Thinkpad Phone Support :-(

Let me start this off by saying that I purchased by T42 2378fvu before the sale to Lenovo. I had encountered several small issues from the beginning, all of which were quickly resolved by their friendly and, above all, US-based call center staff.

Recently I encountered a problem with my keyboard leaving marks on my lcd panel. I waited for a few months (for my work load to subside) and then finally decided to call it in for repair.

Perhaps Lenovo has modified IBM's support standards, but the rep I encountered was much less friendly and helpful then I remembered. Barely any greeting, simply stopped talking when finished and waited for me to say goodbye, no "thank you for calling". While most of these features are completely useless and part of "customer service", I was very suprised to see how far Thinkpad support had fallen.

My reason for purchasing a thinkpad were largely focused on excellent support and product quality. No one disputes that purchasing a thinkpad involves some compromise on your part. Their website navigation is terrible. Their machine model scheme frequently makes no sense at all. They are significantly more expensive than Dell/HP/etc. It just feels that the new Lenovo has greatly decreased their level of service and, from accounts of other users, begun to decrease product quality and distinct thinkpad features with new products (z60, for example).

This post is rambling, but I feel that my fellow thinkpad loyalists should be informed.

 

Perhaps you just got a bad rep or they were having a bad day. There are good and bad reps at all companies. I would not say the support level has fallen based on one call. Whenever I have called support they have picked up quickly, have never been put on hold and problems were resolved quickly. If you do not feel your rep is helping, you can always ask to speak to a supervisor.

Yes ThinkPads are more expensive than Dell and HPs, but they are much better built at least the ones I have seen are. Dell and HP's business class notebooks offer better build quality but are in the same price range as ThinkPads and still not as well built in my opinion.

I'd agree the website could use a little work, but it is not much different than when IBM owned it. You still will find things there not on other companies sites like videos on how to install things or find what part were used to build your machine. On the whole it is a good site, but there is a learning curve.

 

Nothing has changed, service & support-wise since Lenovo bought Thinkpad. IBM Global Services provided tech support per-sale, they provide support post-sale, and they are contracted to provide support for the next five years.

Sounds like you just might have gotten a hold of someone in a bad mood or off their game. As for all the other complaints about the website, it hasn't really changed...except the name at the top of the page, but you should let Lenovo know how you feel. Use their website contact page.