My Experience With Lenovo Support

It has been awhile since I have come to these(Lenovo) forums(I usually hang out in the Apple section now), but some of you may remember me posting up threads pertaining to my computer locking up or freezing. From these forums I got the tip to check my temperatures and surely it was due to the computer overheating. So I ended up getting a cooling pad for it. It worked quite well at first, the computer's temperature didn't go much higher than 70C, but after some time(half a year later) the fan was getting worse and worse and I was getting temperatures at around 98C or 100C when doing normal web surfing and listening to music, with an ALUMINUM cooling pad and an external fan on it running at all times.

Of course this caused the computer to freeze up FAR more often than usual... bringing me to my breaking point and finally deciding to get this issue fixed once and for all. So I ended up going onto Lenovo's site on Saturday with the impression that I would submit a request for my computer to be sent in this upcoming weekend to be repaired. Little did I know that I had support for onsite repair with my 3 year warranty... I could have sworn I did not have that option when I looked at it last year... maybe they changed something?

Anyways I filled out the online forum with a breif description stating that I was having overheating issues and that the computer would often lock up. THAT SAME DAY at 1:00AM(Yeah, I know, a little late for most, but fine for me) Lenovo support called me and the person asked me what issues I was having with my machine. I basically told him that my computer was experiencing overheating issues and that I probably had a bad fan and had been monitoring my computer's temperatures(via speedfan ). He asked if I had any other hardware related issues with the computer and I said not really, except that I was having some internet connection issues(my whole house has problems connecting to our router) and said that it was most likely a software issue and that it really wasn't a big deal.

The guy on the other line then told me that they would assign a technician to come over to repair my system(WHAT? I never ordered onsite repair...). He told me that the technician would call me on Monday to schedule an appointment with me on Tuesday.

So then on Monday I got a message from Lenovo customer support saying that they shipped out the part and that it would arrive on Tuesday and the technician would call me then.

Tuesday came around and I woke up late and saw that a message had been left. The technician had called. I called back and we scheduled for my unit to be repaired at 4:00PM. Later that day, he arrived at 4:00PM right on the dot and ran some diagnostics. Then after seeing the fan pass the diagnostic test, he sprayed at the fan with a can of compressed air. A lot of dust came out which he said was the sign of a faulty fan. As he was opening up my machine he told me that what could happen is the dust could clog the sensor, which would prevent it from detecting when it needs to speed up, which is probably why my computer is overheating.

He opened it up and realized that the fan that Lenovo sent him was the wrong model(ARGH!). He looked to see if it would fit and it did, but he said it would be a bad idea to because it did not cover the graphics chipset. He also said that my old fan's bearings were shot and that was also a big reason for the overheating.

But then he said that he would replace my wireless card with a new one(what?!- I didn't ask for that). He did that quickly then took my old fan piece and cleaned it out with the compressed air before reinstalling it in the machine. He then put it back together and attempted to start up the computer. It loaded the boot screen, then made 2 beeping noises and shut off. He told me that it was happening because the sensor was now cleaned of the dust and can now regulate how the fan was behaving in respect to the temperature.

He told me that I would have to go without the computer for a day or two until he receives the proper part and can come back to fix it. He then left me stranded there without a computer in the middle of midterm week... very lame.

The rest of Tuesday I ended up going to the library to study, was a hassle really, the computer labs are almost always full and it is really hard to get a spot without waiting in line... but I managed. Come Wednesday I was expecting an email or call from Lenovo about the status of the part, but I received nothing and by the end of the day I was getting a little anxious. This morning I got up and was planning to call him at 11AM if I did not hear anything(I decided eleven because according to Lenovo, the technician calls between 10AM and noon, and I thought middle ground would be fair). But promplty at a little past 10 I recieve a call from the technitian again asking if today at 2 would be a good time, I was happy and said yes.

He came over earlier than expected(after checking with me- which is a definite plus in my books) he promptly opened it up, replaced the fan, closed it up. Then ran some diagnostic tests to make sure everything was fully functioning, let me keep the old fan(I wanted it), and went on his way.

So my point behind this lengthy post is that despite what many people say about Lenovo's customer service, it really isn't all that bad. Sure they make mistakes, but they really do try thier very best to help thier customers and keep them happy. I had to deal with a major inconvenience, but I can't place the blame on Lenovo or the technician for that.

For those of you who are iffy to get warranty for your machine, I highly recommend it. I got my notebook as a gift and the person who got it for me got a package that came for a 3 year standard warranty, nothing fancy or anything. But I ended up getting on-site service, I really do not know if they made a mistake in processing my request or if they changed up thier warranty service in general, either way, it was very cool. Also I have been taking great care of my machine ever since I had it and it just happened that it came with a fan that easily wore out which is really no one's fault. So to protect against that I really recommend getting a warranty for as long as you plan to keep and use the machine for. There are many unexpected things that come up and Lenovo support, despite what many people say, is really great. Lenovo really does try its best to get everything done.

I do not think I mentioned it before but they sent all the parts by the fasted shipping method just to make sure I had it as soon as possible. They sent it from the East coast and I am on the West and the technician received the part in one day's time. Very impressive.

 

Thanks for sharing this... an onsite upgrade is looking better and better.

 

Glad to hear it worked out. It is good to hear a positive story. Some people who post here about issues they've tend to be overly dramatic. To some degree one can understand it because when it's happening to you it's more personal.

 

I will say you are so lucky that Lenovo sent a rep to you.
I sent my defected T61p to their depot and when I got it back, there were missing 6 screws and wires inside the laptop were nothing but messed up. Plus the problem was not solved!
Lenovo's depot repair in my opinion is just a nightmare.
I would rather opened up the machine by myself to see what was wrong in the future even that would void my warranty.

 

Did you complain about the poor job and send it back to them to get it fixed?

 

Yes, I was yelling to a CRP for 10 minutes and asking for a return for full refund. They were begging me to send the laptop back one more time. But I did not do that cause I just simply wouldn't trust them anymore. I finally returned it for a 85% refund.