US warranty - return laptop from abroad

Hello,

I am new here but have been following the forum for quite a while. Would be thankful if someone could shed some light on the following scenario.

Would this warranty process work?

1. I ask my relative to buy a ThinkPad for me - with US only warranty.
2. She brings it back to me in Thailand.
3. The laptop breaks down during the warranty period.
4. I return the laptop to a US service provider - assuming Lenovo would provide name and address of such?
5. After repairing it the service provider ships it back to me in Thailand.

For shipping I would arrange for a company like DHL or UPS to manage shipping both ways. In other words I would pay for all shipping related costs.

Do you see any issue in this - apart from the high shipping costs

 

don't think Lenovo (or should i say repair depot) can ship the machine to overseas address. The pickup and drop off address for repair must be within USA if i remember correctly.

 

I don't know about that, when you request service from Lenovo they mail you a pre-labeled box and you put the broken laptop in and send it off to them. They wouldn't sent it internationally and if you try to do anything that's not standard I seriously doubt it's going to work.

Best option is to get a machine that includes an International Warranty so you can send it anywhere in the world.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/155656-3-year-international-warranty-us-thinkpads.html

Lenovo Support & downloads - International warranty service (IWS)

 

Thanks for the replies. I guess IWS is what I should be aiming for.

The thread you linked to was actually created by my friend jabbajabba He was actually the person referring me to this forum. It however does not seem to fully clarify. I have been looking at the US Lenovo site and tried to spec a X201 Tablet. I can add up to 4 yrs warranty - even with accidental coverage. But nowhere does it say if I can spec it with international warranty. Can I automatically assume that if ordered with 4 years warranty that it will be IWS?

 

You can check your computer's IWS eligibility on this page

Lenovo Support & downloads - International warranty service (IWS)

The Thinkpad Protection (accidental coverage) is US only and is mail-in.

 

IWS follows the model no. it is not an extra purchasable option. Say hello to JabbaJabba for us...

 

Thanks lead org! Will give your regards.

Re IWS, thing is I am yet to find a model no which does not show up under the IWS page with warranty eligibility for any country in the world. Has Lenovo made IWS default on all never machines or could it be a system error? I have looked up random model nos from eBay US for several different machines e.g. T500, T61, etc.

Even the X201 tablet I specified on lenovo.com just a while ago with model 0831CTO came up as IWS?

 

If it says it's IWS in the system then I'm sure it's correct. It seems a lot of systems from Lenovo are, on Lenovo forums someone is having trouble with using the IWS in Argentina on a G560 budget laptop:

IWS in Argentina - Lenovo Community

And that's a low end machine, so you'd expect many of the higher end machines to be eligible. The key would be that it's a machine sold worldwide and not just in one region.

 

The warranty look up can be wrong on occasion. This is particularly true of refurbed machines because they are sold before the database is updated. Refurbed machines are also not IWS eligible. Just something to keep in mind if you buy on eBay or something. If they say it's refurbed and has a three year warranty, they're either being deceitful or don't know what they're talking about.

 

Good advice, so I would say Mokujin should focus on new ThinkPads to avoid any eBay shenanigans with the warranty. We've seen people sell outlet machines on eBay as "New in box" and not been forthcoming about the fact they were purchased via Outlet.

 

eBay can be great, but can vary much more widely. I bought both my R60 and X200t via eBay, and paid much less than buying them via more conventional routes. The thing about eBay is you got to do your homework, which is tough for a new buyer since you're essentially untested. Read the description with a magnifying glass and if you've got a question, ask. It's an opportunity to test the seller.