Default warrenty on T60

[rkalla]

Hey guys I think either I'm blind or dense, but what is the default warrenty on the new T60 sets? When I get to the 2nd optional screen for building out my T60 order, I notice there are 3 different kinds of extended warrenties:

• * Warrenty Service
  * Extended Service
  * Protection Service

I have no idea what the differences are or what the default protection I get on the thinkpad is already, so I don't know how valuable these upgrades are to me.


I'm mostly concerned about protecting my investment (being able to get the laptop repairs) for roughly 3 years. So if anything breaks, goes bad, burns out on the laptop, I want it covered for 3 years at least. I don't need someone to come to my house and don't mind sending it off.. so where does that leave me with respect to these different kinds of warrenties?

When I got my MacBook Pro, this was a lot easier... either you got AppleCare for $300 more, or you didn't. building out the thinkpad is confusing (for the warrenties). Any help breaking it down is appreciated, thanks guys!

[newbie1983]

actually there should be only 2, protection and extended warranty. Depends how accident prone you are, you may want the protection just in case sth bad happens to your thinkpad and you can still get it repaired.

[rkalla]

Thank you for the reply newbie... I'm sort of curious about the default warrenty to know how much protection I get out of the box. Extending *any* of these extra warrenties or protection plans it's quite expensive and before (if) I do it, I wanted to make sure I needed it.

[newbie1983]

well, the basic warranty covers almost everything except for drops and spills. However, last time I had a crack on the top lid of my LCD and they still replaced it under normal warranty so I guess if you feel thinkpad protection is too expensive, don't buy it. Also, extended warranty comes in many forms, on-site, depot, next-day etc. Find the one you really need. From experience, depot should be enough if you don't mind having your thinkpad away from you for a few days.

[claudeo]

My understanding is that the default warranty covers "depot" repairs due to defects in components or manufacture. Which means shipping the machine to a service center, or dropping it off if you're lucky to have one nearby.
My understanding is that you can also buy an additional service contract for on-site repair, or an extension of the original warranty, while the original warranty is still in effect. There are different levels of onsite repair, one "same day any day" which is very pricey and a less expensive one that is "next business day" that is more reasonable. Note that the fine print states that those are targets and not guaranteed, which gives cause for concern of course. There have been reports in these forums of people not getting timely service under those service contracts. If the targets are often missed what's the point?

[rkalla]

Ok I just called and talked to someone, here's the breakdown he gave me:

* Default Warrenty = 1 year, parts/labor. If YOU break the laptop (spill, drop it, etc.) too bad.

* Warrenty Service = For BUSINESS Customers, extends how long you can get the machine serviced for.
* Extended Service = For PERSONAL/HOME Customers, extends how long you can get the machine serviced for.

* Protection Service = Protection again YOU harming the machine.


He basically said the differentiation between Warrenty/Extended is just for their own internal bookkeeping to tell how many business customers are buying it and how many home users are buying it, but essentially it's the same thing.