Micro-USB connector and AC-adapter problem

[JLLBVS]

Hi, everybody,

I called yesterday the Lenovo French support (I think in UK). Excellent welcome. I received 1 hour later a message with all informations for returning my TPT. It was sent yesterday afternoon, with a small notes explaining the problem. I'll wait.

Regards

[Krurps]

Finally I brought mine to a Lenovo Service Partner here in Vienna/Austria today to have it repaired under warranty... first thing the lady at the desk told me: Generally NO mechanical defects AT ALL would be repaired under warranty. This is their strict warranty rule by Lenovo!!!!!!! Yeah!!

In my case those are:  

• the wobbly USB-Plug
• the Power knob, which since weekend can´t be pressed any more - no movement at all. Micro-switch mechanically dead.
• and (as an extra-candy) the display, which is getting extremely unresponive after ~3 hours working. (Because there is a light scratch on the display, which came from a piece of dust under the pen - hail Gorilla-glass)

I could hardly beliefe my ears, this is unbelievable .

Still I wait to get this verdict on paper, but forehand I am simply...let´s say... surprised. 

[pghFL]

They tried that before and it didn't work. Lenovo has since admitted these are build issues and as such are being treated in-warranty. Don't take no for an answer.

[JLLBVS]

Hi everybody,

Of course, warranty always concerns the whole device. And I consider that, to some extent, this micro-USB weakness might be considered as a  hidden defect.
When I phoned to Lenovo, I clearly explained the problem to my interlocutor, who recorded my explanations. 

After that, she gave me a seven-days-validity file (return) number. This clearly means that Lenovo approved  my claim.
Otherwise, she would have explained to me that the USB connector was excluded of the warranty.
The french "Code Civil" (I know, french only...) enacts that "salespersons are legally obliged to deliver to the buyer merchandises in condition to be used for the  usage to whom they were designed" and has to ensure the responsibility of hidden defects.

Regards,

[eKeith]

Well it's been a week and a half since my 183927U was returned from Lenovo US and I must compliment them on a job well done:

The turnaround time from posting it in to receiving the repaired unit was 7 days (Monday to Monday), 1 being a delay awaiting my input and 2 awaiting a replacement part. They replaced the "FRU Button Kit", "LCD Misc Kit" and themotherboard and all is working well: Excellent! 

Following is my experience (as best I recall):

After my power button became completely unresponsive, I recorded my setup, removed the stylus and SD card, performed a factory reset and sent it in. (You guys are crazy leaving your settings exposed without wiping it). I logged two issues:

1. Power button completely unresponsive,
2. Intermittent failure to mount tablet to PC via micro-USB port.

The latter issue, although completely true, may well have been due to my PC or USB cable but the real intent was to havethe technician inspect and test the USB port, and possibly replace the motherboard with the upgraded/ properly-mountedusb-port if necessary.

• MON 10:00AM: Posted to Lenovo
• TUE 10:30AM: Power button issue resolved ["FRU Button Kit" and "LCD Misc Kit" replaced]; Online note "Hold for Customer Input". Unfortunately I did not see this note until just before the close of business on Tuesday: I called andthe rep. indicated that the power button issue was repaired but the technician found no issue with the micro-USB port.I thanked them and indicated that the problem was intermittent and might even be due to my PC or USB cable butwould appreciate further testing before returning it to me.
• WED 1:00PM: Called Lenovo to follow-up on status and was told that no problem was found with the micro-USB portand that the unit was undergoing final QC before returning to me.
• WED 6:00PM: Online status of the unit listed as "Being Repaired/ Hold for Parts". Called again and the rep. indicatedthat during QC they determined that the motherboard needed to be replaced "Due to an Engineering Change" (whichis exactly what is listed on my "Repair Summary".
• THU 9:00AM: Called for estimated ETA: was told that unfortunately the parts were not in stock and were scheduled forarrival in another week
• FRI - SUN: IBM EasyServ website was apparently down and I could not review any status updates although I did notexpect any due to the hold for parts.
• MON 10:00AM: The website was back up and I was surprised to see that the unit was listed as repaired on the Fridaymorning and posted later that day for delivery on Monday!

After receiving it I charged it completely using my dock and inspected:

• The initial setup (software loading) was complete but the unit was otherwise clean (as expected).
• The firmware on the new board was 065_US.

I performed a factory reset and loaded 075_US without issue.

I went through the initial setup.

Although I had my backups from "MyBackup Pro", I decided to reinstall everything from scratch, especially I previouslysuffered with frequent "Activity Launcher Force Closes".

After finding the time within 2 days I reinstalled everything (excepting the buggy CNN app.) and have been using it since(11 days). I am happy to report the following:

• The power button now has a positive detent on pressing, feels sturdy and works properly.
• USB mounting caused a reinstallation of drivers and seems to work well (but only used three times and not yet forlarge data transfer)
• I have not hat a single force close based on the "Activity Launcher". I did suffer a couple from a third-party app.
• The unit is definitely more responsive when flicking pages or launching apps (but still slower that my HP Touchpadand friend's iPad). But this is a definite improvement over my past experience.

Unfortunately:

• The micro-USB port, although functional, still does not feel as physically sturdy as that of my other devices.

In conclusion, I am very happy with my experience with Lenovo's warranty repair service and am glad I sent it in rather thanrepair the buttons myself. I suspect that there may be more to the motherboard replacement that just the micro-USB portissue (due to the unit's overall performance improvement and the similar "not sturdy" feel of the port) but this is just myspeculation.

If you are still in warranty, I recommend that you send in your unit if you experience any of these issues. It is unfortunatethat persons are having varied experiences with Lenovo warranty but I think it is still your best option to pursue.

PS

I am posting my experience on both threads (power button; micro-USB).

[Krister461]

Had mine returned today after fixing the micro-USB-port. (The power button was fixed three weeks ago). Kudos to Lenovo for replacing the back-panel which they scratched a little bit the last time and for not updating to OTA2 so I can root it.

[pghFL]

Good show Lenovo!

[nowai]

anyone have an idea of what's the replacement part of the micro usb port? Is it a samtec connector of some form, or something I can order on digi-key?

I unfortunately bought my TPT without warranty, and finally realized it's the source of all my chargin woes. I know someone who can solder in a new one thankfully

[jiv]

Does anyone know if extended warranty can be purchased for the TPT?

[paperclip69]

Yes you can extend the warranty for this device, I just did the upgrade to onsite next business day but there were plenty of other options as well. I'll dig out the web link