Thinkpads Forum

I need the opinion of the masses here.

On 7/18 I placed an order for a ThinkPad T61, customized system 7662-CTO, I was given an initial Estimated Ship Date of 9/10/07. I'm going back to college on 8/24/07 so I called them up and asked and I was told the delay was the WXGA+ screen with camera, but I really can't deal with a lower resolution screen and taking the camera out, I was told there was no difference. After speaking to the sales rep I ordered through, I was told I was given expedited shipping and priority processing and that my laptop should ship out on 8/8/07. This is all fine, but now a couple days I received an email with my order number again, as if it had been placed again. Now it's showing an Estimated Ship Date of 9/19/07 and when I call Lenovo, I can't get an answer, nobody will commit to a date, but I've gotten a few reps to say early September, which is no good to me. My options are as follows:

1. Cancel my order, and order a prebuilt one with less spec for more price (Mine's at $1350 with price cuts and discounts)
2. Suck it up, and pick up the computer on my next break, which leaves me without a computer for school. I'm an Electrical and Computer Engineering major, I'll be needing a computer the first day of classes (8/27/07) for programming and schematic work. So this option is really not an option, but an acceptance of defeat and not very helpful
3. Call them up and complain and hope they magically ship the computer out faster, however this has been unsuccessful thus far.

Any other options you can think of that might be worth considering? Also, should I ask for some kind of compensation? A free bag or battery maybe?

I hear you. My T61p is supposed to be shipping on 8/23 [which also happens to be when I'm supposed to be leaving for school]. Judging from the ESDs people who ordered before me are now getting for thier T61p's, I'll be lucky to have my laptop by september.

I've decided the best thing I can do is not worry about it for the moment and borrow my dads laptop for a month or so.

yea, i think the best thing to do is suck it up and borrow a laptop for the time being. i think its worth waiting for your customized one.

Call Lenovo back and talk to the sales dept. Be calm and polite and don't complain. Explain to them that you had a committed ship date from them(mention the name of the salesman if you have it) and that you need the laptop by a certain date or else you will be away and unavailable to accept the shipment. If they can't help ask to have the problem escalated. Remember to remain calm, polite, reasonable but firm. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

If it is any consolation.. I ordered mine and it was delivered 3 and a half weeks before the estimated ship date... 7662-CTO as well. My brother ordered the same thing (with a few more bells and whistles after he saw mine) and it arrived 8 days later.

If you press enough and remain calm (as suggested) you may find out that it will be leaving the dock sooner than expected.

Thanks for all your feedback. I've decided I'm going to wait for it, but given that I now have to pay to have it reshipped (explanation below) and because of tonights occurrences, I'm going to ask for a 6 cell battery as compensation.

Although Lenovo offered to change the ship to address of my laptop, they said the name on the package could not be changed at all, and I contacted my school, I cannot pick up a package not in my name, not even in my father's name, not even with is written approval, they must send the package back if the name isn't one they have on file. The laptop was ordered by me and my dad, shipped to him at my home address, so there's nothing I can do there. Getting it diverted is not an option, so it needs to be shipped home (I'm paying for that) then shipped to school (gonna need to pay for that) and that incurs even further delays.

Tonight I spent 2.5 hours on hold waiting on two different phone lines for order status and a sales rep. Two and a half hours, and I never got an answer. When the cellular phone dropped the signal at 7:15, I gave up. I sent an email to the CSR handling my case and explained my displeasure, and I will be calling back tomorrow to try and get a real estimate on my ship date, not "sometime in September". Whom should I ask to speak with about compensations for all this trouble? a Sales rep? Their supervisor/manager/next step up? After all of this trouble, plus another 4 weeks of delays because their system fouled up, does it seem unreasonable to want a 6-cell battery?

Thanks.