T61p Buyers Post your Shipping Dates Here

I called and asked for a supervisor, when I got one I told him that I have heard about 30 different shipping dates from reps, and I told him that I wanted him to persoanlly look into it. He said he would call me back after he looked into it. He called me back in about half an hour and told me that my order was definitley going to ship out on the 4th of august.

 

Jeremy, I'm in somewhat of the same boat as you. I ordered on the 12th at around 7 or 8PM EST; mine was originally supposed to ship yesterday, but now I was pushed back to 8/31.

How did you find out that your laptop was going to ship on the 4th? Did you call Jonathan or did you get an email? Because I haven't received anything yet, and am curious if it's worth it to call and complain (blah blah blah...) or just be patient and assume mine is going to ship soon because I need it before the 8/22.

Also, I just learned that I was pushed back a month (probably because Lenovo is lazy and has no resources to update the ESD's at this time), and am not sure if I was automatically put on the "critical list".

 

So when will my T61p possibly ship? I ordered 07/26/07 and the ESD is 08/28/07...so any speculations?

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz 800MHz 4MBL2)
Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate
Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate US English
15.4 WUXGA TFT
NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M (256MB)
2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
Keyboard US English
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader
100GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim
PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot
4 in 1 Media Card Reader
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
ThinkPad Wireless USB Adapter
9 cell Li-Ion Battery

 

Also, I'm in the same boat with my T61 w/nVidia 140M. I ordered 7/12 est ship 7/30, yesterday est ship changed to 8/30, today est. ship changed to 8/31. Yeah... like everyone else... I'm holding my breath

BTW, if the Asus V1S comes out before my T61 ships I'd be very tempted

 

You ordered 15 days after me, and mine is shipping on the 4th. So maybe yours will ship on the 19th? Who knows, you wanted "specualtions"

 

Just tossing this out there but my rep told me that when your order gets delayed they extend it by the current max estimated wait time (in this case 4 weeks) but that it's an automated system so it really means nothing. They could be shipping it out 1 day late but your ESD updates like the order was placed that day. I highly doubt Lenovo thinks anyone would wait 2mo. for a laptop.



conspiracy theory alert, total conjecture
If your guys laptops "didn't make the shipment" it sounds like Lenovo had a "priority" shipment that got behind. Probably a major corporate or gov't deal that was behind schedule and your comps literally sat 10feet from the shipping dock while their money maker got their computers rushed to them.

 

I would believe it, mine was probably sitting on the dock, and then a little chinese man tripped on it and it rolled underneath the trucks tires but nobody noticed it and so the truck ran over it and it was smashed and now mine has to start all over again...... At least with my luck, that's what would happen.

 

Is that the ONLY option? Does anyone who purchased this ever go to websites?

 

Actually, you doubt incorrectly, Lenovo has a history of making people wait 2 months for a laptop. It's standard operating procedure. If there's a line, it must be good! Like the iphone. There's MANY to go around! hahahah. Firm induced supply shortage! =)

 

Dammit, now adding a DVDRW drive is +$10 instead of +$50. Is there anyway to price match 1 item?

 

you need to pricematch an entire quote. they may have raised prices on something else to compensate.

 

Well I got it with the whole 5%, 10%, and 3.5% discounts, plus the back to school sale. So it looks like I'm not gonna be price matching anything successfully. Oh well.

 

My laptop was shipped 8/1/07. Didn't get any email notification but I checked my order status and I have a tracking number and everything. It's in Shenzen, China at the moment. ETA: 8/8/07

 

you punk!

i htink you're the first.

when did you order it?

 

7/12 at around 7 pm central. I ordered through the EPP if it makes any difference.

Edit: I'm also in USA so I didn't get a preconfigured laptop or anything.

Edit 2: My initial ship date was 7/31. I got an email about 24 hours ago informing me of a delay anywhere from 1 to 30 days and my estimated shipping had been changed to 8/31. I didn't call Lenovo about anything.

 

gahhhhh. not fair! =)

let us know when it arrives!

 

Awesome, at least there's some movement on non preconfigured ones in the US.

 

YAY! They are shipping! I hope mine ships soon! What are you detailed specs? I know you have them in your sig, but some of that are things that you are going to upgrade yourself.....

 

I ordered on 7/12 and got bumped to 8/31 like everyone else. I am now on the "Critical" list and they said I may get some compensation for my trouble. What they won't do is give me a better estimate of when my T61p may ship.

Also, I selected ground shipping because I thought it would ship sooner. Now I want to change it to 2-day but they said they can't do that.

I am sooooooo bummed. I canceled an order for a Dell Precision 4300m to get this and I could have had it a couple weeks ago. This thing better kick arse. I've already got a 7K200 and 2GB of CAS latency 4 memory waiting to speed it up!

 

Oh yeah,

Mine is a custom configured US ordered unit.

 

Call and ask for a supervisor, He will tell you the actual date it will ship.

 

When did they charge your credit card, or have they yet?

 

They haven't charged my card yet. Most companies don't charge until they ship. Did they charge yours?

 

New to the forums..

Ordered t61p on 7/11/07 told 1 to 2 weeks over the phone.. Then got the 7/30 date then the 8/30 date called a bunch of time and was lied to over and over again.. "will ship today". "will ship this week" "will be before the est. date". on and on all they do is lie.. Spoke with supervisors and was told mid august, got free six cell battery. I was told that not a single t61p has been shipped out and will not ship till mid aug as they have NO screens at all and no video cards. I told them that they had no right to sell the laptops if they did not have a single unit to ship.. This is an outrage and I am starting to believe that Chinese products have about a three year window left on the American market as they are proving over and over and over again they just don’t give a *** *** what they do or say it’s all about profits and not about service, quality, safety..

I was also told that anyone not on the critical list is not getting a shipment till end of aug..

Thanks
B

 

I'll tell you what, if Sony gets the SZ6 our or Dell gets the 1330 out I'm canceling my T61P order.

 

this is good information. i think i will order mine after August. ha ha .

 

my dell 1330 was delivered today. Still have an order in for a t61p though.

 

I don't think it's Lenovo/Chinese products' fault. Have you ever been to the airport? The endless waiting? Got your flight cancelled? Been rescheduled to next week?
People are counting days for it, so it comes out, now just wait patiently. If not, then go elsewhere. Then I will place my order.
Chill

 

Maxx, the T61p is in a whoooooooole different class than the SZ6 or m1330.

 

It seems like my laptop is going through customs in Louisville right now.

As far as detailed specs go...I ordered the laptop with:

Vista Home Basic
1x1 GB Ram
60 gb 5400 rpm hard drive

These three of course will be immediately replaced with the components in my sig.

 

I'm inclined to agree. That's like saying "If I can't get a Yukon Denali at a decent price, I'm gonna buy a Ford Focus." The form and function of the SZ6 or m1330 doesn't even sit in the same weight class as the T61p.

Whoissiohw said it perfectly in a word: chill

This is the price we pay for wanting to be the first to own something new.

 

For T61p the only screen option is WUXGA TFT...you can't configure it with anything else on the Lenovo config site.

 

So, should I call them up and "expedite" things or sit still? Nothing has changed on my order status so far. It's still the same...with ESD of 08/28/07.

 

So how does one get their name on the critical list

 

I hear what you are saying, but for ME the 61p was a compramise where I got the big screen (and later disclosed: heavy weight) because I needed some graphics power (more than a 140 could supposedly deliver.)

For ME the SZ & 1330 have enough graphics power (for Solidworks & other CAD apps as well as the Simulators I like), they have just as much processor and HD all in a smaller package. Yes, the screen isn't as big, but I really wanted the 14" anyway. Lenovo is hiding that configuration from the consumer (available in some places for $1k more.) Price wise, they are equal so your Denali vs focus argument doesn't hold water. More like Denali vs Vette maybe.

I chose the Lenovo bescause of the reputation for quality & durability, however reading the complaints about T61s it's pretty clear that the reputation was based on previous models and that Lenovo's quality has gone WAY down with this generation.

Lenovo's pricing on this model is all over the place. I've got quotes saved that are hundreds of dollars less than when I ordered mine, the next day it'll be the other side of that. This morning I get a Lenovo spam telling me to order a machine between Aug 3-5 for NO TAX (another $140.) I can just imagine trying to get this out of Lenovo on my current order will be like pulling teeth. Cancel & wait another 2 months to save $140?
Now add in the fact that people with orders predating mine (7/17) are being told that their order is being kicked out to the end of Aug and delivery of mine is beginning to sound like a September something...I'm getting sick of waiting.

Bottom line, getting a T61p in my hands anytime in the foreseeable future seems to be impossible (and I need a machine soon since my 4150 died.) Lenovo agents ignore all requests for status, pricematching and from the reports when you do get one they just lie. I have no idea what is going on with pricing of this model (did I get a deal or screwed?)

For my purposes the 1330 or SZ6 would probably do just as good if not better than the 61p due to the fact that at a much smaller size I'd be more likely to have it with me (reports of 61p being 6.5lbs were NOT disclosed when I made my order - more like we were led to believe it'd be in the 4+lb range.)

But at this point, none of these are available so I'm in a holding pattern, but I will say that if the SZ6 or 1330 become avail and the 61p is still doing the Chinee limbo, me and my $2300 are jumping ship.

 

maxx, do we know that the quality gone way down?

as far as i can tell, we have two generally favorable user-submitted reviews so far on the internet (at thinkpads.com) and a review from xyz computing that basically parrots the specs. admittedly, some users have posted one-sentence complaints about certain things on the t61/t61p, but these hardly constitute a basis for cancelling one's order. moreover, every laptop in history has had at least a couple dissatisfied customers, and the complaints that people cite are very inconsistent (for example, some people report flexing in different areas of the laptop, while others believe it's rock solid).

we don't have much objective data or even consistent anecdotal evidence... the jury's still out on this one, i think.

i share your frustration with the slow shipping, but i've been burned very badly by dell and acer laptops in the past, so my number one priority this time around is reliability. i can't have machines randomly dying on me while i'm away from home in college, and the thinkpad's reputation is simply too compelling to ignore.

 

Sure seems to be a lot of T61 users complaining about BSODs and poor fit & finish problems. But agreed, not a lot of data and zilch on the P.

I haven't canceled yet, and may just let it go thru and fleabay it if I buy something else in the meantime. I'm sure it'll bring a premium with a 'get it now' instead of 'wait 2 months'.

I personally had a very good experience with my 4150. It lasted 4+ years of hard use and it's death was not the fault of Dell.

I had a very bad bad bad experience with a Vaio (back when the P2 300 was the latest thing.) I will NOT buy a Sony without onsite service. They had my notebook tied up in service for 3+ months - worst CS in history. I'd bought it thru CDW and in the end never could get Sony to repair it right so I returned it to CDW and they gave me my $ back. I really liked the machine except for the proprietary drivers (never could get NT running right) and the horrible service I got on a failed drive (45 days the first time, and they returned it with a drive half the size I paid for, 45 days the second time and it came back with hinge problems - no idea how they screwed that up, another 45 days and it came back with a damaged LCD.)

 

This forms the very basis upon why I am going with a ThinkPad. I use a T41p at work and despite the fact this thing is nearly 3 years old now, it still runs like a champ and has the durability of a tank. I ordered a M1210 from Dell in July utterly convinced from all the reviews and comments that it was the way to go in terms of performance and price. But even this "premium XPS product" from Dell had a myriad of problems that were completely inexcusable. After 3 visits from Dell's Onsite Support in the span of two weeks, there were still problems and nearly 50% of my laptop was replaced! Granted, I got the laptop fast, and I could have 'lived' with the problems it had, but I shouldn't have to.

So if I have to wait a while for my ThinkPad it to show up, so be it. I'd rather get a laptop with a tried and true design and reputation of quality then take my chances with something else that won't even last a year on the retail production line.

 

People if you are NOT on the critical list you are NOT getting your laptops in August!!.

If you ordered on or after 7/11, my advice is that you get yours critical, so that you are in front of the random people who didn't know the machine was even coming out and ordered today. By the way, it seems when they reboot your order you get pushed to the butt of the line.

 

What is a good way to get your name on the critical list? Do you need to speak to the manager or have a good reason?
I ordered mine on 07/11 as well and have been pushed back to 08/27. So far I have been contacting them through email.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

Talk to a supervisor. That's what I did. They can usually tell you the exact date.

 

Kebs how positive are you that if you aren't on the critical list that you aren't getting your laptop until at least September?

I ordered on 7/21, and I NEED it by 8/21. Any way to get my name on the critical list?

 

to get on the critical list you need to call them and ask they put you on that list, The rep puts in a request for approval which takes a day.. I called and asked for the manager right on the spot and then they ask you Whats Wrong? you tell them your extremly mad and upset and that the entire thing is unacceptable. And if you dont get on the list you have no choice to order dell and see which one comes in first.. They advised me that NO t61p's are going out untill mid aug and non critical end of aug..

B

 

Yeah, I just called and spoke to a supervisor, and he said that if you ordered a T61p within the first 2 days (aka July 11th or 12th), you were automatically put on the "rushed/attention list" (aka critical list). So if you ordered on the 11th or 12th, you'll receive your laptop (according to this man) most likely by August 19th or 20th (depending on shipping), or possibly earlier.

 

Eek. Timmer, you're pretty screwed. You should have ordered 7/11 opening day if you wanted even a smidgen of a chance to get it by 8/21. Get on the critical list by calling in and saying you need to be put on it, get kinda mad about it like the post above me says, and ask for a 100.00 discount. I believe that's more money back than the 85.00 priced battery (I think that's the cost of it).

Call now, and expect your laptop week 3 or 4 of September. I was one of the 7/11's, and I'm not expecting it in my hands til week 1of September.

You'll figure out how to live without a laptop for those few weeks. I've been without a true, keeper, ThinkPad since March. Your other option is to learn which retailers will let you purchase a laptop, use it for a useful amount of time, say around 1-3 months until your thinkpad comes, and return it. Hint, it's not ebay, best buy,staples, office depot, walmart, or fry's. If someone makes you feel bad about it, put it on a store credit card, and pay the interest. It's like about 40-50 a month.

A casual warning, there are those here that will flame you for even thinking about it. So don't tell anyone you're doing so.

I've been without a ThinkPad since March 31, when I had wanted to buy a T60p and found out the T61's were coming out in May, and that the T61p's were around the corner. A VERY LONG CORNER. As with all things ThinkPad, anything you want, whether it be a laptop, a power cord, or a CSR to pick up the phone usually takes about 1.5 months not including shipping time. =)

 

If I would have known that it is going to take 6 weeks for it to ship, I would have bought it on the 11th


And I thought the store you're talking about changed their return policy?

 

I think some local pc shops and some schools rent laptops.

 

I'll just bring my old desktop up to school till my t61p gets here.

Why doesnt HP allow people to config models The 8510w is looking nice right now.

 

I ordered 7/12...I guess I got lucky...

 

this store that i am not talking about changed it's policy from infinite to 6 months to 3 months.