Service Calls early in the warranty make no sense

[krymson]

This dude recently posted a thread about his new T42 that came, with what were like ghost dead pixels which would pop in and out of existence depending on how much you cared about them.

People were suggesting he return the laptop right then and there(he did later because it actually broke down).

I disagree, if you have a small problem early in the warranty, you should wait a while until bigger problems manifest, and they will. Either ones you find, or ones you cause with wear and tear. Then you send it in and get everything replaced. Less hassle, time and money wasted(I'm assuming the shipping costs you money, although I don't remember paying when I placed a service call).


Think about it the economics: Your problems only warrant a service call in the early part of a warranty if they bother you more than not having your laptop for x days/maybe even weeks, calling IBM and placing the service call, and the money for the shipping. If it ain't that important, you shouldn't send it in at this point; wait until you have real problems/annoyances or the warranty is almost over.

Sending a laptop in for a miniscule service call just because you CAN is like sending in a 30c rebate with a 37c stamp. Wait till you find something over 2 dollars please.

[Kenn]

I'm not sure which post you're referring to, but IBM has a 30-day no questions asked return policy on their laptops, and most people who get dead pixels opt for that. They then purchase a new laptop at the same time so it's essentially an exchange, and I can see how this could be mistaken for a service call. But it's really a return/refund policy for unsatisfactory product, not a service call.

Also, it sounds like dead pixels don't bother you that much. In that case, it certainly isn't worth your time to send in the unit back even if you notice them.

But dead pixels DO bother a lot of people, especially the ones who care enough to post here. IMO if you're paying $2-3K for a notebook, it's better to exchange the unit early, BEFORE you do a lot of work on it and grow dependent on it, rather than live with something that will continue to bother you for months until "something big" pops up. Get it right the first time. (Besides, your argument for using a service call after the 30-day period may not work at all for those seeking to get rid of dead pixels, since IBM uses refurb parts for replacements, and chances are a percentage of refurbs are returns sent back because of dead pixels - a good alternative if your display fries, but not if you're looking for a pristine screen. Your best chance at a good screen is to get a brand new one).

It's like buying a new BMW and finding a dent in the hood. If it doesn't bother you, fine. But know that it does bother some (or many), and the right thing for them to do is to refuse delivery, plain and simple. No one should have to accept and live with a defective product that they're not happy with.

Kenn

[JHEM]

Sending a laptop in for a miniscule service call just because you CAN is like sending in a 30c rebate with a 37c stamp. Wait till you find something over 2 dollars please.

There is no cost involved in sending a Thinkpad in for repair as IBM picks up the costs both ways, so your argument is moot!

Small problems can often be the precursors to more extensive ones and are best addressed when they first become apparent.

Regards,

James

[Plinkerton]

He is referring to my post:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... sc&start=0

The thin is krymson, is that they were recommending I send it in for a REPLACEMENT, not as a repair.

I ended up having to do that anyway, as you said, because the computer actually stopped working.

They didn't fix it, they sent me a new one, which I received today. So far so good.

That was the reason that people jumped so fast to say return it though. For most people, it's not problem, they don't have to wait for anything to get fixed, and they just buy a new one, till they get the one they want. As of now, IBM will let you do this almost indefinitely. People have returned 4 in a row, because they want the much deserved perfection, after spending 2 or 3 grand.

If it was a repair issue, they most likely wouldn't have told me to return it so soon.

By the way, the new one I got has one stuck red pixel. It's in a worse place than the other one was...

I really don't care anymore though. If this computer keeps working for a while, I'll still be happy. (You'd think though, after spending over 2000 dollars, that they could get it right... oh well...)

EDIT: Oh yeah, another thing. When you do it this way, with the 30 day return period, everything starts over. The warranty, and the 30 days. It's like starting from scratch. Except you still have the dissapointment of dealing with the first broken one...