Warranty refused : broken USB port

[TM300Forged]

I guess its my turn to add to this on going problem.  I ordered and received by thinkpad back in September from Lenovo but after being told it would be a few weeks for them to ship it and reading posts about Lenovo's changing promise ship dates, I ordered 1 from Provantage w/64GB memory.  I received it early October and was very pleased with appearance and performance.  However, within a few weeks I too began to have issues with charging the Tablet, but as I was away for training for 2 months in Oklahoma I assumed it was the charger not the USB port.  Lifting the cable near the Tablet's charging port did not inconvience me that much at the time.  This problem was intermittent rather than constant.

Today, I have had enough of the charging problems and after trying 2 other micro USB chargers I finally called Lenovo for service and repair.  I thank all of you who blazed the trail with customer support in getting Lenovo to recognise that this problem exists and is not due to customer abuse. 

I was told that a shipping carton would be sent out today and that I should receive it tomorrow.  I asked how long it would take to get my unit repaired and returned to me and was quoted 5 or 6 days after receipt.  Not happy with that length of time doing without my $650.00 tablet but have little choice at this time.

I wonder if they could install the 3G option in this tablet as it was touted as upgradeable in the initial literature touting the features of the device?  Some people have had their tablets replaced rather than repaired so I would like to know if I would be advised of a replacement tablet being returned rather than my original new one.  Anyone know how that process works and why some tablets are replaced rather than being repaired?

My case number for the repair is A02KV65 and I will keep the forum advised of how long it takes to get the repair done, and if a problem crops up over warranty issue or not.  I have taken pictures of the unit's USB port and of the tablet front and back to prove that it is in the same undamaged, shiny perfect condition as when I first received it. 

I hope that I am the last person to report this problem but suspect that I won't be.  I really like the shape, size and capability of this tablet and only wish that Lenovo had performed more extensive batch testing prior to release as this would have revealed the problem and saved everyone the grief and cost of this issue.

[oligh]

Yes, you are not getting the tablet back in 5-6 business days.

Mine will have spent 19 business days with Lenovo by the time they will ship it back from what it sounds like.

Not really a repair speed they can be proud of.

As I was overseas in Bangkok, and travel there regularly, I picked up another one there just to have with me.

Interestingly the sales content package there is better than the one I got in the US. Inside the brown cardboard box my TPT was in a nice sleek black Lenovo retail box, the sales package came with the folio case, and the pen came with 2 replacement heads for the pen. 3 things that the one bought in the US did not have.

[pghFL]

Mine had all of those things, and purchased here in the US.

[TM300Forged]

Thanks for your input on whether I will get the Thinkpad back in t  e5 or 6 days they advertised for this repair.  They received the unit on the 21st according to their web site.  This is a saturday so I will not count that day but will count from M-F week days only to see how long it will take.

So far the only problem other than having a bad USB port issue, is they misspelled by first name.  Surprised they didn't check and compare with the registered information on file with the tablet.  Typical failure to cross check the serial number and registered owner records on file within their own organization with incoming repairs to ensure that the repair information matches up with the registered owner information. 

If I ever lose or have this stolen and it is sent into Lenovo for service by someone else, I doubt that the unit would be returned to me, or at least an attempt to contact me would be made about the repair or service of it.  Perhaps an improvement in there service process might be to cross check registered owner information to the serial number to verify who is the correct owner. 

[shawnyp]

I totally agree with this post,, I was having similar issues and I also have the same feelings about a device designed for the business sector.. What is wrong with lenovo lately is all I ask.. At least there are some people with a head on there shoulder and understand that its a BUSINESS machine. Great post BTW

[TM300Forged]

Well I got my Thinkpad tablet back yesterday after 8 days.  They changed the system board and the USB port seems much tighter than before.  Had to reload all my data, files, movies, music, etc......

Operating system and display seems much different.  I play movies on this device now and the quality doesn't seem as good as before.  Also the sound is much fainter than before, and it was already weak compared to some other tablets I had looked at before this purchase.

I'll load some other movies and check the sound and picture quality to verify that the new system board isn't as good at graphics and sound before I complain and schedule another repair on this.

Other than that, the e-mail notifications on repair status, prompt next day shipping of repair carton and repaired unit back to me was what I would expect for a reputable company servicing a product for this price.

One thing worth noting is that they misspelled my name on the repair ticket and apparently never compared the unit serial number to the registration data on file with them to verify my name and proper ownership.  Also, I did search for a way to contact them about the repair and correct the spelling of my name so that their repair records would reflect the registration data I submitted but could not find a way to do this.  Part of the reason I was trying to contact them was that I also wanted them to install their 3G card into the unit and to bill me for it.

Bottom line, I could not find a way to contact them to correct the name or add the 3G card.  They need to work on improved repair contact information so customer's can reach the repair center to leave at least a note or comment and hopefully get a response back to the customer.

[Krister461]

A week after receiving my TPT back from Power-button-repair I now have to send it back to Germany (from Norway) to have the USB port repaired.

[JLLBVS]

Hi, everybody.
I recently bought a Thinkpad Tablet, which is an excellent tool. I highly appreciate it.
But I have a problem that I identified only this morning : it seems that the micro-USB connector "wobbles". Thus, when I connect the micro-USB cable, the

"AC-charging" icon appears in the system bar but sometimes turns back to the blue (non-AC-charging) battery icon.
When I say that I identified this problem only this morning, I mean that the battery was always low, even after I charged it for 2 or 3 hours. In fact, I thought that the battery was charging on AC-adapter, but the adapter did not charge it at all.
I don't know if the problem comes from the tablet or from the cable connector.

I'll call the french support team tomorrow.
Did this problem already happened to someone ?
Regards,
Jean-Louis

[ameridian]

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JLLBVS wrote:

~

"AC-charging" icon appears in the system bar but sometimes turns back to the blue (non-AC-charging) battery icon.
When I say that I identified this problem only this morning, I mean that the battery was always low, even after I charged it for 2 or 3 hours.

~

Did this problem already happened to someone ?
Regards,
Jean-Louis

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Follow this YouTube link;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQnkSIc9KhE

[JLLBVS]

Hi everybody,

thanks for this link. It is exactly the problem I have with the TP Tablet.

I would like to add something : I consider that micro-USB connectors are a weak point of all devices, (I have the same on my smartphone). 

Thus, I never use the tablet with the USB AC adapter plugged, and always work with the tablet on battery. Same for my Tablet-Thinkpad T61p exchanges : Bluetooth and WiFi are better than a physical cable.

 I connect the AC-adapter only when the battery is too low. (A regular charge-discharge procedure is IMO better for battery life). And whenever I can (I.E. most of the time) my tablet is off on the desk during battery loading cycles.

Generally speaking, these micro-USB connectors seem too tiny in comparison with the cable's weight. I insist : it's a weak point of all micro-USB devices.

Two suggestions : 

• the Thinkpad Tablet is one of the very few devices with a normal USB connector. Why Lenovo didn't use it for charging the battery ?
• on my first (1995) Motorola or Nokia mobile phones, the battery was easily replaceable, and a support was available for charging at the same time the phone and a spare battery.

Regards,

Jean-Louis