IBM Refurb - HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT

[mattbiernat]

so while i was out of country i bought IMB refurb T60p.
Here is what I got.
1. the screen whobbles back and forth about half an inch
2. the screen is loose
3. there is a brown glow on the side of the screen
4. the keyboard is the worst one I have ever used on thinkpads
5. the keyboard pad is scratched.
6. the thinkpad itself is dirty and has hair under the keyboard and loose staples
7. the screen is really dim
8. the thinkvantage button is not working
9. no rescue and recovery software installed and no CDs provided
this thinkpad was not specified as scratched. it was supposed to be refurbrished by IBM. I have wasted $600 on a poor quality low brightness with brown stripes IPS screen. by far my worst experiance with IBM/Lenovo. the best part is that i have bought this thinkpad 2 months ago while I was out of the country and it was waiting for me in my apartment so there is no way for me to return it. I also cannot claim the warranty as I am leaving the country in 10 days. in 2 years or so i will be looking into another computer to buy and it won't be a thinkpad - I am fed up with this.

[RealBlackStuff]

Where did you buy that junker?

[goofyGAguy]

7. the screen is really dim

Dimness seems to be par for the course with the FlexView screens.

[bill bolton]

supposed to be refurbrished by IBM.... bought this thinkpad 2 months ago while I was out of the country.... so there is no way for me to return it..... cannot claim the warranty as I am leaving the country in 10 days.

in 2 years or so i will be looking into another computer to buy and it won't be a thinkpad - I am fed up with this.

So you made a very poor buying decision, and now its somehow Lenovo's fault?

[goofyGAguy]

.

[underclocker]

Sorry to hear about that.

I would call IBM/Lenovo first, they are very good about these issues (in my experience) and will try to make you happy.

You could also work it through your credit card, but it shouldn't come to that.

(Mistakes happen, but this sounds more like poor quality control, IMHO.)

[Kyocera]

I bought a refurbed t30 years ago from the IBM website, if I remember correctly there are levels of refurbishness (is that a word ). It was a perfect machine and is still in use today by an ex girlfriend.

Did you actually buy this machine from Lenovo/IBM via their website? or from some outlet you found on the internet in this country you were in? Why would you buy a machine and then not be able to use the warranty ? Or not be able to return it

I'd probably not buy any more laptops either period everneverevereverneverevernevernever in foreign countries from unscrupulous companies like IBM or Lenovo either.

Usually when I go to foreign countries I buy souveniers

[ajkula66]

If I remember the story correctly, you've bought this unfortunate laptop directly from IBM's website...

Should that be the case, I'm with underclocker 1000%: call them and make it known that you're very displeased with the unit received.

You've got absolutely nothing to lose.

They shouldn't get away with selling you a lemon for $600.

My $0.02 only...

[mattbiernat]

1. YES, this a refurb directly out of lenovo's website
2. no it is not lenovo's fault but it is IBMs fault. the machines is a lemon as someone else stated.
3.. this was not a poor buying decision as IBM refurb shoiuld not be in a condition that I recived my T60p.
4. i did buy a T23 refurb 4 years ago and it was in near perfect condition.
5. i am 10 days in Los Angeles and I am flying out for the next year to finish my school, i don't know how they can make it up to me unless they let me return this notebook. and even if they do return me the money i am still withtout a laptop.... importing laptop to a commonwealth of dominica equals up to $300 tax.
thanks for all the support/input guys. I will definitly try calling IBM tomorrow and I will update it here. I am really upset becuse I did buy an X61T with a flexview and it had huge bleeding in the right corner, now I bought this T60p and there is a brown discoloration produced on both sides of the laptop.

[A31]

Can you send this back and ask for a refund?

[bill bolton]

3.. this was not a poor buying decision as IBM refurb shoiuld not be in a condition that I recived my T60p.

Buying anything that you know you wont be able to inspect very promptly after delivery is ALWAYS a poor buying decision.

Buying anything that you know you will be unable to do anything about excercising the warranty on if there is a problem, is a poor buying decision.

Buying anything that you know is not brand new when the above two conditions apply, is a crazy buying decision.

[mattbiernat]

i see your point, you are correct bill. i was however really counting on their quality control, especially that the T23 i bought some years ago was in near perfect condition. now what should i do? try to get my money back? but i do need a laptop on the island and importing and or shipping anything into dominica will be met with very high tax.

[dr_st]

Yes, it was a somewhat poor buying decision, because you knew that you would not be able to inspect it and deal with any potential issues in time.

Does not mean that they are without blame (even though some here do have the tendency to always blame the users and defend "holy" Lenovo). They clearly sent something faulty.

Does it mean that one should avoid buying any Thinkpad in the future, because some IBM refurb units may not live up to the expectations? I doubt that it there is a connection.

The lesson to learn is never to buy something that you won't have the time/ability to handle properly in case of a problem, even if past experience was good.

Try to talk to them, explain the dissatisfaction, explain why you couldn't respond earlier, explain that the machine was not used by you at all during all this time, and ask to send back and get refunded. Escalate if needed. You will likely get what you want, if you insist, because you do have a case. The only thing working against you is time, as you have to do things fast and also try to get another laptop fast.

If you could get your hands on a new IPS screen for a T60, you would be able to remedy most of the problems you described with the machine, though it would just add to the already high cost of the unit.

[mattbiernat]

that's the problem, I am leaving in 7 days. i really don't know whether i should take the lemon to the island or go to fry's electronics and buy myself a consumer laptop HP/toshiba (assuming that IBM will refund my money).

[paul*robertson]

that's the problem, I am leaving in 7 days. i really don't know whether i should take the lemon to the island or go to fry's electronics and buy myself a consumer laptop HP/toshiba (assuming that IBM will refund my money).

Seven days should be enough to put in the complaint, then can you not leave it with your mum or dad to sort out on your behalf. From what you have said i'd be wanting either the problems sorted, an exchange or a refund.

Good luck.

[pianowizard]

I am leaving in 7 days.

Then what are you waiting for? Give Lenovo Outlet a call right now, immediately, at once.

i really don't know whether i should take the lemon to the island or go to fry's electronics and buy myself a consumer laptop HP/toshiba (assuming that IBM will refund my money).

Definitely get a new laptop from Fry's while you are still in the States. If your local Fry's is similar to the one I've been to in Houston TX, they should have many nice laptops to choose from (including several Thinkpads, though you shouldn't limit yourself to those since many other brands make excellent laptops these days) and any of them would be better than your scratch-and-dent T60p. Do not even consider keeping this piece of junk. Hopefully you can return it to Lenovo for a full or almost-full refund. If not, sell it quickly on Criagslist -- you probably have to lose around $200 but that's still better than getting stuck with a machine that you hate and despise. You would not be able to get much school work done on this T60p because the whole time you are using it you would be cursing at it. Trust me on this, because I have owned over 80 computers and know very well how it feels to be using a machine that I am not happy with.

[bill bolton]

Then what are you waiting for? Give Lenovo Outlet a call right now, immediately, at once.

Since he bought it off IBM, contacting the Lenovo outlet wont do one jot of good.

[pianowizard]

Since he bought it off IBM, contacting the Lenovo outlet wont do one jot of good.

This is what he wrote:

1. YES, this a refurb directly out of lenovo's website

But regardless of whether he meant IBM or Lenovo, I am sure he is smart enough to know that I meant "call whoever sold this piece of crap to you".

[ARD]

okashira is practically dying to sell his T60/P with 15" Flexview for $600 in the Marketplace. It even has warranty.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=82611

[mattbiernat]

yes I got it from IBM, I have right now no time to get a new computer nor to call IBM. I will try to make some before leaving the states but with my life backed up in here 8 months I don't think it will happen... too bad I was really hoping to finally get a nice IPS screen, I guess X300 will work for now.

[olsogafar]

Hello all, I'm pretty new to this forum, and I think it's time to share my experience with IBM refurbished equipment...
I recently bought a T60p from an ebay vendor, advertised as "IBM refurbished". By the way, he told me that IBM (not lenovo) was managing the refurbishment process (I guess it's consistent with the leases practices : for example in my company, all the IT is outsourced to IBM, and we get lenovo laptops, but for the software leases, support, it seems to be IBM).

Anyway, I received the laptop in the following condition :
- awfully dirty
- scratched all over the place
- keyboard was dirty, shiny and 4 keys were almost totaly worn !
- someone inserted a screwdriver in the screen bezel and broke the plastic around the thinklight
- and the cherry on the cake : when you turn the computer on, the fantastic IPS will show a pink color for about 20 minutes before going back to better color.
Bottomline, I was furious. I would never sell an item in such a condition to anyone, and I thought I was going to have some peace of mind by going to a refurb equipment instead of purchasing with a private owner... The ebay seller apologized, and replaced this one with another one in a much better cosmetic shape. However, the IPS screen showed a very dim behavior over 1/5th of the screen. It was very noticeable (a white background didn't look white all over the screen).. So I returned this one too and asked for a refund...

This is the first and last time I buy something refurbished, in the future I'll stick to careful users that show some respect to their equipment... I was very disappointed.


Hope it helps,

[Puppy]

I recently bought a T60p from an ebay vendor, advertised as "IBM refurbished". By the way, he told me that IBM (not lenovo) was managing the refurbishment process

Did you find any evidence of this statement ? Like a printed document from the IBM refurb factory including serial number of the unit ?

[olsogafar]

Did you find any evidence of this statement ? Like a printed document from the IBM refurb factory including serial number of the unit ?

Well, I don't remember exactly what papers I did get with the laptop : the bill, for sure, as well as information about the recovery program, and the battery. There was a 30 days IBM refurbished warranty with the laptop and a IBM 1-800 number to call... There was also a new windows COA sticker in the back of the laptop (along with the old one)...

[ajkula66]

Hmmm...that doesn't sound right.

IBM refurbished units come with at least 3 months warranty.

I'd be willing to guess what eBay seller that piece of junk came from, but if you don't want to share that info, that's perfectly fine...

[killer]

Well, I don't remember exactly what papers I did get with the laptop : the bill, for sure, as well as information about the recovery program, and the battery. There was a 30 days IBM refurbished warranty with the laptop and a IBM 1-800 number to call... There was also a new windows COA sticker in the back of the laptop (along with the old one)...

Hi, Oslogafar, and welcome to the forum!

There is not much we can do to change the past, but it does sound like you had a bad deal and that's a real shame. Hopefully you'll have better experiences in future.

[Puppy]

IBM refurbished units come with at least 3 months warranty.

My unit came with A4 paper from IBM stating 6 months warranty and warning that it is a used product.

There was also a new windows COA sticker in the back of the laptop (along with the old one)...

Another weird thing.

[RealBlackStuff]

For the best peace of mind, buy your used equipment on this forum.
There's at least a 99% satisfaction rate here...

[olsogafar]

Hmmm...that doesn't sound right.

IBM refurbished units come with at least 3 months warranty.

I'd be willing to guess what eBay seller that piece of junk came from, but if you don't want to share that info, that's perfectly fine...

Sorry, I got confused, it was 90 days warranty, not 30... Anyway, The vendor was quite helpful in trying to fix the problem...
I sent you a PM with the vendor's name, I'd be interested to learn if you think the laptop was a real IBM refurbished or not...

[underclocker]

yes I got it from IBM, I have right now no time to get a new computer nor to call IBM. I will try to make some before leaving the states but with my life backed up in here 8 months I don't think it will happen... too bad I was really hoping to finally get a nice IPS screen, I guess X300 will work for now.

It seems odd that the OP has time to create this thread, read all the subsequent posts and then make four follow up posts, but does not have time for a call to IBM to fix a several hundred dollar mistake. It just seems odd that complaining is preferred over achieving consumer satisfaction - considering it would take about the same amount of time.

I'm just saying, if you can't find the time, try bringing a mobile phone into the bathroom with you...one call may make it all go away...

[olsogafar]

For the best peace of mind, buy your used equipment on this forum.
There's at least a 99% satisfaction rate here...

Hello !
Thanks for the tip : that's exactly what I did yesterday evening !!
Now I'm waiting for USPS