Closing in on purchase, warranty question.

[emorphien]

I'm pretty close to ordering a T43p at this point. It's a 2687E4U (2ghz, 128mb video, 15" UXGA) and I've added the 60 gig 7200 rpm drive, 9 cell battery, XP Pro, Ultrabay slim multiburner, 256mb ram and IBM WiFi card.

I plan to order ram from mwave.com, they have Kingson 1GB sticks for $120, and that's too good to pass up.

I've also added the 4 year depot warranty (total comes to $2200), however the 3 yr onsite is about the same price and I can't decide which to go with. Anyone have any suggestions? If the depot service is good, and prompt, I would be inclined to get 4 years of that vs 3 at home. However the system comes with a standard 3 yr warranty, and if I just stick with the base warranty then I have more money to put to my RAM upgrade.

Secondly, the customization site seems to be telling me I'm not eligible for the service upgrades. At the top of the summary page for the customized laptop next to a blue "i" it says:

ServicePacs are available only for machines normally used for business, professional, or trade purposes, rather than personal, family or household purposes.

I'm unsure about what this means, I am an educational customer (student) and plan to order through the personal pages. Is this telling me I should just stick with the base warranty? I will contact the NY state IBM education rep. on Monday if I have time but since that's exam week for me it will be tough to set aside time for that. Anyone know what this means or should I just wait to get in touch with someone at IBM/Lenovo?

I'm certainly looking forward to having the active hard drive protection system and bluetooth and other nice features of the T. It will be worth the wait I'm sure.

[andyli]

FYI: I'm not sure what school you are going through for the protection plans, but ThinkPad Protection is NOT available to Billing or Shipping Addresses in New York State (NY considers the plan insurance, not warranty).

I got the 4 year EZServ + ThinkPad Protection. I've heard in the past that EZServ tends to work fine, but I've also read stories where it didn't.

[JHaislet]

Does this apply to Texas as well? Would you by any chance have a link where I can check this out? Thanks!

[emorphien]

FYI: I'm not sure what school you are going through for the protection plans, but ThinkPad Protection is NOT available to Billing or Shipping Addresses in New York State (NY considers the plan insurance, not warranty).

I got the 4 year EZServ + ThinkPad Protection. I've heard in the past that EZServ tends to work fine, but I've also read stories where it didn't.

Well I guess I might be screwed then with regard to ThinkPad Protection. The billing address is some accounts thing at my school that was automatically filled out when I registered for the personal pages (RIT) and I just enter in my CC info when I want to purchase. Shipping will also be to Rochester, NY.

I guess that explains why the "Extended Service Contract" costs the same as the "Warranty Service Upgrade" for me. Odd that the site doesn't say I can purchase it (ThinkPad Protection).

[andyli]

If you go to configure a unit and see TPP, you should see a link for Terms and Conditions (PDF) -- part of this document are the states that you cannot purchase the TPP in.

New York may/may not be on that list -- it is pretty recent. Note, you can ask someone not in NY to purchase the plan. Once you are in NY, they will honor the TPP.

[andyli]

It is a Personal Purchase right?

I'd call the IBM Representative and tell them you'd like the TPP and you have an out-of-state address and shipping. They have to create a different ORDER (entirely different order), but the TPP will be applied to your TP.

[emorphien]

Interesting. I don't know how badly I want/need the TPP, but on site warranty repairs are nice. I had the 3 yr onsite for my Dell 8100 which is still running pretty well at 4 yrs old now.

It is a Personal Purchase right?

I'd call the IBM Representative and tell them you'd like the TPP and you have an out-of-state address and shipping. They have to create a different ORDER (entirely different order), but the TPP will be applied to your TP.

Interesting, thanks. I'll have to see how much the TPP is, but I could have it purchased and shipped to my home in NJ. I guess I'll have to make a phone call anyway!

And for the record: Stupid NY!

[JHaislet]

Well I just officially setup my student educational page with my Texas address, and it did let me add the TPP without complaining like before. $169 isn't bad at all for 3yrs w/ 3yr base depot warranty.

I wonder if it would be worth while to upgrade the base warranty & TPP both to 4 yrs for $288?

[emorphien]

Dunno how badly I'll need the TPP. Complete Care didn't exist when I ordered my dell 4 years ago and I've been fine with it. I tend to be pretty good with things like laptops, so it's a tough call.