Lenovo Customer Service is a Joke

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Kasher_Khan

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 18, 2005
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So after waiting for a month for the Thinkpad T410s to become available again on the Lenovo website, I finally placed my order on Feb 10th (shipping date showed 3/1 16 business days advertised on the website for that particular model. However that same evening I realized that I had put in my home address for shipping - I wanted to change it to work so I didn't have to chase after the UPS guy. Anyways I called customer service and asked them if they could change the shipping address. They told me since the order was had already been processed, I couldn't change it. I was like fine Can I cancel my order? They were like yes. I was like ok so I canceled my order and went ahead placed a second order with the correct shipping address. My shipping date moved to 3/2 which made sense.

Fearing I was going to be double charged I kept checking my online status for the first order to make sure it was canceled. When that didn't happen for several days, I called CS again. They had no record of my order cancellation but was promptly told that my order will be canceled in 48 hours. Long story short it took 3 phone calls and 2 emails to finally get them to cancel my first order.

Low and behold my shipping date arrives today 3/2. So I called Lenovo just now to confirm nothing else was screwed up. Now they tell me the date shown on the website is just an estimate and my actually ship date is 3/10. Great! I say...

I am traveling abroad soon and the T410s was supposed to be my travel machine. But after reading several horror stories about Lenovos stupid customer service stories and constant and never ending shipping delays, I am seriously considering canceling my order for good and stick with Dell (Excellent service and support).

Lenovo should stop selling products that they can't deliver with a month (there ought to be a law against stuff like that).

Excuse the long rant....
 
Heh, you know I had a very similar experience with them a few months ago. I bought a netbook to give away as a gift, but circumstances had changed and I decided to cancel the order well before it shipped. I got through to a rep after being on hold for a half-hour and they told me they were going to cancel the order.

I didn't think to keep an eye on the online order status, so a few days later I got an email saying the order had shipped! After it had arrived, I called CS and was put on hold for 50 minutes (!!) for a conversation that took all of 5 minutes. Thankfully, the RMA process was quick and painless as soon as you get a freakin' human being on the line; they offered a complete refund and I didn't even have to pay for return shipping. Even though that went smoothly, I don't think I'll be buying Lenovo again anytime soon.
 
New Update:

The Lenovo website has now moved my shipping date from 3/10/2010 to 3/15/2010 for no good reason at all. I guess all those horror stories about lenovo are not unfounded. I just emailed lenovo customer service again and gave them a piece of my mind. If I don't see anything change by the end of the week I am canceling my order.

stupid lenovo!
 
Kasher_Khan said:
New Update:

The Lenovo website has now moved my shipping date from 3/10/2010 to 3/15/2010 for no good reason at all. I guess all those horror stories about lenovo are not unfounded. I just emailed lenovo customer service again and gave them a piece of my mind. If I don't see anything change by the end of the week I am canceling my order.

stupid lenovo!
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I'm sorry but ripping apart customer service is not the way to get shit done. You're yelling at the people who have to explain where it got fucked up, not the people who fucked it up. I work in customer service, it fucking sucks having to deal with tyrants who think IM the reason there jack ass son threw a wii mote at the TV.

Also, generally, most customer service workers respond well to politeness than doucheyness. I've said no to people 2 days out of our return policy for being dicks, and yes to those 2 weeks out for being nice.

Just tips for life. But I will say good luck.
 
Crazy estimation dates are practically what Lenovo/IBM is known for. In 10 years I have ordered two Thinkpads: A31 and T400. I had the same problem as you, but to be fair, they call it an estimation date for a reason.
Lenovo Customer Service is another matter, you practically always need their manager's manger to get anything done, and you'll face the usual arduous ring-around-the-rosey shannigans.
 
0mega said:
I'm sorry but ripping apart customer service is not the way to get shit done. You're yelling at the people who have to explain where it got fucked up, not the people who fucked it up. I work in customer service, it fucking sucks having to deal with tyrants who think IM the reason there jack ass son threw a wii mote at the TV.

Also, generally, most customer service workers respond well to politeness than doucheyness. I've said no to people 2 days out of our return policy for being dicks, and yes to those 2 weeks out for being nice.

Just tips for life. But I will say good luck.
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I was a services manager at Bestbuy in another life time. So I happen to know a thing or two about customer service. As sad as it sounds, sometimes you have to take a stern attitude otherwise no ones takes you seriously. Most of the time it is not possible to find out who fucked up; let alone yell at that person. By letting customer service know that you are not going to take their BS answer they are that much more quick to get a manager involved, which is what you require in a situation like this. The fact that the customer service people I do get to talk to have no control over the situation beyond providing bs information, is the very problem I am complaining about. Try talking to a customer service rep politely for more than 5 minutes, you will see that your patience will run out after getting the same answer to every question you ask. Also lenovo customer service seems to be indifferent to anything you say and thats what ticks me off. If you pretend that you care, than atleast that something.

I understand estimated shipping dates and what they mean, But to have a 16day estimate and the extend it over a month (with no indication of delay till the day arrives and then extending it further) is not a business model anyone can support for too long. My sole purpose of starting this thread was to share my experience with anyone that is in a similar boat with Lenovo who perhaps had a better experience and can correct me.

Note: I am traveling soon and thanks to lenovo I don't even have enough time left to go to Dell to have them build me a computer I want. My own personal experience with Dell has been Excellent so far. Too bad lenovo has a great product but they don't know how to manage their business right.
 
I just noticed that Lenovo's website now states that there are no delays on any parts for the T410s base model. Estimated shipping date is "9 business days".

Thats why I call their shipping estimate a joke!

They haven't been able to fulfill past orders that have been over due for a month, and they imply they can get new ones shipped in 9 days. Poor customers !
 
Call them. My order was upgraded from shipping-two-months-later to "expedited" and arrived about 1.5 weeks after my initial order date..
 
After dealing with Dell, IBM, and now Lenovo, I'm going to say that Lenovo is the worse of the three. Flame me all you want, but my ranking would be IBM, followed CLOSELY by Dell, and Lenovo lagging far behind both.

Conversely, IBM/Lenovo has been the fastest at servicing my systems with their same day air shipping and 1 day turn around for my machines.
 
crazjayz said:
Conversely, IBM/Lenovo has been the fastest at servicing my systems with their same day air shipping and 1 day turn around for my machines.
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Definitely. I have the accidental damage protection on my ThinkPad and having a box in my hands the next day and a fixed machine on my doorstep three days later is really pretty awesome.
 
JaYp146 said:
Call them. My order was upgraded from shipping-two-months-later to "expedited" and arrived about 1.5 weeks after my initial order date..
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I actually called them again because I was really upset and felt that Lenovo doesn't read emails anyways (I sent them two with no response).

I was expecting cs rep to tell me that my ship date was 3.15.2010 (at which point I was going to point out the new 9 day turn time on their website).

Lo and Behold - he tells me that my order was cancelled and everything is taken care of ... WHAT????????

Long story short, I got supervisor (still at call center in India). She was very understanding and explained to me what they thought was the story. I explained to her my side. She was very sympathetic. She said she will give me a $100 off my purchase and put my order back into production in the critical list. She said she will follow up with me and assured me it should be delivered before the 15th which is when I travel.

I also got a chance to talk to some one here in the states named Chris (real name). That gentleman give me his direct contact and helped me change one of the components on my configuration (since it was almost going to be a new order I decided to upgrade my wireless to wimax - I am traveling abroad and will need it - I was assured that the configuration change will have no impact).

So now I have a slighly better laptop, a promised $100 off and assurance that it will ship before the 15th ( however I have no written record for any of this other than the supervisors first name Aksheta - which for all I know could just be here call center alias name etc).

Anyhoo... I guess I will have to wait and see what happens. The last phone call took 30 minutes but atleast it was promising in that I got some useful information.
 
I'm surprised you got routed to a call center in India. Every time I've called I get routed to their call center in Georgia, USA. Usually I have a about a 50/50 shot of getting someone who's 1st language was English.
 
Yeah, i use to have the direct number for the atlanta switchboard.

run a search of thinkpad.com's forum
 
Kasher_Khan said:
I am seriously considering canceling my order for good and stick with Dell (Excellent service and support).
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That's very ironic... Because my monitors from Dell were delayed for over 2 months. I actually cancelled on the day they shipped for real... and two hours later they actually shipped it despite the cancellation. I wasn't angry since they actually shipped it, but I was so close to pulling the trigger on other monitors. All of my calls to customer support were met by "John Patel" repeating a line from their customer service manual - every. single. time.
 
Intel_Hydralisk said:
That's very ironic... Because my monitors from Dell were delayed for over 2 months. I actually cancelled on the day they shipped for real... and two hours later they actually shipped it despite the cancellation. I wasn't angry since they actually shipped it, but I was so close to pulling the trigger on other monitors. All of my calls to customer support were met by "John Patel" repeating a line from their customer service manual - every. single. time.
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I guess it really depends on personal experience. My situation with Dell is 100% through business and enterprise support. Always get qualified US sales professionals and certified techs. With top notch communication and delivery (with 24hrs max). So I guess it is not fair for me to expect that level of service from Lenovo.

However if they do everything I was promised on the last phone call I will be a happy camper and I can even forgive them.

My problem is I really really liked the notebook they had and for me there is really no other alternative. Lets hope the machine is as solid as I expect, because there is no way I am putting my self at the mercy of customer service again.
 
Do not go with dell they are horrible as well. When we ordered a Dell TV about 4 years ago it was supposed to come with a free wall mount and shipping, yeah took about 5 calls and 4 hours on the phone for that to happen!

Also my GF (now wife) signed up for the Dell account because it was 12 months 0% interest, horrible mistake. 6 months into it she sees that she has $5,000 on her account! she calls to find out why and they say she bought 2 laptops, she said no she didn't, asked where they were shipped to, they said Colorado (we live about 1200 miles away from there). She got the tracking numbers and found out the person called UPS to pick them up before delivery was even attempted (UPS has changed policy since then, now they won't let you do that until 1 delivery is attempted). Anyway, spend probably 10 hours and 10 phone calls getting that resolved. As Dell said it was her fault, LOL. turns out there was an inside security leak. HORRIBLE customer service from Dell, you should tell the customer, we will take care of it and not tell them "oh well" and make them talk to 20 different people and fill out 10 different forms...
 
crazjayz said:
I'm surprised you got routed to a call center in India. Every time I've called I get routed to their call center in Georgia, USA. Usually I have a about a 50/50 shot of getting someone who's 1st language was English.
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Wait.. English in Georgia isn't really a language ;)
 
illuminate said:
Wait.. English in Georgia isn't really a language ;)
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lolz :)

quick update: Its been two days since I spoke with lenovo customer service. I haven't received a call from the supervisor I spoke with. When I called back they said its not exactly been two days so I should wait. The good news is, apparently that person does exist. So fingers crossed that I will get a call. (Aslo my estimated ship date has now completely disappeared - bad sign!)

Note: I have nothing against people having an accent if English is not their first language (its not mine either) just as long as I can understand what they are saying.
 
Last edited:
1 day before my order was to ship, it got extended to 3.27(another two weeks).

I guess I need to wise up. I really liked the T400s but if I can't get it its pointless. I will cancel my order. This is ridiculous. I am shocked at how they even stay in business.

I wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions for a similar laptop. I currently own an E6400. I was thinking of getting an M2400 (can't think of anything else in the 14.1 business notebook market that I like). Is there even a point to upgrading?

I haven't seen many core i5s etc in 14.1 form factor?
 
gs274 said:
have you looked at hp?
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No I haven't... recently. But when I used to work at Geeksquad (long time ago) we used to have a lot of issues with HP drivers etc. Which model did you have in mind?

My requirements are powerful, mobil computer, good build quality (I travel a lot)
No gamming
 
maybe something like the elitebook 8440 or a probook 4520, i've had my hands on both for clients and the build quality is pretty nice.
 
Kasher_Khan said:
1 day before my order was to ship, it got extended to 3.27(another two weeks).

I guess I need to wise up. I really liked the T400s but if I can't get it its pointless. I will cancel my order. This is ridiculous. I am shocked at how they even stay in business.

I wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions for a similar laptop. I currently own an E6400. I was thinking of getting an M2400 (can't think of anything else in the 14.1 business notebook market that I like). Is there even a point to upgrading?

I haven't seen many core i5s etc in 14.1 form factor?
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Take a look at the dell studio line then. You can get a realllly nice core i5 laptop (OR i7. ) in a 14 inch form factor. I just did. It is FANTASTIC.
 
The studio line is ok but I don't think it meets the durability standards I expect. Admittedly I have never owned a studio but even from the images it seems it would break under if not handled with a lot of care.
 
My experience with Dell's consumer laptops says otherwise. The build quality is fantastic, especially in comparison to other manufacturers - specifically HP and Gateway.
 
I dunno, my studio xps 13 was a joke, poor build quality and uncontrollable bsod's out of the box...THEN they tried to charge 15% to return it 5 days after receipt (luckily amex doesn't screw around getting your money back). That's not my only experience with dell, just the latest. Buying a laptop is kind of like buying a cell phone, it's not about who's best, it's about who sucks the least.
 
Kasher_Khan said:
The studio line is ok but I don't think it meets the durability standards I expect. Admittedly I have never owned a studio but even from the images it seems it would break under if not handled with a lot of care.
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walk in to a best buy and man handle one a little. Best way to figure out what works, and what doesn't.

Although i will say a lenovo is DEFINITELY more taught than this. Mine feels really solid, but my old t30 felt even more so. (I STILL miss that laptop hahah)
 
OK Guys,

So tried to cancel my order earlier and my rep convinced me somehow that my unit was going to ship today FOR SURE :)

Well... I've gotta admit I am truly amazed to see that my order status which until 10am this morning showed a ship date of 5/4 has now been shipped. The tracking number will not be available for another 24hrs as per the site and my credit card has NOT been charged yet. But fingers crossed. I have two business day shipping on there so hopefully no more bad luck for me with shipping form China.

I am glad that it finally did ship cause I fly out next week. I will post a complete review IF I get it.. story continues with LENOVO.
 
Awesome, kinda like my dm3t cto showing dropped to the factory on the day it arrived at my door.
 
Cerulean said:
Just buy your Lenovo from some place like Newegg?
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Trust me I would except they don't carry the particular model. It really is a supply issue from lenovo. There are a couple on ebay but they are expensive and I don't like buying my laptops from auction sites (perhaps in this case, it would not been such a bad idea).
 
Kasher_Khan said:
Trust me I would except they don't carry the particular model. It really is a supply issue from lenovo. There are a couple on ebay but they are expensive and I don't like buying my laptops from auction sites (perhaps in this case, it would not been such a bad idea).
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If it's a nehalem model, it's acers fault.
 
I had a similar issue 2 years ago when i ordered a t61. I canceled an order and placed a new one..yea that fooked up everything. End up receiving two laptops at my door and took me an hour to explain to those tards.
 
This has been the norm for consumer IBM AND Lenovo for years. Read around and you will see that you really just have to be patient, especially on newer models. My T61 took forever as well (I actually did a cancel and reorder without issue...) and in the past even before Lenovo it was the same way. They are built for Business relationships, and prioritize those. Lenovo has been working on the consumer side but it is still taking awhile. Realize that Lenovo is using most of the same people and facilities as IBM was.

Comparing Dell Business/Enterprise support to Lenovo Consumer is stupid. Dell Consumer is horrible a lot of the time. Lenovo has a Business/Enterprise side as well that is the best in the business from what I have seen, but they are for people with business contracts.

The fact is you have to be patient, but once it comes you will have one of the best machines out there. If you don't like waiting, you can always buy prebuilt from other places like newegg or CDW.

Finally, don't get overly upset at CSRs. If you think that gets you somewhere your BB experience was flawed.

Glad you got a sweet new laptop now though! ;)
 
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Grentz said:
Finally, don't get overly upset at CSRs. If you think that gets you somewhere your BB experience was flawed.

Glad you got a sweet new laptop now though! ;)
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I am in agreement with you over everything you have said except the above. Who do you think the CSR is going to take care of first, the polite and understanding customer who is upset but understands that things can take time - or the guy that keeps calling every day to check their status and wants a straight answer from supervisor each time he calls.

If you think its the former that you have probably never been in retail customer service IMHO.

Is that the right way? Probably not. But does it get stuff done Yes!. I am one of the first people to get my unit while others are still waiting. I also managed to get a discount. Mind you I never get rude, but that doesn't mean I let people jerk me around either.

You are right about one thing though, IBM\Lenovo do seem to have a history of such issues and hopefully this computer will last me long enough to where I won't have to deal with this crap again. I am more than happy to stay in business with Dell - just that they don't have anything right not that compares.
 
Kasher_Khan said:
I am in agreement with you over everything you have said except the above. Who do you think the CSR is going to take care of first, the polite and understanding customer who is upset but understands that things can take time - or the guy that keeps calling every day to check their status and wants a straight answer from supervisor each time he calls.

If you think its the former that you have probably never been in retail customer service IMHO.

Is that the right way? Probably not. But does it get stuff done Yes!. I am one of the first people to get my unit while others are still waiting. I also managed to get a discount. Mind you I never get rude, but that doesn't mean I let people jerk me around either.

You are right about one thing though, IBM\Lenovo do seem to have a history of such issues and hopefully this computer will last me long enough to where I won't have to deal with this crap again. I am more than happy to stay in business with Dell - just that they don't have anything right not that compares.
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Actually, Being that I work customer service RTFN (Next shift at work is friday, just sayin ;) ) I agree with Grent 100%. I'll help you as much as within my power if you're polite and reasonable. Otherwise you get nada unless you talk to a manager.

Glad you finally have it though ;) Been through the ringer indeed.
 
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