a better judgment.

 

The thing is, you can't call to cancel just because you got it at a lower price later, however you can use other excuses such as some configuration is not listed, i.e. they don't say there is no webcam or BT.

 

Hi everyone thank you for all your inputs. Finally after a lot of calls and speaking to different reps, I got this mail from Lenovo -

I'm super happy I got the pricematch and thankful to Lenovo. I wasn't trying to lowball them, its just that it annoyed me that the price fell by such a huge amount in a few hours. Hope this helps someone else in a similar situation. Do not give up and get discouraged, its hard earned money after all!

 

Good for you! Congrats!

 

Nice to see a happy ending