Returned T61

I ordered an 14.1 XGA model after looking at what I thought was a T61 on the Gallery. When I opened it, I did not like the screen off-centered by almost a full inch. I have a T60 and it's centered. I compained and they are still charging me 15% restocking fee...so my next laptop will be a Sony.

I don't know how anyone would want a large bevel on one side of the screen. It is just plain goofy.

Mike

 

You're really going to let something as small as aesthetics override the overall performance/durability of the machine itself? You might regret that decision...

 

"I don't know how anyone would want a large bevel on one side of the screen. It is just plain goofy."

That's a structural design feature that you won't find on a sony. The left side of a thinkpad is much heavier than the right.

 

It's by design. Not even noticeable unless you point it out. I think the kidney shaped grille on a BMW 9 series looks unothordox but it's also state of the art in motor vehicles.

 

I don't know how anyone could possibly justify returning a laptop on the basis of that. It is just plain goofy to pay attention to that instead of more important things, such as the structural features of the laptop.

 

True, you might as well purchase an apple LOL

 

The top of the Sony bezel is larger then the sides. The bottom is larger then the sides, but smaller then the top. They just can't get it right either! What to do...

I don't know how anyone would want a large bevel on the top of the screen. It is just plain goofy.

 

As karma would have it his Sony would come with a dead pixel. I guess I shouldn't jinx him.

 

I have a macbook also and it's perfect. I love my T60 too and should never have ordered the T61. I don't agree though that poor engineering by Lenovo should be given a pass. It was a deal killer for me. If you like it off center that's great!

 

This is just plain dumb.

 

That's exactly the point, get it?

 

Your comparing a consumer-oriented notebook to a business-oriented notebook is plain dumb. Macbooks will never be as tough as a Thinkpad.

If you really loved your T60, you wouldn't be crying about the screen being off-centered. Idiot.

 

LMAO

ThinkPad design has *always* been about function dictating form. So naturally ThinkPad design will be quirky to the uninitiated.

 

No message, decided comments were not "PC".

 

You may have a case there, in that the Lenovo gallery is highly deceiving if not downright fraudolent. There are only 2 images of the screen in full view, none of them is a T61. Of course, arguing the point with Lenovo is like talking to a mule. The money involved is ultimately trivial, so in the end taking the small loss and moving on to greener pastures is the sensible thing to do.

As to the current status of the Thinkpad line, one has only to look at the sorry lot of fanboys in this thread (the waterproof keyboard was created especially for them, they have a tendency to drool a lot) to realize how low the brand has fallen. A cheap and nasty laptop out of the Walmart book, right down to the neverending game of coupons Walmart shoppers love so much. Business laptop indeed.

My favourite is the idiot who saw the crooked screen as a celebration of the "asymmetric nature of the universe". Some business crowd the T61 appeals to! If Lemonovo replaced the trackpoint with an obscene banana, they would probably sit on it and call it a feature.

 

This coming from a self-styled architect. Ever had the feeling you might have picked the wrong career, or the wrong nick?

 

Hey there disco_inferno, nice to finally see you after I proved you wrong here.

Oh this is quite funny to me. Why? Because this is coming from the "idiot" who disses on other people about "lame" comparisons while your comparisons don't make one bit of sense. Examples:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=2731169&postcount=31
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=2729625&postcount=19

And as for my name, I'm sure I picked my name with the same reason in mind as you picked yours, just because it was cool as I'm sure people would take as much seriousness about your posts with a name like disco_inferno and nice, little "unknown quantity" comments.

But if you wan't to go along with your logic and the name of Architect, why not just call me God? Or perhaps the architect in The Matrix? And no, I feel my "nick" is as fitting as I want it to be. How does the offset of an LCD have anything to do with architecture? Do me a favor and don't embarass yourself any further.

 

Which page are you looking at? I see 8 pictures, two clearly show the T61 with the bezel being thicker on the left than the right. There is one picture that shows the 14 standard/14 wide/15 wide aspect ratios, but the point of that is not to show the T61 screen, it's to show the difference in the screen formats. Surely that's a carryover from the T60 gallery, and I don't blame them for not changing it.

What are you comparing Lenovo to? Dell? I own both, and there is no contest. I've been using Thinkpads for 12 years, as well as Apple, HP, Dell, Toshiba, and others. Granted, I haven't owned every model, but the quality of Thinkpads was and is excellent. I would agree that the build quality/quality control has probably slipped some, but the engineering of the machine is still there.

I've mentioned this before, and just for the record, the X61t I am tying this on has less bezel on the right than the left. It's not as pronounced as the T61 series. Guess what -- I don't notice it on either one when I am using the machine. Get over it. It wasn't an oversight, it was engineered that way for a reason. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

 

Arkit,

You are truly, truly a gift to this forum.

 

Lenovo charges a standard 15% restocking fee on all non-defective returns within 30 days. That's one thing that I don't really like about Lenovo. Their customer service is just not that great. With manufacturers like Dell and HP you can return it for any reason and they'll usually even pay to have it shipped back to them.

 

Dell is the McDonalds of PCs. HP is a good company but when I was shopping for my t61p, HP was 6-8 months behind the technology curve and costing about 1000 more for the class of machine I was looking for and that machine's specs were mediocre compared to my t61p.

I understand what you are saying about service but I do believe that if you get a good machine from Lenovo, you really won't need service. I don't believe that's a small probability IF.

 

Isn't the left side is wider than the right coz' certain T61 models have the wireless antenna on the left side? I remember glancing at the user guide when I first got my T61 and it was mentioned there.

 

they have wireless antennas all over the top and the left.

 

Here's what I've found on the Dell and HP sites:

Dell - 15% restock, does not refund shipping costs, customer must pay return shipping

HP: Does not seem to charge restocking and does pay for return shipping. Original shipping and handling fees are not refunded.


Dell
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/policy/en/policy?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~section=010
-------------
Hardware Products and Accessories: Unless you have a separate agreement with Dell or except as provided in the section below, all hardware, accessories, peripherals, parts and software that is unopened and still in its/their sealed package or, if delivered electronically, that has not been downloaded, may be returned within twenty-one (21) days from the date on the packing slip or invoice for a credit or a refund of the purchase price paid, less shipping and handling and applicable restocking fees.

Restocking Fees: Unless the product is defective or the return is a direct result of a Dell error, a restocking fee of 15% may be charged on hardware, accessories, peripherals, parts and unopened software still in its/their sealed package, and on software that has not been downloaded if the software is delivered electronically.

Ship the product(s) at your expense, and insure the shipment or accept the risk of loss or damage during shipment.

-------------

HP
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/return_exchange.do

 

How is HP 6-8 months behind the tech curve? I do believe it's (8510w) missing an ExpressCard and UWB option though.

 

I'm looking at Lenovo's very own image gallery, under the T line. And this is no T61 in spite of the gif name:

To the pre-61 Thinkapds, what else? When it comes to so-called business laptops (good construction, conservative styling, etc.) you know as well as I that the alternatives are precious few. I see lots of Dell and Toshiba in corporate environments (I will touch neither). Lately I've been looking at HP and I must say their business line deserves a second look. Black enclosure, matte screens, no-nonsense design. The engineering seems sound and the option to choose Intel or AMD is nice. A couple of things bother me, but if Linux is not in your plans they won't bother you.

Whether HP has mended its old nasty ways remains to be seen.

 

Hello back Arkitekt. My name is DIsco Inferno (Mr. Inferno to you) and fanboy parades get on my nerves when I'm in a cranky mood, which is to say most of the time. The bad news is that you have been detected; the good news is that I get bored quickly of kicking a dead horse.

Just a hobby, nothing personal, I hope you don't mind. In fact, I quite relish and sort of admire your naive enthusiasm (sort of).

 

Guessing the GIF filename was for organizational purposes... Since most folks don't right click and look at the image properties, calling this deceiving or fraudulent is a bit of a stretch.

I honestly don't see that many engineering/construction issues when I compare my T61p to my T60p... Or as compared to my T43/T40/T21/600E/770/755CX. Thinkpads have been workhorses over the years. I used a HP nc6000 for three years and I rejoiced on the day it was replaced by my Dell M65. That's sad. The HP was fine, but it was absolutely no frills and horribly conservative. For the non-technical user, maybe this is appealing, but it drove me nuts. I quickly grew tired of not having wireless (an option my company did not purchase), SD reader, etc, etc, and it was bulkier than my Thinkpad.

I do run Linux, was running it all day before Christmas break, but I switch back and forth as needed. Both the Thinkpad and Dell seem to like it just fine.

 

It's pretty clear from this shot that the bezel is wider on the left:



and here as you are configuring the machine -- this is a straight on view:

 

go look at the gallery..enough said..

 

does it bother you that much? if yes then, oh well, return the T61 and get a new one from other company.

The screen doesn't bother me at all. I didn't even notice until i read some review in this forum. Anyway, the structure of the thinkpad the one of the best notebook to date. I wouldn't trade my thinkpad for any other brand.

I also have a HP Pavilion dv6000t at home and it's off-centered also but i don't really care. It's quiet and does its performance to the T.