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    Lenovo prices dropping

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by ari_m, Jul 19, 2007.

  1. ari_m

    ari_m Notebook Consultant

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    It's good, I guess.

    Last week when I placed my order, I paid $1219 for a certain T61 configuration (before tax.) Today I can get the same setup for $1096, that's $123 less! Lenovo also seems to have lowered their prices on RAM and HD upgrades to the point where I could now get 160G HD and 2G memory, all for less than what I paid originally!

    The trouble is that I pumped it up to ~1200 so that I could get in under the Tailormade level of $1300 after taxes, butTailormade won't credit my purchase until the machine ships. The ESP is now 8/13 and the Tailormade deal expires on 7/31.

    I called a rep and asked if they could upgrade my specs, but he said they would have to cancel the old order and issue a brand new one - putting me at the back of the queue again :(

    In fact, if I order another one, I would gain:
    +1G RAM
    +40G HD space
    + Some other gadget - what? I already have the fingerprint reader that I didn't even want. Intel ABGN? Is there a way I can get an extra battery? (I know I can get an Ultrabay battery, but I'd like one of the standard batteries)

    Or I could figure that I'm going to lose my Tailormade discount anyway because the system will ship too late. If that's the case, I'd still like to get a price adjustment. If I understand the Lenovo price matching scheme, I'd have to stick with my current specs.

    Anyone have good strategies for dealing with this? I'm always looking to get the most bang for the buck!

    In any case, now's a good time to be ordering these. The price is starting to look as good as a Dell!
     
  2. flight#24

    flight#24 Notebook Consultant

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    Do you think the prices will continue this downward trend? I mean, is it going to decrease again soon? I feel like I am gambling because I don't know if I should buy one NOW or wait couple of weeks for it to reduce again. Any advice?

    School starts @ end of September...hmmm...I still have time.
     
  3. SkiBunny

    SkiBunny Notebook Deity

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    Yes prices go down continuously, or you get more bang for the same buck.. So nobody should whine when they see the price is lower the next month. Cripes.

    At least you got yours now. There are month-long delays now on larger hard drives and higher resolution screens. Is it worth saving $100 today but having to wait until Labor Day to get it?
     
  4. sp00n

    sp00n Notebook Deity

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    You better order before August. I'm estimating AT LEAST a month for shipping.
     
  5. stonersmurf

    stonersmurf Notebook Enthusiast

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    I canceled my first order and the second shipped out a week later, so its not that big of a deal. I would say do it or you will regret it. :rolleyes:
     
  6. SkiBunny

    SkiBunny Notebook Deity

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    hmm good, what HD and display did you choose?
     
  7. vaw

    vaw Notebook Deity

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    Really? Does that mean Tailormade will be useless now, since the shipping for any order placed now will certainly be after 7/31? :(
     
  8. jino215

    jino215 Notebook Enthusiast

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    the price of x61 has gone down $80 for my spec since June 22.
    it has not been a month now....
    is there anything like cash back program if the price drops within a month?
    just wonder...
     
  9. newskin

    newskin Notebook Geek

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    The Tailormade cashback thing has been around since at least April that I remember and has stated it would expire at the end of every month and has renewed at the beginning of every month so I really wouldn't worry about it people.

    But I guess that's not to say that there isn't a possibility that it will end this month.
     
  10. sp00n

    sp00n Notebook Deity

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    How long does it take Lenovo usually to charge your credit card from the date of purchase? I ordered on the 16th and hopefully they charge my card before the end of this month.
     
  11. flight#24

    flight#24 Notebook Consultant

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    Since we are talking about discounts, is there a discount for buying with a Visa or a Mastercard?

    THanks
     
  12. ari_m

    ari_m Notebook Consultant

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  13. flight#24

    flight#24 Notebook Consultant

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    ^^ Thanks. One question though, how do I actually receive the discount? I don't see any place where I have to sign up.
     
  14. ari_m

    ari_m Notebook Consultant

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    There's nothing to do. Just use the Lenovo link at the bottom of the page I posted, and you will automatically get a lower price. If you want to compare vs. the price everyone else sees, open up lenovo.com in a separate browser window first. It's not huge, but it will probably save you $50-100 from the total. It's yet another alternative to EPP and SPP.
     
  15. lowspeed

    lowspeed Notebook Evangelist

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    The price went down, but you can't order... its been like that all day and some of last night...

    WTF is going on with that company ?


    ...
     
  16. wearetheborg

    wearetheborg Notebook Virtuoso

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    AFAIK, tailormade discount depends on the order date, and not the shipping date. At least thats the opinion on fatwallet.
     
  17. Tony Rayford

    Tony Rayford Notebook Guru

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    I priced the model I bought last month.

    Price paid June 9th $1235.90
    price now July 19th $1095.65
     
  18. illmatic

    illmatic Notebook Consultant

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    I predict that lenovo will be getting alot of calls tomorrow for price adjustments for orders that have not shipped yet...i'll be one of those people. Also, those that are worried about losing their 3.5 percent cash back from fatwallet...honestly, if i could have both i would, but right now, you get back around 100 bucks off what prices were yesterday...that's probably a good 5-7% off what you probably paid.
     
  19. vaw

    vaw Notebook Deity

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    Thanks to Lenovo reps' big lie about 14" 4:3 T61 coming out around this time: had I not been waiting for that, I'd have already placed an order! :spinny:
     
  20. JaeZTT

    JaeZTT Notebook Consultant

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    Do you know what would happen if Lenovo pricematched after I got the Tailormade? On my account, it already says paid (received laptop today), but I would like to pricematch.
     
  21. wearetheborg

    wearetheborg Notebook Virtuoso

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    No idea, you should call tailormade and check
     
  22. stonersmurf

    stonersmurf Notebook Enthusiast

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    100GB 7200rpm drive and 14.1 WXGA+ TFT display.
     
  23. ari_m

    ari_m Notebook Consultant

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    So it's the camera and 160G HD that's causing all the trouble, just as everyone has been saying. But for me, the camera is a big part of why I want the T61 anyway, so I guess it's worth the wait.

    EDIT: Ok, I caved in an ordered the 160G HD. My last ESD was 8/13, so a couple more weeks won't kill me at this point. I also threw in an Ultrabay battery to meet the Tailormade 7% threshold, but for all I know my original system would have shipped too late anyway to meet the 7/31 TM deadline. I'm going to be old and grey by the time this thing shows up at my doorstep! :D
     
  24. SkiBunny

    SkiBunny Notebook Deity

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    I'd say that'd be not unusual for 6 weeks.

    Price of yours could be only 3-digits by Labor Day or sooner.
     
  25. pragnanzer

    pragnanzer Newbie

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    It is great that I came across this website/forum today for another reason and accidentally found out the machine that I received yesterday is now $150 cheaper ($1,549 on July 9, and $1,399 on July 20 today).

    I called Lenovo (1-866-968-4465), then pressed 4, waited for 20 minutes and talked to a representative. He gave me his email address and asked me to get a price quote for the same machine configuration on Lenovo website (where I placed my order on July 9) and sent him back the new price. He told me that someone in the sales department at Lenovo will verify the information and will get back to me in 2 days. He mentioned that there is a "price protection" for me so I will be refunded the difference. I do not know how it works for those who didn't order from the Lenovo website.
     
  26. dxboy

    dxboy Notebook Guru

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    Although the T61 14.1-inch model has been shown on Intel's Santa Rose press conference in Beijing, China, I never see such a model yet. It should only be available to educational customers according to tabook. You can find the spec on the latest edition of tabook (July 2007). I personally prefer the following model 8889-24U T7300 2.00 1GB 14.1" SXGA+ 128MB 120G 5400 DVD±RW 11a/b/g32 None /54 9 HE EasyServ Business32.

    I have checked the price on Lenovo OSU alumni & retirees site ( www.lenovo.com/shop/deals/osualumni), the list price is $1984 and Lenovo direct price for OSU student & alumni is $1309.44 (66% :eek: ). It should be available in ten days according to the system, but I doubt it's validity considering I have never seen this model in any other online shop yet. You can call Lenovo OSU alumni & retirees (1-877-222-6426, option 1, ext 8280) for it's validity.
     
  27. ezlynx

    ezlynx Notebook Consultant

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    To get the price match, you need to create a quote by going through the motions of ordering. Keep pushing buttons and filling out stuff like you're ordering. Eventually you'll have an option to "convert to quote".

    They do not, in fact, send you an email. Make a copy of the quote and perhaps save a screen shot. It will have a customer number and an order number. These can be plugged in online to pull up your quote. (look at your order link and change the appropriate numbers to pull it up) Make a copy of of your quote for safekeeping.

    The quote will tell you how long it is good for (this is written at the top).

    You must price match within 21 days of shipping your machine.

    They refund the difference only if you call them, have the proper quote with still good quote prices (keep track of that date too) and if you have an identical configuration. If the configuration is somehow different, the quote is likely not going to work.

    I ran the numbers on my machine. I would have saved $77. But was one of the people whose order was affected by long waits and wrong times and got a free 6V battery. So I'm okay with not getting it the cheapest I could have.
     
  28. vaw

    vaw Notebook Deity

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  29. Jerome10

    Jerome10 Notebook Geek

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    Just noticed there is a mastercard discount too. I think someone mentioned Visa, but didn't see MC mentioned either:

    http://www.mastercard.com/us/person...vings_discounts/offerdetail.html?offerId=9624

    I too get a discount through my alumni association, but it isn't as good as OSU. I think I get maybe $150 off. Do different associations have different deals? Stanford is mine. Maybe I should pretend I'm OSU alum :)
     
  30. flight#24

    flight#24 Notebook Consultant

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    So is the visa or mastercard discount stackable with all the other discounts (like the AMEX tailormade) or is it an alternative to student/spp discount?

    With AMEX you get the student + 10% off (coupon) + fatwallet + AMEX (after you buy with a AMEX card).

    However I think for visa and MC it only replaces student or SPP. So it would be something like:

    MC/Visa (student/SPP) + 10% + fatwallet.

    Can anyone reconfirm?

    Thanks.
     
  31. ari_m

    ari_m Notebook Consultant

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    Visa definitely is not stackable with the AMEX - that's why it's called Visa. I also think it takes the place of EPP/SPP.
     
  32. flight#24

    flight#24 Notebook Consultant

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    ^^ Oh yeah I know that, but is Visa stackable with student/spp and 10% coupon?

    But I think like you just said, Visa only replaces SPP/Student.

    However, AMEX is stackable with SPP/Student and 10% coupon.