My experience with Lenovo, Opinions?

Hi, everyone!

Long time reader, first time poster just looking for some opinions.

I posted this question on the Lenovo forums, but I'm a little concerned that, due to it being the official forum, responses may be "sugar-coated." I actually purchased a Lenovo after reading reviews on NBR, so I decided to ask the community here for their thoughts.

In November, I ordered a Lenovo E420 off of the Lenovo website. I received it near the end of the month, and for thirty-one days it worked perfectly. On the thirty-first day, the machine died (specifically, the machine wouldn't turn on and the green light that indicated the AC adapter was connected no longer functioned). I called Lenovo support, and, after trying some possible remedies suggested by the service rep, I was told that I could send it in to the depot for repair. The company paid to have a special shipping box sent to me, and the service rep told me it was fine for me to hang on to the hard drive while repairs were being done (think what you want of me, but I'm not sending a drive containing my financial info, SSN, credit info, and other personal information to complete strangers). I should also note that I (wrongly) believed, due to misinterpreting the information on the Lenovo contact page, that Thinkpad support was only available during business hours, Monday through Friday. Since my machine broke on a Friday evening, I didn't call until Monday and didn't receive the shipping box until Wednesday (I concede that this was my fault for not knowing better. I only bring this up to present a clearer picture of the timeline of events).

Turnaround time on the repair was, to Lenovo's credit, very good. I dropped the machine off at UPS that night, and I had it back by the following Wednesday (it would have been even sooner, but, apparently, they had to order in the part that needed replacement). A print out in the box stated that the issue had been a faulty motherboard and that the part had been replaced. I'm still satisfied with my purchase at this point. But when I removed the rear panel to reinstall the hard drive, I became less enthusiastic. The first thing I noticed was an orange sticker on a visible portion of the motherboard that said "used part". I was a bit miffed that Lenovo had chosen to repair my month old computer with a used part rather than a new one, changing my computers condition from "almost new" to "refurbished at best". The more frustrating discovery was that one of the wires normally attached to the wireless adapter was hanging completely loose and looked to have broken off at the point of connection.

The aforementioned print out included a number to call "if not completely satisfied with your repair." I called the number and, after describing the situation to another service rep, am told that "the techs probably forgot to attach that wire before sending it back" and that I will have to send the machine back to the depot for repair. At this point, I am now unhappy with the services provided. My new machine is now a refurbished one and is still non functional. Considering that my computer died within days of the normal return policy (along with the fact many internet retailers loosen return timeframes around the holidays), I ask if its possible to just return the unit. The service rep admits that he doesn't know, and asks me to call back in the morning when a supervisor will be on duty.

I called back the next day and spoke with another representative. I explained the situation and was told that a return will not be possible due to "being outside the return timeframe." Returning the computer to the depot, he states, is my only option. (I'm also informed that service reps are available 24/7, and not just during business hours. Again, my fault for not knowing better.) I ask to speak with a supervisor and am told "the supervisor is going to tell you the same thing." I eventually get transferred to a supervisor and explain the situation once again. I ask to return the unit for a refund, minus whatever fee would be required for keeping the hard drive. (A brief aside, one of the reasons I chose to purchase a Lenovo was their "hard drive retention policy", where a customer can maintain an old drive in the case it needs to be replaced under warranty. This lead me to believe that the company was sensitive to those individuals and organizations who were concerned about data security.) The supervisor told me that he would escalate my request and that I would be contacted in the next few days by another representative. He also stated that I shouldn't hold out much hope because there wasn't a good chance of this happening.

The next day I am contacted by another rep named Kurt. He leaves me a message with his contact info and work hours. I call back, leave a message, and my call is promptly returned (This all happened in roughly fifteen minutes). He very politely listened to my explanation of the situation, stated that he would put in a request for my return to be accepted, let me know that the fee for retaining the drive might be higher than I expect, and told me that he would contact me again on Monday with whatever updated info he had.

That following Monday, I receive a voicemail message from yet another rep named Denise who leaves her number and work hours (which, I assume, were Eastern time). I call back later that day, am directed to her voicemail, and leave a message requesting a call back. The next day, I realize that I didn't include my case number in the message I left, so I leave another voicemail for her. I leave another message the following day after not being contacted again. As luck would have it, I miss her return call the following morning. I call back as soon as I can, but am, once again, directed to her voicemail. I leave another message and wait. After not being contacted again, I leave another message asking that, if I should miss her call again, she leave a time at which she would prefer I call back. I also let her know that I will make a point of being available in the afternoon the following day, as to not miss her call. After not being contacted yet again, I make one last attempt to call her before doubling back and contacting Kurt again. This time, she answers and is obviously in no mood to speak with me. She denies hearing all but one of my messages, talks over me, makes no apology for the length of time its taken to get in contact with her, and bluntly presents me with two options. I can either:

Return the machine to the depot for repair

or

Return the unit in "original condition" for a refund

She tells me that retaining the hard drive is not an option. I explain that I am more than willing to pay full retail price for the drive ($150 according to Newegg). Again, she states this is not possible and seems incredibly irritated that I am even attempting to present a compromise despite the "several options available" to me. At this point in the conversation, I, too, have become less than affable. I ask if there is anyone else available to speak to. She tells me that she will have someone contact me next week, and the call ends.

I am now waiting for the next person in the chain to contact me, and am quite perplexed at how the situation has played out.

It's looking more and more like my only option, despite the machine being returned to me in disrepair and the time I've put into trying to reach a better outcome, is to send the machine back to the depot and hope it comes back fully functional. I don't understand why purchasing the drive outright is harshly dismissed as an option, or how it's even possible to request that I return the unit in "original condition" when it's already been repaired with salvaged parts.

Lenovo, as I mentioned before, has "hard drive retention" as a warranty feature and also sells its branded, bulk OEM drives as upgrades through its online store. Why is my desire to maintain a drive that contains personal and financial information such an issue?

Am I being unreasonable in my request? Is there another way I should have approached the situation? Should I have expected this from the beginning? Is there anything I can do to help the situation, or should I just accept it and give up?

I'm honestly interested to see just how many times I'll be handed off to another rep, as well as what the reasoning will be for denying my request (if the company sees fit to even give me a reason). I've been able to get by using friends computers since the end of December and have no problem continuing to do so, but is it even worth it?

In closing, let me say that, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't anything approaching what should be considered a "real problem." I may be given to hyperbole, but I realize that this inconvenience relates to actual issues in the same way that tennis elbow relates to serious injuries. I'm not looking for sympathy or a "Lenovo bash fest" to crop up. I'm asking for honest opinions on the situation. Is my request unreasonable?

Awaiting opinions. Don't be too hard on me! : )

Also, thanks to the site administration, moderators, and community that make this a great site to visit. I've probably troubleshooted more issues just searching the forums here than anywhere.

 

This reads like an affidavit or a casebook for criminal law. Could be slightly shorter so it is easier to read.

I don't think your request is unreasonable. But not sure what you really want from us from members, other than giving you some sort of moral support (if that is what you want).

FYI i will be peeved if my 1 months old laptop had a refurb motherboard in it.

 

Just FYI, any manufacturer can use and WILL use refurbished parts for warranty parts. Our tech shop probably gets 80%+ refurbished parts from the manufacturer (LCD panels, motherboards, HDDs, AC adapters, batteries). A replaced part has a 90 day warranty or balance of the warranty, whichever is longer.

No doubt a relatively new machine shouldn't die that fast, but it is how Lenovo deals with their warranty. Most manufacturers won't even consider a return outside XX days unless you start emailing the echelons @ corporate office. I haven't had such an experience with Lenovo, or rather I should say IBM's EZserv, as that is who we use when we service in warranty ThinkPads, and IBM has always made it hassle free. We ship them broken ThinkPad, it comes back fixed.

 

I'm sorry about the length of the post. I wanted to be thorough, but I may have gone overboard.

I'm just looking for opinions from others regarding whether or not it's worth it to keep pursuing the issue. I also just really needed to vent about the situation. As I said, I know it's not a huge deal, but it's still been pretty frustrating.

I guess I've been watching too much Law and Order : ) (The original, mind you, not the spin offs.)

That's unfortunate. If the thing was even ninety days old I would be less perturbed about the used part.

I'll admit it was naive of me to think that, just because Dell or Amazon offers extended holiday return periods, Lenovo would have no issue accepting a return a few days past the initial window. But they're not stonewalling me based on the return window. I find it hard to believe that any computer manufacturer wouldn't have some sort of contingency in place should the customer need to retain the hard drive (whether it be due to data concerns or clinical paranoia). I'm not asking them for a freebee. I want to pay for the drive and am willing to pay full retail (Again, $150, which is actually over 25% of the cost of the computer itself).

Thanks for the input, you guys. Further opinions still welcome.

 

Well I'm gonna be honest, all manufacturers are like that. Unless you specifically paid for keep your hard drive, though especially Dell, they shouldn't have been so picky. You could always just hook the drive up to another computer and run Darik's Boot and Nuke. Dell I've seen is really lenient with such repairs. Is there a reason you did not contact IBM? Do you live in the US?

If we don't return manufacturer FRU warranty parts in a "timely" fashion, we get charged exorbitant rates (like 400 for a hard drive, even though defective), as the OEM's have a specific time limit they can RMA the bad drive to the OEM bulk seller.

 

Why don't you just pop the palm rest off and re-attach the wire yourself? I'm assuming it's the part of the wire that attaches to the card. I'm not as familiar with the e420s, but most ThinkPad wifi cards are considered user replaceable, which means it won't void the warranty. As for the refurbed parts, this is common in the computer industry. If you send back a hard drive, it's almost certain you will get a refurbed drive in return.

While in a perfect world the tech would have attached the wire, it's an imperfect world if you haven't noticed yet. People make mistakes. You have a couple choices here, you can focus on how you were wronged and be upset about it or you can set about finding the best quickest way to fix your notebook, which will lead to the feeling that your were somehow wronged, which perhaps your were, subsiding. In the grand scheme of life, this is small potatoes.

 

I do live in the US. The first few people I spoke with did identify themselves as being from the IBM facility in Atlanta, but the past few have only identified themselves as Lenovo employees.

I'm skeptical of the service rep who told me that "they must have forgot" to attach it. The wire doesn't appear to be "disconnected"; The connection point looks like it's snapped off of the card itself.

I'm not attempting to return it based solely on this factor alone; It's because of poor service more than anything. Lenovo has already agreed to a return, but, for whatever reason, will not attempt to reach a compromise with me regarding the purchase of the hard drive (for reasons which I've described in my original post).

That's the part that truly confuses me. The machine is no longer in "original condition", but the return is offered as an "all or nothing" deal. There is no chance that they can turn around and re-sell this thing as a new unit; They're going to have to either sell it as refurbished or scrap it for parts. I'm offering to purchase the drive at the cost of 25% of the total refund. They would lose less money if they let me purchase the drive, but they will not even listen to my proposition.

I know. I believe I said as much in my first post. ; )

Thanks for the input, guys.

 

Sorry for double posting, but I wanted to give an update.

I was just contacted by a very nice rep named Terry who was more than willing to discuss the situation.

He said that he understood my concerns, and would see what he could figure out. He also stated that the reason they prefer the drive to be returned is due to the proprietary Lenovo software that comes with the computer. I don't entirely understand this, seeing as how anyone who made their own backup disks essentially has a copy of the software, but I'm just glad he offered an explanation instead of just saying "no."

I'm actually pretty satisfied, after speaking with him. Regardless of how the situation turns out, I'm glad someone within the company was actually able to see things from my perspective, as well as give a clearer picture of their concerns.

Currently awaiting another callback.

 

You should have forgotten about the disk from the start. Not only would they have to take your returned unit out of the usual processes and handle it manually, but there is that software issue as well. And that's not only lenovo software, but also windows and other 3rd party software that you're technically only supposed to possess when you have the actual hardware. And its not hard to wipe a disk and possibly mirror it to another one before doing so.

Either way, good you're kinda happy now.

 

Spoke with Terry again today, and he said that Lenovo is going to allow my return. Frankly, even I'm surprised, at this point.

He said that some packing slips would be mailed to me and that they would deduct the cost of the drive from my refund (only $100, well below the newegg OEM price of $120 and the retail price of $150).

I was honestly expecting to have to bite the bullet, and then Lenovo turns around with this pleasant surprise.

I'll consider this experience a lesson learned. Regardless of how reasonable the notion was to me, the company reps have to work within a policy that is more rigid than I had thought. And matters like this will be dictated primarily by that policy, rather than individual discretion.

I'm glad Lenovo let me off easy. They could have made this an expensive lesson to learn, but, in the end, chose not to.

Overall, in all honesty, the phone support was pretty good. The calls didn't always go smoothly, but nobody hung up on me or refused to allow me to speak with another rep. Kudos to their staff.

Matter closed!

 

If it is worth anything. I deal a fair bit with Lenovo support.
The people you get on the phone are 1 and 2nd level. You need to ask for the supervisor and then explain what is happening.

If you read the fin print on the warranty, it will show somewhere that they have the right to use, used re-manufactured and new parts. What you have to be careful is that the replacement part will still be warrantied to the full length of the term if not new.
Also some tech who rebuild these things are just sloppy. Is that the Manufactures fault....yes and no. Yes they hired them, but no as they probably do not have any sort of QC on a repair.

Couple of years ago i have a Dell machine that needed repair. the Main board was faulty. i had next business day support on it. They came out and fixed it too 7 hours for a main board repair (i can tell you i can do one in 1)
It still did not work right. So back he came (Same guy).
(I was in meeting all day) the tech left and the next day i went to use my notebook.
Touchpad did not work. So i turned it over for what ever reason, and notice more the 1/2 of the screws missing.
So i removed the two holding it on and found the tech had broken the touchpad connector and used tape.

Call to the service site the sent him back (same guy again). i kicked him out of the building.
Called Dell explained what happened the apologized and sent me a new notebook the next day (which leave me to wonder about the whole 2 week delivery thing)

Just an example of how bad some repair techs can be.
Other are fantastic. The one that fixed my brunt out HP Vid card was all over that machine and did not leave until it worked.

Now we have 2 guys in house that are Dell, Lenovo and HP certified repair techs. So if they screw up i can just give them crap or fire them