Waiting for your Z series laptop???

Now that all the T60's are being shipped promptly, I think it's time for a new thread for the folks who are still waiting for their Z61t or Z61m.

Let me update my info here
Z61t model 9440D9U
Core2 Duo 2GHz, 14.1''WXGA+ with Titanium cover, 1.5 gig Ram, 120 gig HD, 8x DVD recordable drive, Integrated bluetooth and finger print reader, Intel Pro wireless, 4 cell battery, 3 year onsite warranty $1465 with tax

Ordered on 11/14th, Est. ship date 12/19th

Got a mail from Lenovo on Friday 12/09th informing me an estimated delay of another 30 days. They say I can call my representative if I want to change/cancel my order.

What the hell, did I wait for nothing all these days or what?? I am pretty mad about this.

 

Whatttt??! I ordered 11/24, so yours is delayed till 1/19??? One representative told me he expected mine to be shipped either next week or the week after. Are you going to ask for a discount because I think you deserve one.

 

Hopefully that is jaust an estimate atleast this time.

Today I m going to call them and see If I get any compensation.

Once I talk to them I will update the info here.

 

Hopefully something good will come from this. Let us know what happens. I was quoted that my laptops would be building the week of Christmas and ship out that week.

 

I ordered a Z61m

Ordered on 11/13th, Est. ship date 12/18th

Specs: C2D 2Ghz, 1.5GB RAM, 100 GB HDD, DVDRW, WSGXA+, X1400 GPU, Titanium cover, DVD burner..

I also got an email identical to what was mentioned by the original poster.. I called the sales guys, they said it is standard email whenever the system does not ship on the date promised by the rep.. I was also told that the system would ship within 2 to 3 weeks... I am not sure I can believe this..

If only I could find a similar configured machine with a good build quality, I would cancel the order immediately.. This delay is very frustrating... I only hope the post sale interactions (hope not, but incase of necessity) would not be as frustrating as this...

This saga has taken the fun entirely out of the buying process.. Honestly, I dont feel like I am even looking forward to getting the machine though I need it..

Lets hope they get this sorted out soon..

 

I just cancelled my order for a z61t and ordered a t60. Not really much to do with the delay as much as I wanted to make a change to the t60, although they are probably both fine laptops for my needs.

I had ordered the Z at the end of November and had a 12/20 delivery date.

They explained a delay on the Z order due to the shell and memory, not sure if I would have received it on schedule or not.

Mostly Sony, Dell, Compaq and toshiba over the years. I think this will be a nice change. First IBM/Lenovo for me.

 

I just got off the phone with a sales rep who checked and said that all the components were now in stock and it would definitely ship this week. He put me on hold for an extended time to verify this with the suppliers.He also said that the system was being actually assembled right now! (This according to him does not start until all the parts are available)

This gives some hope!

 

Just as an additional data point, the complaint manager I talked to said my Laptop would ship on 12/12 a couple of weeks ago.

Z61t 9440D9U ordered on 10/30

 

Here's an update from my rep...who I find to be rather useless most of the time

Z61t 9440D3U will ship week of the 18th (T5500 processor, webcam)
Z61t 9440D4U will ship week of the 26th (T7200 processor, no cam)

I said I needed the D4U unit first, but she said the shells are just not available. She said the shells for the first one would come in first. I assumed the shells would be basically identical, but maybe the webcam screws it all up. That doesn't make sense to me. Anyone else have a thought on this? I asked to get expedited shipping, and she said there's nothing she can do, "the shells aren't in." I had to repeat myself, telling her "expedited shipping doesn't have to do with shell availability, but has to do with making a customer happy!" She said she'd try and email me what she can do. She basically sounds like she can't do anything. But, the units do sound like they'll ship by the end of the year, which I guess it how they look out for themselves. All I can say is, I hope they machine lives up to it's reputation, AND makes all the trouble to get it worth it.

 

My z61t 9440D9U (ordered 11/08) is showing an online est ship date of 1/04/2007. I've been trading voice mails with a customer complaint manager for teh last few days. The last message she left for me (late Friday) said that that Jan 4 was still the date her computer was showing and that it looked to be accurate (delay is due to a shortage of shells).

Once I actually get to speak with her I'm going to ask for some form of compensation, but who knows what that will get me (if anything).

 

holly flipping molly that's bad news.... I ordered Nov 1, the new delivery date was Dec 19 ... if they're going to bump that another 4 weeks I'm P*ISSED...

they'll be $1,000 retail by the time they get them released, LOL.

if the titanium cover is the issue, i'd be happy with a black cover, but, i'm afraid if i call and make that change i'll be bumped to the bottom of the list

i'd be happy with a new widescreen T60... but i wonder what the (real) delivery date is on them?

what to do ... what other company makes a notebook close to the Z61t, I'm not interested in Dell, HP, Toshiba... Sony SZ's are nice but the keyboard sucks and where's the warranty ??

arrrrrrrgh....

 

"Dear Jeff Johnson

Thank you for contacting Lenovo, the makers of ThinkPad and ThinkCentre products!

Lenovo has built a decades old reputation on excellent customer service with excellent products. Your
service experience to this point is not one we wish to duplicate. We appreciate your patience and
will do all we can to have your ThinkPad delivered to you as quickly as possible.

Regarding your order *****, the dates you have been quoted are estimated based on availability of the
items you requested. We are unable to send this system out until all the items you selected have been attained,
added in to the base system and tested to meet Lenovo's standards of quality. We apologize for any
inconvenience this situation may cause. We may not ship the ThinkPad without memory as it will be a non functioning
computer.

As per our records your Lenovo Order is still expected to ship on 12/15/06, not 01/07/07. We apologize for any confusion
this may have caused. We have checked with our supply department and they advised us it will start building 12/09 and it
takes 5 days for configuration."

This is the last response I received last Wednesday. I've since emailed twice more with no further response. I only hope they are telling me the truth, but I'm still worried it was just a response to placate me.

Fyi: Mine was ordered 11/9 and was originally to be shipped 12/5.

 

I' ve just hung up the phone with one of the complaint managers. I demanded to price match my laptop with the current going deals. I initially bought a Z61m on 11/1/07 and now my estimated ship date is 1/1/07 At the end the manager agreed I deserve a price match which at the end ended up been $28 less than the initial invoice. I am not really satisfied with this though so i ll wait until tomorrow because lenovo is running new promotions and then i ll call back again. However, IMO I don't think they would compensate more than $100.

9450G6 CONFIGURED SYSTEM
01/01/07 $1,548.00 $1,548.00
9450G6U LENOVO THINKPAD Z61M 9450 - CORE 2 DUO T7200 2 GHZ - 15.4" TFT
41U3119 CTO MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP HOME
40Y7741 LENOVO THINKPAD MEMORY - 512 MB - SO DIMM 200-PIN - DDR II
40Y7742 LENOVO THINKPAD MEMORY - 1 GB - SO DIMM 200-PIN - DDR II
41N8338 LENOVO THINKPAD MULTI-BURNER ULTRABAY ENHANCED DRIVE - DVD¦RW (¦R DL) / DVD-RAM DRIVE - IDE
40Y6796 CTO 6 CELL BATTERY 2.6 AH
41U4780 LENOVO THINKPAD 11A/B/G/N WI-FI WIRELESS LAN MINI-PCI EXPRESS ADAPTER - NETWORK ADAPTER
41N8332 LENOVO HARD DRIVE - 100

 

Who'd you email to get that response?

 

Hmmm, I wonder if the delay is specific to the titanium shells. I just ordered a black (to save weight) "bright" screen z61m yesterday and it is supposed to ship on Christmas day.

 

I had to go on biz travel just after they bumped my delivery date, so I haven't been able to do much. I plan to reevaluate whether I am actually willing to order a different machine, then call and see if they can talk me out of it. I remember looking at an ugly dell with some reported screen probs, and a $$$ vaio sz. And maybe a fujitsu. Anyway, I ordered a 9440 d9u on 10 November. I don't actually want the dang webcam. And don't really care black or titanium. Just wanted it before my holiday time off.

 

Infact I couldn't place an order for black top cover customized models for a long time on Z61t.

Then a friend of mine convinced me that Ti cover is good inspite of adding a few ounces and I finally opted for 9440-D9U. I guess I also should have bought the black top one.

Btw. I called lenovo and there is nothing that they could do at this point. I finally filed a complaint, but no compensation.

However the customer service lady promised me that they can compensate if I don't get it by 12/28th; don't know what even if they give something free then.

 

I emailed:

[websales at ca.lenovo.com]

I initially filled out the contact us form online, and have just responded to each email once its received.

 

supern6va reported getting a credit. Wasn't clear to me if that was a refund or a Lenovo credit.

To "nothing they can do" I say Bull. They can

• Provide information to the customer that part XXX is unavailable until date such-and-such
• Not tell the customer a computer is "being packed" when in fact it will not ship for a month or more. I don't care what their internal jargon is or isn't. That's misleading to the customer.
• Do something other than read their own known-untruthful estimated ship date back to the customer when asked for detailed information.

and so on.

If they are this untruthful and unhelpful to the customer in the purchasing process, where are they going to be if there is a problem with the product post-purchase? I think it reflects poorly on the company and it diminishes my interest in the product.

 

I really have to agree. I don't think I've ever gotten a completely straight answer from them.

I wish they'd just be honest about the dates. It's so much worse to set expectations and fail, then to exceed expecatations even when the dates are further off. (In other words, I prefer honesty to telling me something to placate me long enough to get me off the phone/email).

 

Awmoore, you are right.

I realized after googling about this shipping delays that lenovo has this problem for the past one year.

I guess that they wait for a certain number of orders in each model before they start making them. Meanwhile they keep telling people memory is not available, shells are not available and all sorts of stuff.

I can't think of any other reason for a company to have more than a month long delays for a whole year.

 

I agree with the last 3 posts too - but - if I didn't wait for my Z61t what the heck would I buy that's comparible....

Like I said I'd love to buy an SZ but the keyboard and lack of reasonably priced warranties makes that a foolish move...

Dell, Toshiba, HP, Asus... not for me for sure...

let's face it ... if you want a really nice, well built, well warrantied computer we all have to wait

 

UniqueSTCO, I 100% agree -- unfortunately -- which is why I'm waiting! Nothing else I looked at came close to what I wanted, so I sit here waiting ...

Now, if I'm waiting much longer, I'll reconsider.

 

Their entire order process needs to be seriously improved. I called and cancelled an order yesterday after placing a different order the previous night.

First, they tell me to call back in a day or so to see if it was cancelled, which seems odd, because if you cancel an order, they should say "ok it's cancelled" and not ask you to spend your time on hold waiting to ask to cancel it again.

Secondly, they tell me that the online status information is not very accurate... hmmm, I guess they could do away with it or fix it.

The phone experience yesterday was very poor. The wait time was more than 5 minutes on two seperate calls.

This is clearly an area that needs vast improvement!

 

ordered a z61m on 11/24. has always had a ship date of 12/18 from the start. still does. Haven't bothered to call yet, but I hope they make that date. Leaving town for a week over xmas and wouldn't want that package to sit at UPS.

 

I ordered a z61m on 11/13 with an estimated ship date of 12/18.. Mine still hasnt shipped.. So, you may want to call to see where you are..

 

"Thank you for contacting Lenovo, the makers of ThinkPad and ThinkCentre products!

Lenovo does not comment on competitors business practices.

We do appreciate your comments and feedback, We have forwarded your complaint to the appropriate
department within Lenovo."

The most recent less than helpful response. My email stated (paraphrased): 1.) Why does Dell have no issues with shipping on time and bend over backwards to make you happy if they are even a day late. 2.) Is my laptop REALLY going to start production December 9th like promised.

Obviously, they didn't want to answer the second question ...

 

Hi guys,

Lenovo customer service rep is making me switch to a different model 9440-CTO with the same configuration.

This just means that they will kill my old order of 9440D9U Z61t and place a new order for 9440CTO Z61t with the same config. They say this model will ship out within 10 business days i.e. it should ship out on 12/26th if they place this order, whereas with 9440D9U it will start building on 12/26th or 12/28th.

What do you all say? Is it worth? Is anyone waiting for 9440CTO model here?

 

If it means getting the unit sooner, go for it. How are you working this anyways? I've got a Z61t on order, and would love to get it a bit earlier. My model numbers are 9440D3U and 9440D4U...I think. Can I do the same thing you're doing?

 

When I filed a complaint reporting the huge delay, they assigned me someone from customer service. She is the one who is suggesting this. But my sales rep is kind of not willing to do that and he says it doesn't make much difference.

They both are talking the details and my sales rep is going to give me a call back this afternoon.

I will update again.

 

Is the CTO they are proposing the one with bluetooth? I don't need it, but whatever.

If I price out a CTO with T7200, Black wxga+, no cam, no fingerprint, 1.5GB RAM, 100MB 5400rpm HD, dvd writer, I get $1489.

The D9u I am signed up for is the same except Titanium, +cam, +fingerprint, -bluetooth and cost $1318!

are they eating the diff if any in your case?

Shipping 12/26 still isn't that freaking impressive tho. Are they promising overnight shipping? They should have started offering real options when I called them on 12/1 instead of reading me my "estimated " ship date of 12/6.

 

Ofcourse, they are offering it for the same price. Yaa that is very true 12/26th is not impressive anyway.

Reg the shipping, I didn't ask and infact I don't care. Even with regular shipping they are arriving here within 2 or 3 days max.

 

If I go CTO route, will it only be faster if I choose non ti cover? I don't get why this would be quicker unless the issue is with the ti cover. Anymore details? I think I figured out that the CTO models are built from the main page. So I'm at least headed in the right direction.

 

I am not sure mtnkbr.

Anyway there might be some good news very soon for all of us. Just now the availability status of 9440D9U Z61t changed from available in 10 days to 4 in stock.
Check this link

https://www.directlenovo.com/public...ouping_id=424&instock=y&establish_cookie=true

A big ray of hope!!!!!

 

Just got off the phone with the complaints supervisor. I was promised a laptop to ship on 12/12, but no shells came in. New date is 12/26...

Wish I could find a different brand that I liked as much.

 

I've just got off the phone with a second lever complaint supervisor. After discussing and arguing for more than an hour, he told me in general lines that they DONT offer any kind of compensation or at least they don't have such program. He also said that there are more than 200 Z series laptops that have been delayed due to the fact that the display shells have not delivered to them yet by the manufacturer. He also added that the only thing he could do is to give expedited shipping, and price match if you laptop was bought for more compared to the current going sales. So I conclude, that there is not way we can get our laptop before Christmas. Also someone on a previous thread said that he received $300, which I believe is bull**** because I dont think they would give you such a big amount of compensation while I was pushing them off the limits and they still weren't offering even $50.

 

Well, I know someone who last year got 10% off their laptop when it was delayed similiarly. However, I truly wonder how someone got $300 off too.

Anyway, not good news either way -- is there still a shortage of shells?

 

I am inclined probably to cancel now if I can't get it by 12/22, and I identify another candidate which I can. I have decided I would not have chosen the lenovo in the first place if they made the availability delay known truthfully, even if I thought it was the best price/hardware. I'm off on another biz trip today though, so still haven't truly re-shopped or called lenovo. Anyone have experience with cancellation - are they going to give me grief or try to charge a fee? (if so, I will protest vigorously).

There and I had all that great nastygram language like "reflects poorly on the company and diminishes my interest in the product" ready to go. Well, it might still come in handy in cancelling.

 

I cancelled yesterday on an order for a Z61T which was scheduled for a December 21 delivery. The cancellation was very painless other than calling in a couple times to confirm it was in fact cancelled.

I did not receive an email as I was told I would but the first order is now missing from the site.

In place of the Z61T, I placed an order for a fairly loaded T60. 14.1"

I would not hesitate to cancel again.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

I called them up to check on my order and to verify the build date of 12/10 was accurate. They said they'll contact the warehouse and I'll be contacted by e-mail. We'll see.

 

Mine was supposed to be 12/9

 

I think that all of you should cancel your orders.

That way I'll get mine faster!

 

Well, I'd really like to get mine, and luckily I have a Dell 6400 at work to tide me over -- which isn't nearly as nice (or fast) but it'll do for now, I suppose.

 

I know i haven't been waiting as long as all of you, but I'm seriously thinking of canceling my order if they don't keep their revised build date I received by e-mail. I mean, if they don't keep it, are they going to keep screwing me over like so many of you have been?

I'm hoping it won't take long since I really need a laptop ASAP and my shell should've been in stock right since I had to pick from a combination of Shell, screen, vidcard, and CPU (went through education site). Only things customizable were Hard drive, RAM, OS, and accessories

 

Hi guys, I read in thinkpads forum today that somebody's Z61p (9450-A1U) was shipped today.

user name there: seeplus
Order date: 10/21st
Shipped:12/13 th

One important thing here, he was told that the particular model was discontinued and was made to order a t61p yesterday. Surprisingly the discontinued model is shipped the very next day.

This is just an example of how the lenovo sales reps are misleading the customers with their lack of information or whatever.

 

Sorry for the typo. It should read T60p. My bad!

 

Wow, if it really shipped, maybe there is hope for all of us!

However, I'll believe it when it happens!

 

" Dear JEFFREY JOHNSON

Thank you for contacting Lenovo, the makers of ThinkPad and ThinkCentre products!

The building of your system will start tomorrow 12/14/06.

If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 866-42-THINK (84465) option number 2,

We will be happy to assist at that time.
Once again thank you for contacting Lenovo."
My latest Update. Should I wait with baited breath?

 

Hehe, I wouldn't if I've been waiting for a month and getting the run-around.

Still haven't gotten an e-mail on the build update that I was promised over the phone on Monday. I'm somehow doubting my build date will be finished this week like promised. *Fingers crossed*

 

Breaking News !!

My notebook which had the ship date changed to 12/19 has left the buidling!! It shipped from Asia yesterday, 12/12 a week early.

I bought it from a IBM reseller so I'll have it in my hands no later than Monday.

(My order date was Nov 2.)

woo hoo ... can't wait.