Waiting on your laptop? Memory backorder?

First of all there whole sale side of the business needs to be revamped. Im an average consumer, and I called everystore to see if they had any store models of any of their thinkinpads so I can go check them out, and there was none. Now if I hadnt came on this site I wouldnt have ended up ordering one. Think about how much more profits they could make if they opened up kiosks at the mall even, or supplied more to bestbuy or circuitcity. I guess most of their profits comes from businesses, but still thats inwardminded they can easily take a bigger chunk from the consumers like us.

Second, they need to change some policies and figure out their supply logistics a lot better. From what Ive read on this board, this same thing happened a year ago as well.

Well hopefully the laptop is going to be good, because I dont know why else I wouldve ordered it

 

Kiosks are a great idea. I think Dell is already doing that.

 

Just to let ya'll know I placed my order on 11/30 and received my T60 today 12/01!!! I was quite surprised to say the least, however I only got 1 gig of ram so that could be why...

 

Ah? Overnight?!? Was that a special pre-configured system they had in stock which you paid overnight shipping for?

 

Okay...This is now laughable, at best. Ordered a z61t T7200 with 2GB on 11/08. Had an online estimated ship date of 12/04 from the start. Called at least twice a week and had been told all along, and most recently this Monday, that 12/04 looked reasonable but that if might go a day or two in either direction. I just called back since 12/04 is next Monday and was told it would be delayed about 7-10 days. I told the rep I was a bit annoyed with the whole process. A rough translation of the rest of the exchange:

Me: "Okay, so give me a new date that I can hold you guys to."
Rep: (after some humming to herself) "Let's say the end of the month."
Me: "Wait, how does 7-10 days turn into 4 weeks?!?!"
Rep: "Sorry"
Me: "I'll give you guys a little bit of leeway but will seriously consider cancelling my order if I don't get it soon".
Rep: "I understand completely, call back the end of next week and we'll have some answers."

So that's where I stand. I'll give them the weekend then call back and kindly ask for some form of compensation. Upgraded shipping at least. I know Thinkpads are good machines, but c'mon! They realistically expect to have happy customers if it takes close to 2 months to get them a **** laptop!

 

Naw, it was the standard free shipping. My estimated ship date was 12/19, I'm quite surprised myself. The machine was not preconfigured but it is not all that special.

T60 C2D T7200, 1 gb ram, 80 gb 5400 HD, and what not...

However, I just got the x1300 card and pretty standard screen since all this computer is going to be used for is internet and some school.

 

You got very lucky, cause due to this being a very common setup they probably had it in stock. Usually when you configure your system, its gets build overseas (in China) and they ship it to you. Yours most likely came from US warehouse. I just checked the order status of my system (order placed on 11/29) and the estimated ship date is 1/2/07

 

I know, I got very very very lucky, becuase mine did come from China. That is why I cannot believe it got to me in two days. I only hope everyone gets theirs at a "reasonable" time; ya'll have much more patience than me. Heres the tracking...

Package Progress
Location Date Local Time Description
MEMPHIS,
TN, US 12/01/2006 10:21 A.M. DELIVERY
12/01/2006 6:47 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY
12/01/2006 5:34 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 12/01/2006 6:15 A.M. ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS CAUSED THIS DELAY
12/01/2006 5:02 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
12/01/2006 3:11 A.M. IMPORT SCAN
CHEK LAP KOK,
HK 11/30/2006 9:47 P.M. A FLIGHT DELAY OCCURRED BECAUSE OF
MECHANICAL REASONS
11/30/2006 2:32 P.M. EXPORT SCAN
11/30/2006 2:31 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN
KOWLOON BAY,
HK 11/30/2006 1:47 P.M. PICKUP SCAN
HK 11/30/2006 3:31 P.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

 

I have the sinking feeling I am in for the same. I just called again, pressed 0 this time, and got told shipping 12/6. I asked if all the parts were available at this time, and she said "12/6 is what my system says." Gee thanks.

 

The "bait and switch" method of marketing will win them a lot of customer this year. But God helps Lenovo if they want repeating customers.

Imagine if someone's home business needs this new computer...

 

@ komodo72: unbelievable, even with 2 plane delays due to mechanical and weather reasons. Wow!!!

@ bestisfree: Lenovo doesn't have to worry about returning customers. The real "bait" here is a Thinkpad laptop and its quality. Once you experience it, you will never go back to anything else. In the last 5-6 years i went through and still have x600, T23, T42 and will have T60 soon. Their quality and support is bar none!!!

 

ahh. ordered 11/24 est ship of 12/27, just called and said the z61 shell and the ram (1gb) is holding up, he thinks 12/22.

Even if it was 12/22 I would still receive it right before new years. I think the consensus of everyoen is this their design/quality/support=great but the other aspects of their business is really way below average.

 

But Twister...how long were you made to wait for those in the past? Or more importantly, how many times did they change the dates on you? When I placed the order (11/08) the websales site said 7-10 business days, the order status page later the same day said (12/04), and now I'm being told hopefully before the end of the year. Not to mention the random dates in between I got evertime I called to talk to a rep.

Just be straight with us Lenovo. Is that too much to ask? In my opinion this IS part of their overall "quality and support". And, no, I'm not at all impressed. Will I love the new machine when it gets here? I sure as hell hope so (and I honestly have no reason to think that I won't), but in the meantime, frustration.

 

Good point, I never had to wait that long or heard stories about them changing their mind about shipping day. That part of doing business really took a dive

 

you can check them out @ Office Depot, they have them on display.

 

I placed my order on 11/17 which was exactly 2 weeks ago. and my Est. shipping data is 12/20.
here is my configuration:
C2D 2.0/60G 5400rpm/2G mem/tp 802.11(rep told me they dont have 11n)/X1400/3 yrs dep/ ect.
I dont know why it takes their long time to build laptop.
I called them 3 times this weeK:
first guy: " from my computer shows, ur shipping date will be eariler than 12/20, because it takes 10 days to build system" ( Gee, I know this also from website).
second lady:" we short of memory now, hopfully you will get it before 12/20. or sooner."
third lady:" we dont have memory now!!"
OK, can they give me some useful info???
gee, Lenovo should have a warehouse in the U.S.A. Dell, for example, my cousin ordered a loptop last week, and got it on this Mondy.

 

I called 4 office depots in san jose area, and they only have the n100.

 

I long for the days when IBM sold a wide variety of preconfigured units on eBay. They were almost always reasonably priced and and got to you within a week, despite coming from Hong Kong. That's how I got my t30, and many of my clients got machines that way.

This is my first experience with a IBM/Lenovo CTO, and I'm sorry to say that I'm not happy with it. That said, if it ships next week, it will be within a week of what I was originally told, so I knew what I was getting into. I do wonder why it is that every other manufacturer can configure and ship a system within a week and Lenovo seems unable to do that.

 

My order status page STILL says 12/05 (I ordered 11/09), but I am not holding my breath.

I was told mine would ship 11/30 in one email. That has come and gone now.

When I called I was now told 12/14 or 12/15 depending on the rep. This after my original estimate of 12/05. I may try them again later. I'd be fine if they shipped it with 256MB of memory, because office depot has no shortage of memory.

 

Coz007, did you get any new info when you called back?

 

Hey, everyone.

Placed order 11/28/2006.
T60, T7200, 1.5GB Mem, ATI Radeon x1400, 14.1" SXGA+, 100GB 7200 HDD

During the order their estimated shipping date was 12/12/2006. That is why I got free standard shipping - had time to get it before holidays.
After order was placed, estimated shipping was changed to 12/20/2006. No way to recieve it on time with 5-7 days delivery.

I wrote nice e-mail to lenovo telling exact the same information. Asked if they can do enything to speed up the process. At least change shipping to 2 days delivery.
I got standard responce next day. They told that T60 is very popular and back ordered. Will be shipped within next 3 weeks.

I went online today to check the status (stupid, I know). The order status page tells it was shipped on 12/01/2006 !!! I can't believe it!
I checked UPS page - it left HK 12/02/2006. Delivery is scheduled to 12/04/2006. They changes delivery from standard to express!

Next Monday it should be in my hends. Less than a week DELIVERED!

I can't tell you how happy I am. Hope yours will go fast now. They might be fixed the problem that caused deleys.
Good luck.

 

That is very impressive. Did you customize that model or was it prebuilt?

 

Man I hope mine ships this fast. Ordered a z61m (customized... in terms of hard drive and RAM) on 12/1/2006... estimated ship date 1/05/07

 

Looks like T60's are in stock. They are shipping them quite fast and also using overnight shipping inspite of people ordering standard shipping.

Hope they will solve the problems with z series and hopefully I will receive my Z61t soon.

 

To mbrockma:

Yes I customized my T60. I ordered online. Selected first (left) model from T60 lineup.

I changed CPU to T7200 - the best upgrade for the money and its 4MB cache
I added memory to a total of 1.5GB - I did not go to 2Gb to save $160. If I will need, I'll add some lated (probably for less)
Changed monitor to 14.1" SXGA+ (1400x1050 resolution is a good thing)
Changed video card to x1400 - better then integrated video
Added biomertics reader - just for fun and to see how it works.
Added Intel wireless card - don't know why not ThinkPad...
Changed hard drive to 100GB with 7200 rpm - fast and big
Changed optical device to CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max
I did not change the bettery. The 9 cell is a little bigger and will make laptop abot 2" depper.
And I did not add anything else, eccept a warranty. I got 3 years on-site.

Looks custom to me
Heads up! Yours on the way!

 

Seems to me that those of us who ordered our machines towards the last couple of days in November are getting our machines in no time. Like mentioned above I ordered my on 11/28 and received it on 12/01. If I was one of the people who has been waiting WEEKS (I know ya'll are tired of calling them but), I might call and ask them how they determine their build/ship order because it looks like as new items such as memory and casing are coming in stock they are being applied to newer orders and not the older ones. I know my ship date was 12/19 and if my memory serves me right at least a hand-full of people here had ship dates in November and still have not got their machines.

Also FWIW, I would not go with the standard screen like I did. While it is perfect for my usage others might not be as pleased with it because you can definitly tell it is a lower res screen. For me it is especially noticable in explorer in the empty spaces of the menu bar...

 

That is very strange, why would they not work on the older orders first?
Is there a number you can call on weekends? The regular number is only open M-F.

 

Ordered 12/1/06, initial est. ship date 12/16, now 12/23/06... Ugh

 

Can you tell me how to email to them? I feel like when I call them, I still get same ans. I ordered mine on 11/18. and shipping date is 12/20. 1 month is impressive....... so I decide to write email to them also.

 

I just sent an e-mail to the address in my order confirmation: [email protected]
I think I got standard responce, nothing special. Here is is:

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

Please note that we have checked on the status of your order. The Lenovo
ThinkPad T60
that you have on order with us is currently on backorder and should become
available to ship out within the next 3 weeks. If there is an urgency to
this order, please
contact us at: 1-866-42-THINK (84465) option number 2. A representative
will be more than
happy to assist you in selecting a similar alternate system that is
currently more available. We
apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.


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.

***Please reply back to this e-mail for further assistance.***

Sincerely,

Lenovo Websales Team
www.lenovo.com/think/us
​

 

No I did not get any type of update on my order other then it will ship sometime in the third week of december. My rep did say though that a lot of the problems they were having before with supply issues are quickly being resolved.

 

It seems like more people are having issues getting the Z series, and not as much difficultly with the T series. My buddy ordered 3 in November time, all of which shipped out from HK in under 5 business days, and he received them with what seemed like expedited shipping. I order a Z61t on the Nov 27, est ship Jan 2 (changed from original date of Dec 29), and a second Z61t on Nov 30, est ship Jan 3. Those are some serious lead times. Hopefully it won't take as long as they expect. Reps always give me "about 3 weeks for them to pack," statement. From what I've read, this should be worth the wait.

 

Not that I expected mine to change -- but it hasn't.

I've ordered 12 dells at work, and they've all shipped (the last batch of 5 shipped yesterday).

 

I am just simply pissed by lenovo order process.

 

Dissapointing to hear from such a reputable manufacturer.

 

OK... The lenovo.com order status page is now saying "Customer not found. For Assistance call 1-866-42-THINK (1-866-428-4465)." I've checked & doublechecked the customer & order numbers... as if I haven't memorized them entering & rentering them in my multiple daily checks for status. Phone line's not staffed now. Is the system down, or is my order becoming screwed up?

 

I believe system has error. Gee, Lenovo must pay cheap price on hiring a cheap website Admin to maintain the website. I notice there are a lot of link does not work. such as, return policy link. Lenovo trying to trick us on return policy now (JK).

 

I have a feeling that when the customer support center opens up tomorrow they are going to be very busy... My order says the same now.

 

Yeah, mine says the same. Must be an error on their site.

Maybe they're all being built right now. :-D

(Wishful, thinking? Absolutely.)

 

My order status still shows up. Maybe that's a bad thing...I must be getting more delayed!

 

order status is back online now; still no signs of the laptop getting shipped before 12/19 (ordered 11/16, t60, SVGA+, 1.5G ram)

 

the wait is killing me. better be worth it.

 

screw Lenovo...
a lot of ppl only take 5 days.
and I have been waittin for 16 days already.

 

Great, the order status site is back up...let's see how Lenovo's coming with my z61t, since the original estimated ship date was today (12/04/2006)

Ordered: 11/08/2006
NEW estimated ship date: 01/04/07

2007?! 2007!? WHAT!!!!!!!!! 58 days? You have got to be joking. I'm calling now and requesting some sort of answer. Hell, if they're not sending it for a month, throw in the latest processor, more memory, ANYTHING. Failing that I will likely cancel my order. I'll post back what I find out...

 

58 days seems just plain wrong. I ordered on the 27th, and the 30th, est ship dates are jan 2nd and jan 3rd respectively. According to the rep on the phone, he says my units take 3 weeks to build, and that the memory problem is resolved. The wait is now due to just lots of orders, which sounds reasonable. It doesn't sound reasonable that your date got pushed that far. What you've ordered is not considered old and outdated! They should give you updated pricing and/or upgrades.

 

...so maybe the news isn't all that bad.

From what I was told by the rep I spoke with, once the original estimated ship date passes, the system rolls over and gives a new estimated date as if it was a new order. That's just a horrible practice for an order status system, but that's an issue for another day. He said the delay was with the 1GB RAM chip (as we've all been told) for which there's been about a 20 business day delay. From what he was seeing, it looked like my system would ship on the 7th or 8th of December by the end of the week.

I'm not sure why I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt on this, since their communication's been so spotty throughout the whole process. I may just continue to be a whiny pain in their ass and call back later today to see if I get the same story. Since they've already run past their first ship date, I think it's a fair request to ask for upgraded express shipping at least.

 

From what I've heard, everyone seems to be getting upgraded shipping w/o even asking. Ships out from HK, arrives US next day, and one day to the house. Sure sounds like expedited shipping to me. My friend ordered 3 T60s, all at different times through Nov. and that's how they all arrived for him.

 

well the leg from Hong Kons to US HAS to be overnight, unless they ship by, uh, ships.

 

question:

my order status is still howing "IN PROGRESS" after 19 days. I am wondering is it all the page is ever going to show until it changes to "SHIPPED" or is there another intermediate step?

in short is there a message indicatiing that a laptop is being built?

 

Hi bestisfree,

Mine is also 11/14th and est. date is 12/19th. Today I called and somebody said that my order is packed and ready to ship. It is a Z61t, core2duo 7200, 14.1'' WXGA+, 1.5 gig ram, 120 gig HD, Intel wireless

Call them and find out about urs.