Thinkpads Forum

If not buying a thinkpad from IBM, but rather a authorized reseller, when does the warranty start on the thinkpad? Manufacture date, reseller purchase date, or when the end consumer registers the notebook online when they receive it? I haven't purchased a brand new thinkpad so I an not familiar with the process. I'm considering purchasing from a reseller, but I'm concerned about the warranty. This could make a difference of a couple of months on the warranty.

any reputable business takes the warranty start date as the day you pick up the unit from the seller.

a unit can be sitting with an importer for months. it is unreasonable to make it anything else but the date on the receipt.

The date of reciept is a tricky name b/c it can imply the date you PHYSICALLY get the product or the date at which the product was shipped and you "recieved" notification. IIRC the date of receipt in my warranty's case is the day I received the "receipt" indicating shipment from Hong Kong.

However, if you arent buying from an authorized reseller, the date of reciept can be even more tricky b/c it depends on how they have setup that parameter with IBM. For instance, buying from a seller on ebay with a new unopened unit, the warranty is transferrable, but from the original date of receipt on the seller's end, a reputable seller will usually have the 'expected' policy, where the "date of receipt" for the first consumer is the date the warranty starts.

Sorry if that's confusing.