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.

I usually write in venting about horrible things that horrible companies do to me (namely Verizon), but I am actually writing to highlight some wonderful customer service I received.

I purchased a refurbished Lenovo laptop, only to find that the webcam had a scratch across it and the CD drive vibrated so loudly that I couldn’t hear music above the noise. I emailed them twice about my concerns (using your awesome executive email template), and received a response from Executive Relations.

They replaced my refurbished laptop with a completely brand new version, and furnished shipping both ways. I was very pleased with the response, the service, and the replacement laptop.

Well done, Lenovo! Other customers stuck with lousy laptops can launch their own EECBs by reading this classic article.

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