T420 Hinge Failure after 5 Months - Not Covered By Warranty?

[Hearst]

Hi all, i'm currently having some issues with the T420 in regards to the hinges. I got it on April 2011 and was reasonably happy with it, OK there was a stuck pixel but its not directly in line of vision so I can live with that. However after 5 months of relatively normal usage my hinges have become really loose, so much that at some angles it can't support the weight of the lid. It's disappointing considering the hinge on my 4 year old T61 is still relatively strong in comparison.

I have 3 years warranty on the system so I thought I might as well call Lenovo Support (UK) to get it fixed, however the Lenovo rep stated that it can't be replaced under warranty as its within "reasonable wear and tear" and therefore, require a fee if I want to send it in for replacement. For sure I understand if it's 2 years old or something but 5 months? Something is not right.

I was able to bide some time with the Lenovo rep to keep my case number open for a few days in regards to this, but I would like some clarification on the issue with the warranty on hinges. Reading posts on this forum indicates that the hinges are covered under warranty (ref) as long it hasn't been involved in heavy damage which mine hasn't.

I also uploaded some videos of the issues i'm facing so you guys can have an idea. Is it unreasonable for me to get this fixed under warranty? I would really like some help on this, particularly from the senior mods or staff who can help me on my issue since I only have a few days for my escalated case to remain open. Thanks.

Videos - T420 Hinge Failure #1 // T420 Hinge Failure #2

[Serge1410]

hey Hearst,

could you pm to me the following details :


Name:
Country:
Mobile:
Email:
MTM [machine type model]:

(To locate MTM - http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/FindProductNumber.page#find)

S/N:
Date of Purchase:
Case/Order Number : (if any)

Screenshot of Error(if applicable) : (upload it to a hosting site and paste the link here)

Location of unit : Home / Repair Center (delete where appropriate)

Description of issue :

[Hearst]

Thanks Serge, I posted the required information to you via PM.

[Hearst]

Hey,

It's been a week now since I made a call out to Lenovo about my hinge problem and apart from the same rep who called me back to see whether I still want to pay out for the loose hinge I haven't heard anyone else from Lenovo to say they're investigating my case.

It would be nice that I have some reassurance that someone is assessing my case as at the moment as I don't know whether my case is being looked at or been forgotten. Should I try again with another rep or should I stick with this open case?

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

@Hearst, you should probably wait another 2 or 3 days, if you still get nothing then post back.

[Katarina Retired Employee · Accepted solution]

Hearst,

sorry for the delayed answer. There are are no known issues with hinges becoming loose on this machine.
I got back to UK Support with your case and they confirmed to repair hinges on your machine.
Lenovo UK Support will contact you soon.

Regards
Katarina

[Hearst]

Thanks Katarina, Lenovo UK called me back and have finally accepted to take my machine for warranty repair on the hinges. I would like to say thanks to those who have supported me on my issue on the forums, particularly Lead_Org who have provided continual support over the past few weeks in which i'm very grateful.

[SeanBond]

More good service from lenovo

[ARH_0700]

I also have hinge failure on my T420 manufactured March 2011. The hinges cannot support the display at anything other than a right angle. I contacted a local Lenovo warranty repair shop who are looking at getting me a warranty repair. Seems maybe a bad batch of hinges?