yet another X61 gripe -- notebook does not lie flat!

The hot palmrest and always-on fan I could deal with, but this problem is driving me up the wall: when I laid the X61 on a flat surface and begin typing recently, I noticed that it wasn't lying flat on the table. One corner of the unit was elevated, maybe 1/4 of an inch, off the surface, so whenever I typed, the computer would wobble back and forth. This problem is taken care of if I put a couple of bottle caps back there to stabilize it, but it's a little ridiculous to have to carry around two bottle cops wherever I go!

Has anyone else experienced this? Have I gone insane, or is this a reasonable gripe?

 

No, you're not insane. I've seen quite a few complaints here, but it was the T61 though.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=139324&highlight=uneven

 

Show us some pics.

 

i confirm this, but i don't have any pictures.

 

My X61s sits flat on the surface.

 

That would be totally annoying. If it's a problem with more than one unit (seems to be), that has to be considered a design flaw or manufacturing flaw right?

 

Manufacturing..

 

I don't have this problem with my X61t; it lies flat. If yours is that annoying then definitely call and get it replaced. Of course who knows how long that will take . . .

 

my x61 lies flat, no wobble at all, although i find my 8 cell battery is a little loose? and it runs hot...scary

 

care to elaborate?

 

Likely the palmrest

 

My X61 lies flat on the surface, and i have no complains. The palmrest doesn't get that hot, or it doesn't bother me that much.

 

check it, they might have forgotten to put the heatsink in there. LOL.

 

Not sure if this will work, but here goes - pics, as requested:

Straight on view of the right, front corner:


This is an alternate angle of the right, front corner:


This is a view of the right, front corner, if I apply a bit of light pressure to the left, front corner - in other words, the maximum "wobble":


Left side, as you can see, is flush and lies flat:


Really crazy. My old X60 (Singapore) is fine, and my X31 is of much better quality. What gives?

 

I just spoke with Lenovo, the options are pretty sad. After a waste of two months just waiting for it to ship, my options are

(1) return it, purchase a new one (whatever they have in stock) and pay the price difference;
(2) "return and re-book" - return the defective model, place an order for the same model, wait until it is manufactured and delivered (lord knows when) and pay the price difference.

An option **not** on the table:
(3) [not an option] Return this defective unit, have them send me a new one.

I am definitely done with Lenovo.

 

My x61 has the same problem but it is the right corner and it does not elevate that high prolly only 0.1 inch barely noticeable until I read this post....and it wont happen when the screen(lid) is closed. Although its not a big problem, I still feel uncomfortable with it.

 

See if you can return and re-book but keep the old one until you receive your new one, that is what I did with my T60. Granted you have to have enough credit to have two machines on your card at once (once they ship the new unit you will be charged) and if your ok with having that much on there, i'd say that is an option

 

Are you kidding me? They do not give you options. You are the customer. Argue with them until you get option number 3. Go higher up in the tech support chain if you have to (speak to a supervisor). They should not be making you pay today's price for a defective X61 that you bought with yesterweek's price.

 

I have no problem doing that, but I was expressly told I would have to pay any difference.

My sentiments exactly - but it won't happen. The amount of energy necessary isn't worth it, especially when the two people I spoke with told me (3) simply ISN't an option!! It's really disappointing.

 

I think if I were you, I'd send it back and take my business elsewhere. The new HP business laptops are nice, as are the dells.

Only reason I went with Lenovo is because it saved me about 400.00 after EPP and various other discounts.

 

Huh, I didn't have to pay any difference or a restocking fee....maybe the prices were the same when I sent my back?

 

Ask to speak to a higher-up. Get angry.

 

thats really unacceptable from their part. you should not have to pay any restocking fees for a defective unit. if i were u i would keep yelling and complaining until i get heard

 

I will give it a try. The difference in price isn't a restocking fee. I got my X61 for (final price) $1400 when I got it. Configred the same way today, it will cost around $1600. I was told that when you rebook, you are basically charged for the new computer, and then refunded for the old computer -- any price difference and you eat the cost.

I would really like to fix this myself somehow, so I am open to any ideas (other than using two bottle caps to prop up the back of the computer, which I know is an (admittedly ghetto) option)

 

Tell them they shouldn't make it a rebook. They sent a defective computer which is covered under warranty and explain how the laptop being warped is defective. It's not supposed to be a rebooking, it is a replacement of a defective laptop and you shouldn't have to change anything about your order, especially if it's going to end up costing you.

 

It's interesting that Lenovo has now become the low-price leader. The reason why a lot of people have put up with delays and problems (T61, R61, X61) is because they got great deals. It seems like many people would have moved on to other brands, but that would have cost them more money. It really doesn't seem that Lenovo has the same reputation for quality products and quality customer service that it had just a year or two ago.

 

1. Quality and great pricing are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
2. This is just one bad example of a Lenovo product, but there are many, many, many more customers who are satisfied and don't post because they have no reason to.
3. Other than these isolated instances, you have absolutely no cause to make such a bold statement about Lenovo's "declining quality."

 

I had the same problem as well. I found that once you put the battery pack in, the problem is fixed, as the 4th "leg" is on the battery itself.

 

Isolated instances? Each new item that Lenovo has released recently has suffered from substantial problems related to either quality or customer service.

The problems with the T61 have been well documented. Ordering problems, hour long waits to speak with customer service, lies from customer service reps, 2 month delays in delivery and to top it all off, blue screen problems with brand new computers. After the horrendous problems with the ordering system for the T61, and promises from Lenovo that they would conduct a "thorough post-mortem", they refuse to honor pricing on the R61, keeping customers in the dark while cancelling orders, and once again lying to customers. The X61 has also suffered extensive delays beyond promised delivery times, the X61t also had extensive blue screen problems, and once again Lenovo refused to take responsibility for their mistakes, forcing customers to accept "customer service" options that are totally unacceptable.

Is there another company that has recently made customers wait 2 months past the promised delivery date for new computers?

Is there another manufacturer right now where people are afraid to send back defective products because they are fearful that they might have to wait a month or more to get a replacement for a defective computer?

Each person can have their own opinion, but I stand by my statement that Lenovo does not have the same reputation for quality and customer service that they had 2 years ago. Whether the actual quality of the products and customer service has suffered, their reputation has undoubtadly deteriorated. Their customers have been reduced to filing reports en masse with the BBB (T61) and with the FTC (R61).

I'm not saying that Lenovos suck, I own one myself; but I definitely have the feeling that I'm more likely than before to have a problem with my computer and if I do I'm more likely than before to get screwed by customer serivce. It's a conditioned response based on all the cr@p that has happened with Lenovo lately.

 

I actually was referring to what you perceive to be the declining laptop quality. My bad for not being more specific. Customer service does indeed suck.

BUT, I invite you to show some proof about "extensive blue screen problems" on the X61. And if that proof is NBR, then you are wasting my time because everyone and their mother knows that more people come to complain on forums than anything else and forums are not a microcosm of all Lenovo customers. The grand majority of Lenovo laptop customers are satisfied with the laptop quality and have working laptops. And again, the other stuff you're talking about are issues with Lenovo Sales, which I agree with.

 

I have been with ThinkPad/Lenovo for several generations. I remember using the very first "X" (believe it was an X20); later, I got the X31, which is still kicking and actually quite fast for its age (and I beat the hell out of that thing). I have an X60 as well, provided to me by my office, and it has not disappointed, though in truth, it spends most of its time docked (when I use it outside the dock, the only noticeable issue is the hot palm rest and perhaps some creakage). The X61 was my most recent purchase, and like many of us here, I got it at a pretty competitive (though hardly cheap) price. In any event, I think I am in a good position to discuss ThinkPads' quality over time.

There has definitely been a drop in quality, though not as severe as people seem to believe. The X31 is heavier, but feels tighter, stronger, and better built. You can see the the screws keeping it together at critical joints, and when it closes, it feels like a tight, satisfying closure (that was back in the day of two-side closures).

The X61 feels just a *teeny* bit flimsy, and of course, the wobble/uneven footing is ridiculous. I'm assuming all the screws are metal (though painted black), and closing the lid doesn't feel as reassuring as with older models. Other than that, it is the same machine in many respects.

What will kill Lenovo is the terrible customer service and the abysmal delivery times. No modern company can expect to make its buyers wait one month, let alone TWO in order to receive their machines. No company should make its customers wait TWO HOURS just to get someone on the phone. For me, a longtime ThinkPad user and someone who has extolled the virtues of ThinkPad to so many, it's a huge turn off -- which is why I have begun telling people (including those who I work with) to consider other options, even (oh no!!) Apple. As an engineer (and I'm sure many of us here are more tech-savvy than the average bear), people give my words a little more weight than others...so when you start losing folks like me, you start losing the "normal" folks who just want a strong, stable PC. That being said, ThinkPads are ahead of the PC competition (Dell, etc.)...for now.

In any event, that's the end of my rant -- sorry if it didn't make sense, I wrote it while (hahaha) on the phone with Lenovo tech support, who now want me to send it in to replace the lower casing. Has anyone had experience sending theirs in? I've heard elsewhere it can make things WORSE, and that's really something I don't have the time to deal with right now....

 

Sort of. Even though you've owned multiple ThinkPads, your puchases don't represent everyone else's experience with owning Lenovo products. You got a lemon X61 - you were unlucky, and sometimes, manufacturers will accidentally put out lemons. But there are many X61 owners on and off this site that did not get a warped chassis like you did. So yes, from you own personal experience, the ThinkPads you received over time have gotten worse, but your experience hasn't been proven to be the experience of the rest of Lenovo customers around the globe.

 

Of course I'm not authorized to speak on behalf of all ThinkPad owners at all times - no one customer is. Obviously it's my view point, but I believe it is an informed one, though not necessarily the same experience everyone else has had. That being said, I have owned multiple generations of ThinkPads (and multiple generations of iPods and other devices), and I've seen them change/evolve over the years. Lemon or not, I know what I am handling feels very different from what I once handled.

 

My t61 did that... until I decided to try bending the whole notebook (while open, so not the screen) in the opposite direction. I guess I straigtened out my chassis, because it sits perfectly fine now.