Posts about Lenovo

Lenovo Has My Defective Computer, Isn't Returning My Calls
Bethany's Lenovo laptop computer is pretty nice. At least, it is when it's around. It keeps taking extended vacations at Lenovo's repair depot, to the point that she had to buy another computer in order to get through finals and computerless life in general. After they held on to her machine for three weeks, she finally asked for a refund instead of getting the evidently defective computer back. That's when they stopped returning her calls. More »

EECB Strikes Lenovo, Gets Customer New Laptop
Patricia's refurbished laptop from Lenovo could have used more refurbishment. It had a scratched webcam and an unbearably rattly disc drive, and she didn't find this acceptable for a device that she had just purchased. So she tackled the issue using a time-honored consumer technique: the executive e-mail carpet bomb. Lenovo's Executive Relations team heard her plea, and sent her a new computer to replace her refurbished one. More »

Lenovo Replaces Lemon Laptop... In Theory
The Lenovo laptop that Aaron bought at Best Buy just a few months ago was clearly defective. The company admitted it, and granted him a new computer. In theory. While he was told that a computer was on its way two weeks ago, there's been no sign of it, and no indication of when it will ship. More »

Intermittent Computer Issues? Lenovo's Repair Center Will Break Them All The Way
P.'s Lenovo netbook had a wonky USB port that would stop working when the item plugged into it was jostled a little bit. Fortunately, Lenovo's repair center is capable of fixing problems like that. He sent the computer in, but didn't want to pay $700 for repairs on a computer he had purchased for $400. More »

Is Windows 7 Optional At Lenovo, Or Not?
Greg wanted to order Lenovo's new ultraportable laptop, the x120e, without Windows 7. A site error briefly let some customers (including Greg) order the computer without an operating system, but then restored the unwanted OS when he went to check out. He hopped on customer support chat, and found a representative who... well, we don't want to say that the rep "lied," but they were certainly misinformed about the company's own products. More »

Lenovo Demonstrates How Not To Keep Track Of Your Inventory
When you order an item from Lenovo, your item could be out of stock, backordered, shipping sometime in six months, or have falled into another dimension never to be heard from again. At least, that's what Eamonn discovered when ordering a USB thumb drive along with a Thinkpad. Lenovo first showed an absurdly far-off shipping date, and then finally—days later—admitted that they had sold something that was never actually in stock. More »

Lenovo Customer Service Is Incapable Of Sending Me The Right Battery
Steven would like a functioning battery for his Lenovo Ideapad. The computer is under warranty: he bought it less than three months ago. He writes that every time he calls their customer service center for a replacement battery, they send the wrong one. After the second time, this is becoming sort of tiresome. More »

Surprise Knife In Lenovo Box Cuts Reader
Reader Christian says he opened his recent Lenovo purchase only to get a nasty surprise: a deep cut on his finger from a box cutter left inside the package.

UPDATE: Lenovo wrote Christian back to say sorry and offer him a free battery. More »

Lenovo Charges For "Free" Windows 7 That's Four Months Late
Michael purchased a new laptop from Lenovo this past summer. This laptop came with the promise that he would receive a free copy of Windows 7 as soon as the new operating system was released. Michael writes that (as other customers of various computer vendors have discovered) the free OS was not free—it cost over $30. And four months after the retail release date of Windows 7, Michael still hasn't received his disc. More »

Lenovo Ignores Customer, Waits For Gift To Reach Wrong Destination
We hear that Lenovo, heirs to the Thinkpad line of laptops, makes some very nice computers. In the last few months, though, more and more Consumerist readers are having problems getting the company to complete an exchange in which money is exchanged for a computer. E.J.'s purchase is one such failed exchange, and his father's Christmas laptop is now lurking in a UPS facility, a few hundred miles away from where it was supposed to be delivered. More »

E-mail To Lenovo President Gets Reader Immediate Answer, New Laptop
Patrick was frustrated. He explains that he was stuck with a defective and non-functional Lenovo laptop that was only a few months old. Before pursuing a chargeback, he decided to send a letter to the company's president and COO, Rory P. Read. His message was detailed but straightforward, and a great example of one of the finest weapons in the Consumerist toolkit, the executive e-mail carpet bomb. Read and learn. More »

Lenovo Screws Up Every Part Of Computer Purchase

—>Dan and his roommate had a crazy plan. They would use Dan's credit card to purchase a laptop computer from Lenovo. The roommate would write Dan a check for the total amount the computer cost. Lenovo would ship a working computer to the roommate, thus completing a straightforward exchange of currency and consumer goods. Unfortunately, life is not that simple in the Land of Lenovo.   More »

Your New Computer's Free Windows 7 Upgrade? Not So Free, Actually

—>Not many people really want a computer with Windows Vista. The sensible thing for customers who need a computer—but not right away—to do is wait until the launch of Windows 7 and then buy a computer with the much-awaited OS pre-installed. Vendors realize this, and are trying to get Vista-laden machines off their shelves with the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out. A free upgrade that is not, in fact, free.  More »

Lenovo Forgets To Charge Customers, Then Sends Them To Collection Agency

—>Bart wrote to us about a strange experience he had after purchasing a new Thinkpad from Lenovo. He had a perfectly smooth transaction, until months later when he received a letter from a collection agency. The agency was demanding payment for the laptop he had already paid for. Or so he thought.  More »

USPS: Your Five New, Insured Laptops That We Lost Are Worth $74

—>The US Postal Service lost five new Lenovo laptops that Pedro's friend bought and shipped to him. Pedro expected that this might happen, so he wisely insured the package for $3,000. After stalling for about two months, USPS finally agreed to pay his insurance claim, but reduced the payment, claiming his merchandise was only worth $74.  More »

This terrible, terrible commercial for Lenovo's new laptop is clearly meant to go viral a la Songsmith, but someone forgot that it should be amusing and not just cringe-inducing. You got your viral on, Lenovo, but now your new slogan is "That's What She Said." [YouTube via Engadget]  More »

Secret Phone Numbers And Email Addresses To Reach Executives At 101+ Companies

—>Inside, email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses for over 100 different companies to inject your customer service complaints into their corporate executive offices, and get it well on the way to success.  More »

Opposite Of EECB Gets Delayed Lenovo Laptop Order Expedited, Plus $5000 Loaner

—>When the Lenovo laptop Rick ordered for his college-bound daughter was super-duper delayed in arriving and he hadn't heard anything from the company, he did the opposite of an EECB (executive email carpet bomb). Instead of blasting his complaint to every single executive he could find, he wrote a well-crafted letter laser-targeted at a single individual, the SVP of operations. The result? An email from the Chief of Staff in the CEO's office. His order was expedited, and, in the meantime, they got a $5000 "Reserve Edition" leather-wrapped laptop as a loaner. Here's his letter that got him the fix:  More »

Dell: We Can Only Send You The Wrong Kind Of Battery

—>Dell charged this guy's daughter over $200 for replacement batteries that don't even match her laptop. When her battery died, Dell sent her the wrong battery. Since she was out of warranty, Dell insisted that they could only continue to send her the wrong battery. When she asked why, Bill says the a supervisor repeatedly said, "I don't know ma'am, that's not my problem."   More »

Morning Deals

• Lenovo: Employee Pricing on ThinkPad and IdeaPad Notebooks, up to 42% off (login with passcode 536686)
• Woot: Sandisk Clip 2GB MP3 Player for $19.99
• Newegg: ESET NOD32 Antivirus Home Edition v3 for $14.99 (Best antivirus around, won't slow down your computer)

Highlights From Dealhack

• Buy.com: Kingston 4GB USB 2.0 Portable Flash Drive $14 Shipped
• Hanes.com: Save 15% off Complete Order on All Clothing
• Vann's: Sony FX820 Portable 8-inch DVD Player $150 Shipped

Highlights From Bargainist

• Amazon: Kitchen & Home Labor Day Sale: Save up to 65%
• Linens 'n Things: BOGO 50% off bath furniture, more + 20% off coupon
• American Eagle: 40% off purchases coupon

  More »

Gateway, Acer, Packard Bell To Merge, Form Voltron

—>Acer is buying Gateway for $710 million. Meanwhile, Gateway has just offered to buy Packard Bell for $100 million, according to MSNBC.   More »

Great Customer Service From IBM (Lenovo)?

—>Dubner over at Freakonomics was distraught at the idea of sending his beloved laptop away to IBM for warranty repair, but since neither Geek Squad nor any of the IBM recommended vendors were up to the task, he reluctantly agreed.   More »

100,000 ThinkPad Batteries Recalled Due To Fire Hazard

—>The CPSC has announced the recall of 100,000 ThinkPad extended life batteries. "If the battery in the laptop is struck forcefully on the corner, such as from a direct fall to the ground, the battery pack can overheat and pose a fire hazard to users. This is not an internal battery cell defect." Lenovo has received 4 reports of batteries overheating and damaging the notebook. There have been no injuries except "in one case, minor eye irritation to one consumer."   More »

Sony Recalls Practically Every Battery In The World

—>Dells exploding. Apples melting scrotums. Now Lenovos conflagrant. And it's all apparently over pesky Sony batteries.  More »

Consumers Speak: Lenovo's Tricky Customer Service

—>Ever since IBM sold their industry standard Thinkpad line of laptops to Lenovo, some have worried if the quality of the units would suffer. On the whole, it seems they haven't—they continue to review well, performance-wise.  More »

Consumeristas Speak: Lenovo's Free Thinkpad Battery Bait and Switch
If they were out of stock they could have sent it when they got some more. It's not like this is a product that is rare. But no, the bait & switch was 'cheapo printer or go to hell.'  More »