This is a brand new laptop which I got less than a week ago. On the third day after receiving it I noticed that the plastic on the top left of the screen is not properly glued/attached to the back of the screen and easily bends. The top-right corner of the screen does not have this problem.
I submitted a request via 1-800-IBM-SERV on 8/14 (Sunday), got a call from Atlanta, GA that it won't be till Tuesday (8/16) when I get on-site technician due to part backlog. Then, each day, the status of the request will get bumped "holding for parts" with ETA the following day. Today is 8/18, the ETA is 8/19 and I am not really going to wait any longer. At best, the part will arrive on Friday evening (8/19) and the technician can come and work on my laptop on 8/22. The laptop was shipped 13 days ago, and the 21-day clock for returns is ticking.
I paid extra to get 3 year next-day on site service, which I am not getting. It's not even clear the part we are waiting for is the right part, as nobody has really come to see and diagnose the laptop. Unless it is a very common problem, and they know what part to replace, in which case it seems they should just fix them before they ship them. (OK, I am getting a little far, as I know no laptop is free of flaws, but this is a clear, mechanical defect right out of the box. They can easily detect it - it doesn't require running any tests.)
I called Lenovo to request a RMA. They asked me for my warranty support case, which I gave them "IBM Problem #". They claimed the case # was not valid and said I have not talked to the correct department for requesting the repair. This is not true. Lenovo's website give this phone # 1-800-426-7378 for support. This is the same number given on the IBM service call ticket.
At this point, I've given up on fixing the laptop - Lenovo's recomended service (800-426-7378) had the opporutnity to do so for the last 4 days. I am going to send it back. I understand manufacturing defects can happen, and fixing them is an option, but I have a 21 day time limit for returns and honestly I don't believe the estimate for the repair as it keeps moving day by day.
If Lenovo is going to claim a 15% restocking fee on a defective item out of the box, it will definitely turn me away from ever buying from them. I don't think it is fair. I really hope someone from Lenovo is reading this.
Thanks!
