Thinkpads Forum

The only reason Lenovo etc. offer extended warranties is that they are profitable. In the long run, averaging all computer owners and all computers, Lenovo wins and the consumers lose. That is a fact.

christopher_wolf wrote:The Best Buy agreement is the worst of the two, but that was only used as an example. The point is that it would be far better, as there is a difference, to get the warranty from IBM or a pretty large reseller thereof instead of a simple retailer agreement like something you would get from Best Buy or some other similar outlet.

Fully agree. Also, companies that provide the service for Best Buy aren't certified for those products. They pay a fee, then BB let's them provide service. In contrast, companies that provide ThinkPlus services are certified by means of training and testing. They also have direct access to their Service Support Guide and a dedicated Support Profile Manager that can help escalate any service issues.


pianowizard - the only reason ANY company offers ANY product or service is to make a profit. Last time I checked, that was called business. Is there something uniqely wrong with Lenovo offering warranties for profit?

kjjb0204 wrote:pianowizard - the only reason ANY company offers ANY product or service is to make a profit. Last time I checked, that was called business. Is there something uniqely wrong with Lenovo offering warranties for profit?

That's precisly my point. The debate is about whether we save money or not by buying warranties. What I said in my last post was just another way of saying that on average, we don't. Ed claimed that companies typically make ~90% profits from the warranties that they sell, i.e. if a consumer pays $100 for warranty, s/he should expect to receive parts/services that are worth only $10. Again, that's on average. All the examples that several of you provided (someone's motherboard was toasted and was replaced for free under warranty, some physicians' equipment got hit by lightning and they regret not having bought warranty, etc.) are just isolated cases in which the warranty would have saved them money.

The statistics say it's not worth it, but if not having warranty coverage causes you sleep problems, then it's worth it.

Exactly, it doesn't function as a moneysaver to the consumer in "blanket mode;" but if you are in a high-risk operating environment and should at some point require the system to be repaired, then a cost-benefit analysis, given those circumstances, would actually save time and money, more generally resources, if indeed one had an extended warranty. If it is based primarily on a peace-of-mind factor, then it all depends on how much the consumer values his or her time and the perceived quality of support and response time provided by the extended warranty, which isn't a perfect info good or experience good as there still does exist an asymmetry of information ("Are there reviews for their QoS?" "What can I expect?" etc).

Ok, ok, I can see your points. Not everyone should buy a warranty upgrade, but the main reason I do is that I can't afford to go several days or weeks without my systems. If they go down, I need someone onsite to fix by next day. So, here would be my recommendations:

1. If the model you're buying only has a 1 year depot warranty, you should at least think about adding another year. It's really cheap.

2. If you can't afford to go days or weeks without your system, you should upgrade the standard depot to onsite, even if you don't extend the length of the warranty.

On my work thinkpads, I've had 2 hitachi drives go, two LCD's go (stop or severe red seal leak), an express card fail, and one MB fail.
I also got a brand new T60 that was D.O.A. and replaced.

These have been all recent issues (within the last 3 years). Prior to that, i never had a problem with any older thinkpad. I think that thinkpad quality might be deteriorating compared to when it was IBM.

Now that it's just a one-year warranty, I think paying $95 for two years coverage is a no-brainer.

So i would definitely get the warranty for the thinkpad. But i'd never buy ext. warranties for anything else i can think of.

no extended warranty, at least you do have a solid reason to get a new Laptop when it spoil

I agree with the PP's about the profitability of extended warranties and for that reason I don't usually buy them. But I went for 3-year accident protection with my new T60 (which extends the warranty as well). I will be using this notebook on the road a lot and what I was most concerned about were situations I couldn't control. Airport security, luggage handlers, a sudden stop in a rental car, poor wiring in a quaint (read antiquated) country inn etc.... For these risks beyond my control, accident protection was worth an extra 10%.

Who cares about the profitability of a three-year warranty? For me and the over 30 Thinkpads I've been purchasing for the last two years, increasing the base 1-year warranty from one to three years is a NO-BRAINER for me. I like to carry my notebook around which is why I don't purchase desktops and the protection of three years is worth an extra $150 or so.

You guys are all cheapskates...just kidding...

CJ

Kyocera wrote:OK, my opinion, if you have a limited budget then you should get an extended warranty because if something breaks down the line you will be covered for any costly repairs. If you don't have a limited budget then don't get any warranties ever for anything.

It would seem the opposite is true, but I understand your reasoning.

For me, I DO have a limited budget, the laptop had to come in around $1200, so I didn't upgrade the coverage for better hardware upgrades. I might have less than a T7300 if I went with extended coverage. Additionally, I treat laptops like gold, and I'm not kidding. I wouldn't dare carry one around without a well padded case (got a few laptop backpacks and shoulder bags), and was stunned to see someone the other day walking down the street with a T42 under arm. "My God"...I thought. I couldn't dream of doing that.

Those issues, combined with the build quality of a TP, which I have always considered second to none prior to Lenovo taking over (I guess I'll find out if it's still true), made choosing hardware over insurance the right choice for me.

In the past, anything I had to RMA showed itself as a lemon within a few months of purchase anyhow. So updating it when it gets here, and putting it through the paces with some benchmarks and memory tests should let me know if it's gonna last. Yeah that doesn't bar a drop or some kind of spontaneous combustion, but I think the odds are in my favor.

Unless that asteroid is early, I'll probably live long enough to get another Thinkpad someday anyway.

I keep my systems for 3+ years, so I try to get a machine with a 3 year warranty.

My old T40 had a string of component failures. I had system boards replaced 3 times because of graphics chip problems. The CD-RW/DVD drive also went bad, and the spacebar key on the keyboard failed.

Needless to say, I got my warranty's worth, and then some

just like to add that having the option to purchase additional warranty is a privilage.

lenovo korea offers this option only to corporate buyers

the standard warranty in korea is 1 year depot and 2 years additional on motherboard only...

K. Eng wrote:I keep my systems for 3+ years, so I try to get a machine with a 3 year warranty.

My old T40 had a string of component failures. I had system boards replaced 3 times because of graphics chip problems. The CD-RW/DVD drive also went bad, and the spacebar key on the keyboard failed.

Needless to say, I got my warranty's worth, and then some

Within what time frame did all that happen, though?

I extended the warranty to 3 years and I'll try to get another year since new models no longer delivers the quality I want (displays) But I never had any problem yet.

I always configure my machines with 3 yrs. warranty.

Tholek wrote:

K. Eng wrote:I keep my systems for 3+ years, so I try to get a machine with a 3 year warranty.

My old T40 had a string of component failures. I had system boards replaced 3 times because of graphics chip problems. The CD-RW/DVD drive also went bad, and the spacebar key on the keyboard failed.

Needless to say, I got my warranty's worth, and then some

Within what time frame did all that happen, though?

System board failure occurred about once a year during each year of ownership. CD-RW/DVD problem and keyboard problem occurred in the third year.

I don't spend any extra money on warranty. I am lucky to have one of these good old workshops in my neighborhood with a fat pale guy called Bob inside. That guy can do everything for me that Lenovo could do, plus I support independent business and get free candy.

K. Eng wrote:System board failure occurred about once a year during each year of ownership. CD-RW/DVD problem and keyboard problem occurred in the third year.

Ouch. Never had a laptop fail that often. (Had a Toshiba Satellite, and much older TPs) I've got a VAIO now, and I'm not all that confident that it will go that long either.

If you can afford the extended warranty, I say go for it. I just had to set bare minimums on certain aspects of what I wanted, and couldn't top my price cap. Camera went, Turbo Memory went, Vista Business went....Extended warranty too.

Hopefully I won't come to regret that.

Jan_Hoho wrote:I don't spend any extra money on warranty. I am lucky to have one of these good old workshops in my neighborhood with a fat pale guy called Bob inside. That guy can do everything for me that Lenovo could do, plus I support.

But the parts can be very expensive.

I've had an LCD go twice, hard drive go twice, and motherboard. These were between 1-3 years. The only cheap thing is the drive; for the others the part was worth about as much as the laptop.

IBM has twice given me a new laptop instead of repairing the old one.

Laptops are the only thing I extend the warranty for.

Hi!

I've ordered my R61 a week ago (still waiting!), but I did not extend the base warranty because I will be moving to Canada in a few months. My model does not have the International Warranty, so I figured out it was pointless to pay for something I might not be able to use.

Does anybody know if I might be able to extend my warranty once I move? Does the Thinkpad need a visa?

Bye & Good Luck!

Pablo B.

I have used nothing but Thinkpads since '99. Never a problem, even though I've dropped some, more than once, traveled with one literally around the world, handle them fairly rough sometimes, accidentally kick it when I fall asleep with working with it on top of me. I always carry mine with one hand upside down when I need to go show something to someone in another room real quick. Some also had to endure excessive heat conditions. 115 degress (+45C) in my car.

Nothing. They're indestructible.

Oh, almost forgot. During my heavy intake of alcohol days, I sat my then T23 on the floor (also not good to put electronics on carpet surfaces, so abused again lol), and I had just filled up with my marvelous California Merlot, and I knocked it over. Entire wine glass goes right through the keyboard, and it was running, too! In this instance, as is the case with water-damaged cellphones, I immediately turned it over, ripped the AC cable out, and removed the battery as fast as I could. I shook it trying to drain all the wine out. I wiped everything up, and then let it sit, wide open and upside down on the floor, and hoped for the best.

I slept well that night. I was more [censored] at the loss of the wine, as I knew my Thinkpad would be fine. Which it was, naturally, when I put the battery battery in and turned it on. It happened a few years back. I had my date over and she said "OMG, your laptop!!!!".

My response. "Sweetie, everything is fine. And don't you ever refer to my computer as a laptop again. It's a Thinkpad, [censored]".

My school laptop (T60) came with a 4 year warranty and insurance plan. I have invoked the warranty once, and the insurance policy once, when I dropped my laptop from a height of 3 feet onto a solid wood floor. I cracked both the plastic casing and the magnesium frame inside (in 2 places), so I figured it was a good time to get it fixed. Laptop still worked fine though...