Lenovo 300-15ISK IdeaPad Broken Case around Power Connector

[ADavis32]

In December of 2015 I bought my daughter a Lenovo 300-15ISK IdeaPad. In many ways it was a good laptop, but it wasn't durable and I wouldn't buy another one. After 5 months (May 2016) part of the housing around the power connection was broken. Because of this the power cord wouldn't plug in all the way and the IdeaPad wouldn't charge. I took it back to where I had purchased it (MicroCenter) to be repaired. I was told that this type of repair was not covered by the warranty, and the price they quoted me was over $300 (about 3/4 of what I paid for the laptop). I was upset that the repairs weren't covered and that they were so expensive. Other places near me had similar prices for this repair.

Luckily I was able to jury-rig a solution so the power connection would stay in place and the IdeaPad could be plugged in and charged. My solution lasted until late 2016 before I needed to adjust it again. That 'solution' lasted until this March before it failed again. This time the power connection became detached from the interior of the laptop. So I opened up the laptop in order to fix it again. This IdeaPad was clearly not designed to be repaired -- opening it up was an adventure which strained my abilities and patience. I was able to reconnect the power connection and reclose the laptop, but the IdeaPad will no longer start.

So I am left with a bricked IdeaPad, a poor opinion of the durability of Lenovo products, and a worse opinion of Lenovo warranty terms.

[EricX · Accepted solution]

Physical damage such as a damaged case isn't covered under Lenovo's warranty, and no other manufacturer will cover it unless you have some accidental protection plan. My experience with Lenovo products has been great, none has broken down on me (5+ years). 

Since the device stopped working after you opened the case, the most probable cause would be accidently disconnecting something. Repairing laptops can be complicated (as with all manufacturers), but Lenovo has hardware guides on how to properly dissemble and replace certain parts: https://lenovo.encompass.com/item/10650648/Lenovo/5CB0K14019/Co_Covers . I'd suggest looking it over to make sure your power board isn't disconnected (follow the instructions on the documentation). Lenovo also has service videos similar to your machine that you can reference if you'd like: http://lenovolearning.bhivesoft.com/bhive/t/1004/course_launch_frame.jsp?id=9442

If you're able to get that fixed, you can replace the bottom case, since Lenovo sells that on its parts store: https://lenovo.encompass.com/item/10650648/Lenovo/5CB0K14019/Co_Covers.

Hope that helps. 

[pontso]

Unfortunally I have same problem. I've bought a Lenovo Ideapad 300 on December 2016 and with very light use, (the laptop is permanent on a desk, only sometimes i close the lid) the plastic around the powercord broke and the bottom case cracks open. I have worked with many laptops over the years, but i have never seen such an bad case design. I contacted immidiadly the Lenevo Support here in Greece. They took laptop in their lab and emailed me that it cannot be covered by the warranty and I had to pay them 168.68 euros for repairing, if I wish to repair it. 

Sadly, I am very dissapointed from Lenevo Support, I mean, I have read many threads and topics about Lenovo's desing flaws, and they want to make the customer pay for something it is not his fault. 

I will attach some photos that will show that the laptop did not fall or had some missuse, only that the plastic cover broke due to wrong design or assembly.

My regards 

[GeneTree]

I have a 300-17ISK Laptop (ideapad) for just over a year and have the same issue.  It looks as if there are more than a few of us that have the same issue - this looks like a safety issue to me since the power supply is almost falling out and the back case is breaking - yet not covered by warranty. Any ideas on how to get it fixed?

Moderator comment: Post edited to conform with the Community Rules. No campaigning.

[Liz716]

I have a different model but it sounds like the exact same problem. Could you describe the gerryrigged solution that worked at least temporarily? I can’t use my laptop at all because it won’t charge

[iggyau]

Wow I have had my ideapad 300 for about 2 years and not had this issue. I close and open it all the time. 99% of the time I use it on my desk in the front room then when I'm finished I shutdown and put it back in the bag and store it in my bedroom. 

It doesn't get exposure to direct sunlight so no overheating issues or denegration of plastic. That is the only thing I can think of that would cause that.