Lenovo support Spain: Don?t count on it

Dear All,

I would like to share a terrible support experience with Lenovo Spain.

Summary. Two months after first contacting Lenovo support, and after losing many (many) hours on the phone and with technicians, my machine with Next Business Day warranty is unusable (i.e. worse than to start off with). Last thing I was told is that my machine should be replaced, and nine days later my case is still “being reviewed” and no solution has been provided.

Long story. My problems started after purchasing a new x220 laptop covered with a 3-year on-site Next Business Day warranty plus accidental damage protection (machine type 4286CTO). This machine turned out to be a lemon. The initial problems with the machine were: webcam did not work, LEDs for power/charging/wifi did not light up, and lid open/close sensor exhibited arbitrary behavior.

I have been through 3 support cases (A26N0J9, A260G7J, A26J45W) which included over a dozen support calls, remote support session, half a dozen technician visits, webcam replacement, lid cabling replacements, motherboard replacement. Result: only the webcam issue has been solved. Furthermore, the laptop now continuously powers down the display hence is unusable.

What I have witnessed in the process: technicians receiving the wrong replacement parts (twice), and communication problems between the technicians and support (with scheduled visits not taking place, and visits reported as taking place when they had not)

Nine days ago my case was “escalated” to the customer complaint management team (complaint 00061184) presumably for a replacement of the machine. No solution has been provided and my case appears to be in limbo.

I purchased a ThinkPad with on-site warranty because I rely on my laptop for work, having been a long time ThinkPad user myself. Unfortunately, this being the first time I’ve ever requested on-site service, there is not much here I can rely on.

 

Sorry to hear about your case, Lenovo Support in Europe seems to be quite negative of late. Try posting your case in the Lenovo Forums, I had a lot more help there when I had problems with my T420 than using the telephone support.

As you have a case reference number in hand you can contact some of the staff on the forums who should be able to assist with your case and get things moving, 2 months+ with no solution or feedback is simply not good enough for business class support really.

 

When I originally bought my R400 I had problems of creaking and with the palm rest - nothing as major as you have. After getting the run around for sometime, I wrote directly to Managing Director of Lenovo in my country of residence. You would be surprised to hear that they replaced the machine within a few days. If you search the forum, you'll find an account of my experiences, which I will not repeat here. But, in extremis, this is a course of action that you can take. I should also add that as soon as that mail was sent by me to the MD, senior VPs from Lenovo's Beijing office got involved and things were moving faster than I had ever expected. I am not saying that you will necessarily have the same experience, but it's worth a shot.

 

Thank you all for your replies and support. No response yet from Lenovo. Not from their support service, not from their online forums, where I have posted in both English and Spanish:

Lenovo support Spain: Don?t count on it - Lenovo Community

Servicio técnico de Lenovo España: Suspenso - Lenovo Community

I am working hard to get this solved. I wrote to the head of the Customer Management Team yesterday, but no response yet. I could not trace down contact information for Lenovo Management in Spain (though I do know the name of the person I should contact). If I don’t hear back from Lenovo soon, I will cold-call their central office in Spain to see who I can get through to.

I will try to follow up in the thread. Very sad to have to go through this as a customer to get my warranty honored.

 

Today I contacted the head of the European Customer Management Team (CMT) on the phone, and finally received a solution to my case. The emails had been received, but had not been acted on. It seems there was an additional communication problem between Lenovo Spain and the CMT, since they had the wrong email on my record (one I never provided myself, probably from another customer)

The solution proposed is to refund my order. Unfortunately this is not a good solution, because it implies that I myself should replace the laptop. And the problem with this is that Lenovo Europe is not willing to sell me such a replacement (configured to equivalent specification). There is no Custom To Order service in Spain, and Lenovo has imposed delivery restrictions on their EU online stores: machines configured on the UK/France/Germany site can only be delivered to their respective countries. Below is my reply to the CMT, and I am now awaiting their answer.

 

Dear forum participants,

I really need some feedback on this, since Lenovo remains silent. Should I continue to insist Lenovo provide a laptop replacement? Or should I just take their refund offer and run? (far, far away from Lenovo)

What would you do next if you were in my place?

In my view, Lenovo has fumbled every step of the process:
1. Delivering a defective laptop. Which speaks volumes of their quality control, since a simple visual examination reveals that the machine was defective (lid LEDs not working)
2. Failing to repair the laptop. Over the two months I spent speaking with support on the phone and hosting technician visits.
3. Offering a refund instead of a replacement. This may be the cheapest solution for Lenovo, but does not solve my problem (I need a functional laptop) nor does it meet their International Warranty Service best effort commitment.

Sixty-six (66) days have now passed since I first contacted Lenovo. And I paid for Next Business Day onsite service.

 

Getting a refund out of Lenovo seems nearly impossible. I was put in a very similar situation and could never get a refund out of them. I would push for a replacement laptop if I were in your shoes.

 

If they offer you a full refund and you spent lots of money on that laptop, you could accept full refund and spend that cash on other laptop and perhaps save some cash, cant you find decently spec'd laptop for cheaper today?
What are those special customisations that were done to your x220 order, except for the upgraded warranty?

 

From my understanding, the OP brought the laptop, from a different country that offer customization. It might be more expensive to buy the laptop from spain without the option of customization. (IPS screen maybe?)

 

Thanks for the replies. Yes, my laptop does have an IPS screen (one of the reasons I went for the x220 in the first place)

Today I called the head of the European Customer Management Team again, and this time he offered to replace the laptop for a preconfigured model (not a Configure-To-Order model). Waiting to hear back from them on the exact replacement they are willing to offer. Again, things only move along when I push, isn’t it their job to provide solutions?

Also, a “community leader” replied on Lenovo’s Spanish forum (five days after my first post). Perhaps that also helps.

I am flying to the US next week. If I don’t get confirmation for a replacement very soon, I will carry along my x220 as a dead brick and try to get it serviced there. It is a very sad solution, but I have the feeling that Lenovo US may be willing/capable of solving this faster than their European counterparts. Let’s see.