Covered or not covered by the warranty, that is the question! (and in meanwhile, I don't have my laptop)

Hi,

I have a problem with my laptop and sent it to Lenovo for repair on the edge of the end of warranty.

Here is the message I sent along with my laptop:

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Dear Sir, Madam,

I have a couple of issues, and I was wondering if you could help me. I really like my Lenovo X40 (Type: 2371K3U, S\N: XXXXXX (note: for security reason, i can give it on request on getsatisfaction),06/02), and I would love to see it working like a charm, particularly as my warranty is ending on April 2009, and I would like to be able to use it fully in the following months even without a warranty.
Here are my issues:
1. I have 3 grey spot (in the lower middle) and some black leaks on the top of my screen (I don't know how to call that, it's like if i had some black water leaking o the top from time to time, I have attached some pictures)
2. My left USB part doesn't work properly anymore, I can only use the right one to power my USB slim external hard drive, but the thumbs drive work on the left one.
3. My WIFI card doesn't work well anymore, I have to stay very very close (around 1 meter) from my router.
4. My fan is doing a loud noise for the last 3 to 4 months.
5. My charger has a part which is not covered by plastic anymore, and it worries me (electroshocks?).
6. Finally the weirdest part: sometimes it just shut off, I don't press the stop button or anything, it just doesn't want to work and it stops. It might be a virus, but I never saw that, and I have Antivir, Comodo Firewall and Super Antispyware. But I really don't know. It happens once in a while though.

Well, here are my "little" issues, but it's quite annoying, and as my warranty is running out (on April 2009), I was wondering what I should do, and if I will have enough time.

Thank you for your help.

Kind regards,

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And here is my "end-result" experience:

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I first talked to a service rep after filling a form on IBM website on Wednesday the 25th, a really nice listening person,he told me that regarding all those issues, it is probably a motherboard problem, and the screen problem can happen from the handling of the laptop etc.. He told me that it was probably covered by the warranty and as long as I sent it by the end of the warranty it should be repaired. He sent me a nice box to put my laptop in by Friday the 27th.

On Monday, the 30th I scheduled a pickup and sent the package which was received on Tuesday in Flextronic, in Newmarket (Ontario, Canada). On Thursday, the company left me a message late in the afternoon. Then on Friday the 3rd of April I called back.

So bottom line, the person, Maria S. told me that according to the repair engineer, the screen white spots are due to pressure on the screen and that i should have but books or something on it. Also the problem with the charger (more or less 5 cm on the wire is not covered anymore) is not covered by the warranty. Finally she did not give me any details, but she told me that the motherboard had problems but it was not covered by the warranty. She also suspected some not covered manipulations of the laptop and told me if I opened to do something in it. Well I told her not really, I was barely able to change the keyboard once and add some RAM by myself! :smileywink:

Ok, so what's the bottom line? Well, 1200$ of repairs! Funny, no? The price of an X200, not even on Lenovo Outlets.

Well you all know that I am not going to pay for that obviously. But, this is the first time I really use the Lenovo warranty for a repair (Twice I asked for a charger because mine did not work, and once some keys on the keyboard started doing a weird noise and were hard to use, so they sent me a new keyboard that I replace myself). Seriously, I was expecting more:

1. I asked Maria if I could talk to the engineer. No. Can I send him an email? No. Can he send me an email explaining his observations? No. Can he call me? No. I told her, that no-offense, but I am wasting her time as she is the "middle-woman" without really being able to "explain" rather than "state" the situation.

2. My laptop is not new. I have been using it for 3 years now. I love it, and try not to be harsh with it. But common, she told me that the screen was not well taken care of because a part is missing. What part would you wonder? A small part on the right if I remember that cover a screw. Well, it's not really a big deal, no?

3. What could I have done to the motherboard in order to break it without being covered by the manufacturer?

4. When you buy a laptop for more than 2000$, when you buy a Thinkpad, when you buy (then) an IBM, and particularly when you buy an X-serie, you expect to get the best.

I expected to get the best. I knew that the Thinkpad were tough. I traveled with it to Ecuador for a nonprofit, I worked with it in the mountains, I did a very long trip to Europe with it in my backpack, I even spilled some redbull on it once as I was working for my last exam, and for all that time it served me very well.It wasn't my first thinkpad either. I started with an X24, then an X31, then this X40, next stop? An X200? Well I am reconsidering this.

I am probably going now to buy a new laptop, and just ask the company in Ontario to send me back my laptop. I was really disappointed. Seriously. On the phone, the first guy (I wish I remembered his name) was really nice on the 25th. But the result was far from my expectations. I am left with my "not-that-working" laptop, and the warranty is now over, so if I get it back,I cannot even send it again to Lenovo or whatever...

So what am I left to do? Maria S. even told me that there is no point in calling Lenovo again as they will redirect me to her. Is that true? Is it a problem with "Canadian Lenovo"? Am I the one who's responsible for not handling well his laptop?

Anyway, if you are still reading this, thanks for going through all this lengthy post! I appreciate it!

I really don't know what to do.

Thanks for any help.

Kind regards,

ilias,

(you will find attached one of the black leak picturesi atachd with my laptop).