T61p Canadian Price Reductions?

Hello all!

I'm looking to order a T61p soon but wondering if it's worth holding off for a bit to see if they reduce the price anytime soon. I'd be happy to wait till the end of Sept if discounts were likely... Does anyone have any thoughts as to the chances of this happening?

Also, the US seems to have much nicer configuarations availiable, are there any websites that will let me order from the US and have shipping back to Canada?

Any answers very appreachiated

 

Not a chance. Lenovo Canada has been screwing us over with their prices forever. Believe me, I've been watching and waiting since May, and finally gave up...

Your best (and only, really) bet would be to order from the US site and bring it across the line. Thankfully the warranty transfers.

 

try visaperks.ca

use the t61p's model #
it's $2184 after discount, something like that anyway

 

Thank you!

I was under the impression the lenovo US site would reject you if you didn't order from a US address.

That visaperks site looks good Nice little discount. I'm tempted to order from there right now actually! Will it mind that I'm using Mastercard?

 

You have to use Visa obviously!

If you want to order from the US site you can ship the laptop to any UPS store in Niagara Falls and drive down and pick it up. The UPS store will only charge you about $5 to hold the package.

You set up an account with the store then you can ship to "your name" at the address of the UPS store.

 

That sucks! I might have to look into getting a visa card. Mind you, I've only been living in Canada for 6months so I don't think my credit rating will be upto it yet...

Nice idea, but i'm living pretty far from the border at the moment so the time/cost of picking it up would offset any savings.

 

Whoa, are you serious? Please tell me the Niagara Falls UPS address and any related info on how to pick up, taxes, etc.

Because I live in the GTA, and a travel down to the falls is well worth it IMO.

 

And more importantly, do I need to cross border? Or can I get to the UPS in Canada? I think I need to renew my passport before I can get into the US.

 

If you are a Canadian Citizen you can travel into the States by land until sometime in 2008. I just crossed over like 2 weeks ago. Don't know about the UPS thing however.

 

For anyone in the GTA who wants to buy from American retailers who will not ship to Canada (eBay, Dell, Lenovo, etc...), you can easily setup an account with the closest UPS store or a freight forwarder near the border and have products sent there.

This is how it works.
1) Setup an account with the freight forwarder.
2) Give the American retailer the address of the freight forwarder with your name. For example:
_Your Name_
3909 Witmer Rd
Niagara Falls, NY 14305
3) The freight forwarder calls you when the package arrives.
4a) Drive down to Niagara Falls and pick up the package plus clear the customs yourself at the border. 45 minute drive from the west end.
4b) Some companies will do the customs paperwork for you and even ship the package up to Canada for you.

Some places I have used:
US Address
3909 Witmer Road
Niagara Falls, NY 14305

716-298-1822
[email protected]
Monday - Friday 9am - 5:30pm
Saturday 9am - 2pm

Non-renter $5 per package
Renter $171.75 per year. $1.50 per package.

UPS Store
1623 MILITARY RD
NIAGARA FALLS, NY 14304-1745

Phone: (716) 298-4461
Fax: (716) 298-4578
The manager here is a great guy.
http://www.theupsstore.com/locations/locdet.asp?strCenterNum=MBE2194

This place will send the packages up to you in Canada. I have not used them myself:
Newport Customs Services Inc.
4011 Hyde Park Blvd.,
Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14305

Maximum Parcel 70 lbs
http://www.newportcustoms.com/page01.htm

 

I work for IBM, which still services thinkpads, and I can assure you that some 61-series models bought in one country will not be serviced in another (eg., Canada) under warranty. Notwithstanding what a lenovo sales rep might say. But you can purchase international warranty service (on the phone, not online) when you purchase a laptop, tho it's quite expensive. Otherwise, you'll have to return your laptop to the country in which it was purchased.

To see whether the specific model you're buying in the US will be fixed under warranty in Canada, check here:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=LOOK-IWS#sw

 

From what I understand after visiting that site, you need to own a laptop in order to check for its IWS? Or are laptops of same type going to have same IWS?

I'm looking at the T61p 8891CTO found on the US site.

 

Ok, I need to get this EXTREMELY clear, because I'm actually going to do this.
I live in the GTA, just a little info.

Q1: So, Lenovo ships to the store/freight forwarder, which is still in the US, correct?

Q2: If so, then I need to know this: do I need my passport to get into the states in the next 1-3 weeks? Because my passport expired. (If I don't need my passport, what do I still need, my citizenship card or w/e?)

Q3: What fees will I have to pay on top of the price of the laptop, and how much -
- laptop price
- shipping and handling? (does Lenovo do free s/h?) y/n
- custom fees? y/n
- tax? y/n
- freight forwarding service? y/n

Q4: If I want to find a forwarder that will ship it up to the GTA, do you know one that for sure offers this service? And what's the approx fee to get it shipped up to the GTA from the store in Niagara? Any additional fees?
- shipping? y/n
- addition fees? y(please list)/n

 

Oh yeah, I know not every laptop is covered. I was told by a few Lenovo reps that as long as the model# and specs are identical in both countries they're able to honor the warranty.

Either way I ended up getting an HP so no matter to me


Hahutzy: You'll need your birth certificate and a driver's license.

As long as you go pick it up and bring it back, the only fees you'll pay in addition to the original (laptop + US taxes + shipping if applicable) are Canadian taxes (PST + GST).

Don't forget Lenovo doesn't accept Canadian CCs unless it's American Express.

 

Does freight forwarding work backwards? Because I believe for a T61p 14", I'll need to ship it into US for warranty... Because they don't have it in Canada...

 

Excellent point. That's true for many web sites. Because AmEx is not a bank, i think.

 

Yes all laptops of the same type have the same IWS.
So you don't need to own a model to know its IWS status.

 

Yea I have an AmEx, so I got that covered. But for warranties, can I ship it to Lenovo US from Canada, then they ship it back to Canada?

Or will I ship from Canada to Lenovo US, they ship to UPS store near the Falls, and I have to go pick it up again?

Or even worse, I go down to the Falls, ship at the UPS store to Lenovo US, then go back down to grab it once they ship it back to the UPS?

 

If you buy a model already being carried in Canada, the warranty business remains in Canada after you purchase it. If you buy a model that does not appear on the Lenovo Ca site, then yeah it's back to USA.

(You could always sweet talk someone at Lenovo into letting you know if the model you want will be carried in the future...but GL with that!)

 

Probably but not necessarily. Use the IWS link above to determine eligibility. The model is based on the 4-digit machine type (eg. 1704) not the product line (eg. T61p). In fact, a few products not sold in Canada nevertheless have IWS coverage and are serviced in Canada under warranty (eg., 7662 qualifies, which is a customizable T61 sold in the US but not Canada).