Lenovo support Spain: Don’t count on it

[Rasterian]

Dear All,

I would like to share a terrible support experience with Lenovo Spain.

Summary. Two months after first contacting Lenovo support, and after losing many (many) hours on the phone and with technicians, my machine with Next Business Day warranty is unusable (i.e. worse than to start off with). Last thing I was told is that my machine should be replaced, and nine days later my case is still “being reviewed” and no solution has been provided.

Long story. My problems started after purchasing a new x220 laptop covered with a 3-year on-site Next Business Day warranty plus accidental damage protection (machine type 4286CTO with serial number R9DFMVM). This machine turned out to be a lemon. The initial problems with the machine were: webcam did not work, LEDs for power/charging/wifi did not light up, and lid open/close sensor exhibited arbitrary behavior.

I have been through 3 support cases (A26N0J9, A260G7J, A26J45W) which included over a dozen support calls, remote support session, half a dozen technician visits, webcam replacement, lid cabling replacements, motherboard replacement. Result: only the webcam issue has been solved. Furthermore, the laptop now continuously powers down the display hence is unusable.

What I have witnessed in the process: technicians receiving the wrong replacement parts (twice), and communication problems between the technicians and support (with scheduled visits not taking place, and visits reported as taking place when they had not)

Nine days ago my case was “escalated” to the customer complaint management team (complaint 00061184) presumably for a replacement of the machine. No solution has been provided and my case appears to be in limbo.

I purchased a ThinkPad with on-site warranty because I rely on my laptop for work, having been a long time ThinkPad user myself. Unfortunately, this being the first time I’ve ever requested on-site service, there is not much here I can rely on.

[killer]

That is a very sad tale. If I were you I would write to Lenovo senior management in Spain asking them to sort out the mess. In the UK I would use the phrase "time is of the essence" in seeking resolution and demand that it be fixed within, say, 14 days. This would make them legally liable if they didn't sort it out within 2 weeks.

I regret that I have no contact details for Lenovo management in Spain. If in doubt, write to their Finance Director. FDs rarely receive letters of complaint and usually act very quickly as they have tremendous power.

Good luck.

[rumbero]

I would like to share a terrible support experience with Lenovo Spain.

I would suggest to make your complaint visible in the official Spanish language Lenovo forum here: forum.lenovo.com/lnv/?category.id=Community-ES?profile.language=es.
Lenovo support people are reading along there, and it might help to have your issue worked out ASAP if your concern becomes public there.

[pianowizard]

Rasterian, I am sorry to learn about your experience.

Lenovo support Spain: Don’t count on it

I have heard horror stories about pretty much all computer manufacturers' warranty services, and agree we should never count on warranties. The best thing we can do is have at least one backup computer and have multiple copies of all important files.

[Rasterian]

Thank you all for your replies and support. No response yet from Lenovo. Not from their support service, not from their online forums, where I have posted in both English and Spanish:

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/General-Dis ... d-p/583489

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Servicios-y ... d-p/583589

I am working hard to get this solved. I wrote to the head of the Customer Management Team yesterday, but no response yet. I could not trace down contact information for Lenovo Management in Spain (though I do know the name of the person I should contact). If I don’t hear back from Lenovo soon, I will cold-call their central office in Spain to see who I can get through to.

I will try to follow up in the thread. Very sad to have to go through this as a customer to get my warranty honored.

[killer]

It is difficult to find the names of executives of Lenovo Spain, but one name that comes up when doing searches is Fernandez Enrique.

A useful source was here: http://www.onesource.com/free/Fernandez ... 3632040-10

I hope this helps.

Edit: Many people use the name format John Smith, where the first name is in front of the surname. In some countries (e.g. France) they use the format SMITH John. I can't remember what format is used in Spain so perhaps the man's name is Enrique Fernandez.

[Rasterian]

Today I contacted the head of the European Customer Management Team (CMT) on the phone, and finally received a solution to my case. The emails had been received, but had not been acted on. It seems there was an additional communication problem between Lenovo Spain and the CMT, since they had the wrong email on my record (one I never provided myself, probably from another customer)

The solution proposed is to refund my order. Unfortunately this is not a good solution, because it implies that I myself should replace the laptop. And the problem with this is that Lenovo Europe is not willing to sell me such a replacement (configured to equivalent specification). There is no Custom To Order service in Spain, and Lenovo has imposed delivery restrictions on their EU online stores: machines configured on the UK/France/Germany site can only be delivered to their respective countries. Below is my reply to the CMT, and I am now awaiting their answer.

From: XXXXX
Date: Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 3:07 PM
Subject: Re: Inquiry on case 00061184
To: XXXXX

Dear XXXXX,

Thank you for your email, I am glad we can finally discuss a solution for this case. My machine was originally purchased in the US, the order details and the configuration can be found here: https://www.lenovoorders.com/orderstatu ... rid=XXXXXX

Unfortunately, a refund is not a good solution; the ideal solution is a replacement machine with equivalent specifications. Please see attachment for such a machine configured on Lenovo's UK site. If Lenovo can readily ship such a machine to the UK (or Germany or France), can it not be shipped to Spain as a replacement?

A refund is not a good solution because I have just been told that I cannot purchase such a machine from the UK/France/Germany online stores. They will not deliver to Spain, hence I cannot replace the machine.

I am a loyal Lenovo customer, and although I have just had a terrible support experience with Lenovo Spain (you can read about it here), I am ready to put a vote of confidence in another x220 laptop. I believe Lenovo should appreciate this, and can take the extra step to deliver the above configured machine to Barcelona.

With best regards,
XXXXX

[Rasterian]

I hope this helps.

Thank you for the ideas. They may be very helpful if I need to escalate this further.

[bill bolton]

because it implies that I myself should replace the laptop.

Since you were the one who transported it to another continent than the one that it was purchased in, that is a quite reasonable proposition as far as I can see.

[Rasterian]

Dear forum participants,

I really need some feedback on this, since Lenovo remains silent. Should I continue to insist Lenovo provide a laptop replacement? Or should I just take their refund offer and run? (far, far away from Lenovo)

What would you do next if you were in my place?

In my view, Lenovo has fumbled every step of the process:
1. Delivering a defective laptop. Which speaks volumes of their quality control, since a simple visual examination reveals that the machine was defective (lid LEDs not working)
2. Failing to repair the laptop. Over the two months I spent speaking with support on the phone and hosting technician visits.
3. Offering a refund instead of a replacement. This may be the cheapest solution for Lenovo, but does not solve my problem (I need a functional laptop) nor does it meet their International Warranty Service best effort commitment.

Sixty-six (66) days have now passed since I first contacted Lenovo. And I paid for Next Business Day onsite service.

[Rasterian]

Since you were the one who transported it to another continent than the one that it was purchased in, that is a quite reasonable proposition as far as I can see.

Dear Bill,

I transported it from another continent only because it is covered by International Warranty Service (IWS). Lenovo commits to service it independently of location (and obviously the EU is under the IWS coverage area)

[killer]

If I bought anything covered by an international warranty then I should expect that warranty to be honoured. Were it to be ignored then I should seek compensation.

I think, from what I have read, that Rasterian has a good case which Lenovo needs to answer.

My advice is to take the money and run. Legal battles across borders or continents can drive you insane long before you receive a replacement box.

@Rasterian: In my experience Lenovo kit is very good. However, you received poor equipment, poor service, and loads of sloping shoulders when it came to fixing the problem. You might be reticent about trying Lenovo again. That is understandable. Look at the alternatives and see if their record is better.

My second piece of advice is, when you get your money back, to buy a second hand X220 on eBay through a recognised dealer with 100% feedback.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[bill bolton]

If I bought anything covered by an international warranty then I should expect that warranty to be honoured.

It seems to me that Lenovo has honoured the warranty...

• International Warranty Service (IWS) enables customers who travel with or relocate any IWS-eligible Lenovo product to receive warranty service in any country where their product is sold and serviced. The length of warranty service is based upon the originating country of purchase, however, the method of service provided [for example, depot, customer carry-in repair (CCR) , on-site repair] in the servicing country may be different from the method provided in the country in which the machine was purchased. Service procedures may vary by country, and some service and/or parts may not be available in all countries. Some countries may have fees and restrictions that apply at the time of service. Certain countries may require additional documentation, such as proof of purchase or proof of proper importation, prior to performing IWS service. IWS eligibility is based on the four-digit machine type; however, certain countries may not have the capability of servicing all models of a particular machine type. http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail. ... MIGR-58926

... and as it appears they are unable to service the CTO configuration in Spain, have offered a refund.

IWS, from IBM or Lenovo, has never ever been a guarantee of a fix anywhere (let alone a next business day fix).

Cheers,

Bill B.

[Rasterian]

Thanks for the replies. Interesting thoughts here. I would like to point out that I made sure the x220 was covered by IWS in the EU before purchasing it.

Also, I tend to agree that the x220 is a good machine (when it works, and though I no longer have that opinion of the service that stands behind it). That's the reason I prefer a replacement rather than a refund. Also more costs involved in researching alternatives, configuring them (I already have a configured image of Windows7 for the x220)...

Today I called the head of the European Customer Management Team again, and this time he offered to replace the laptop for a preconfigured model (not a Configure-To-Order model). Waiting to hear back from them on the exact replacement they are willing to offer. Again, things only move along when I push, isn’t it their job to provide solutions?

Also, a “community leader” replied on Lenovo’s Spanish forum (five days after my first post). Perhaps that also helps.

I am flying to the US next week. If I don’t get confirmation for a replacement very soon, I will carry along my x220 as a dead brick and try to get it serviced there. It is a very sad solution, but I have the feeling that Lenovo US may be willing/capable of solving this faster than their European counterparts. Let’s see.

[lophiomys]

I conclude that the Head of the European Customer Management Team is playing for time, when he is not instantly offering
you a replacement machine. Sorry for my pessimism.
In the end that is just peanuts for them. I had similar experience: only after there was enough public pressure built up, e.g.
by Consumer Organizations and newspapers, a courtesy replacement machine was on my door step next morning, with a smiling
UPS courier ... and this after months(!) of ignorant delays and lying!

[Rasterian]

Dear Lophiomys,

Thank you indeed for posting back that experience. It matches mine on how Lenovo is managing their support services in the EU. May I please repost your message in the other threads I opened on this topic?

Eventually my case will be resolved and I will be done with this, but Lenovo's online reputation will take a well deserved hit.