On-Site and depot warranty question

[thePCxp]

I was wondering, how are the on-site and depot warranties like and what is the difference between them? I might be getting one of the new ThinkPads and I was thinking of getting the on-site warranty. My R51 had the depot warranty, I experienced great service but the thing is that I can't stand being away from my ThinkPad (I just love my ThinkPads that much).

[ajkula66]

On-site is not a bad thing if you're in a highly populated area, where you get the service fast, and from a knowledgeable tech. I've had it on several machines, but personally would not opt for it again.

Realistically, all depends on the ThinkPad that you own, and the part(s) in question. I got my T43p back from depot in 3 business days with a brand new FlexView, while another forum member had the LCD replaced on-site and got the wrong type of LCD...on the same machine, within a week of my experience...

In January, I had depot replace both the motherboard and LCD (along with a couple of smaller parts) on an ancient A31p once again within 3 business days.

Personally, given some horror stories that I've read on Lenovo's forum lately, you may want to invest in accident protection, and keep the depot warranty, at least that's what I would do if I were buying a new ThinkPad.

My other T43p is going out tomorrow, with a suspected motherboard failure, and I'll be reporting on progress or lack thereof on this forum...

My $0.02 only...