Thinkpads Forum

Hi,
I'm about ready to purchase my x61 tablet but I'm in serious need of advice re: service warranties

I'm buying this latptop for law school, so i'll mostly be lugging it around campus- coffee shops etc. I do foresee using it outside a lot in the summer months, but this is the only 'adverse' situation I could see it in (besides of course, the ever present danger of coffee spills)

Anyhow, I plan to use this as my main computer for the next 4 years and my estimated price with my specs is $2,344 pre-tax...

1. are warranties really worth it?
2. what kind should i get (warranty vs. warranty + accidental coverage)
3. for how long?
4. should i get next business day? I don't want to be in a situation where i have a paper due and have to wait 2 weeks to get my laptop back...then again I don't necessarily need next day service, i'll can survive on my home computer for a couple of days

ps: what do you guys think of the lojack anti-theft device?

I usually don't purchase warranties, however I did when I got my X60 at the university. I opted for warranty + accidental coverage for 3 years and have been glad that I paid for the extra service.

It offers a piece of mind knowing that if something were to happen to your machine that it is covered.

I have used the warranty service a few times.

1. Broke a key on the keyboard while replacing the wireless card (Lenovo sent me a new keyboard the next day)

2. I dropped the machine and the Bluetooth has not worked since (I have sent it in 4 times (both in the US and EU) and they finally fixed the Bluetooth)

Funny that you post this now as I have just picked up my X60 from a repair station in the EU, where they refused to replace the chipped framework. They had never heard of accidental coverage and said that any plastic repairs are not covered by my warranty.

I bought a machine for cousin and got the warranty + accidental coverage; I have told everyone that the warranty has been nearly as good a purchase as the machine itself.

Wouldn't hesitate the purchase the warranty + accidental coverage again.

So, without the intention of hijacking the post, anyone know if accidental coverage is global, and how do I prove this?

A couple of things here, but please note that I'm in U.S. and you're in Canada, so things may not necesarilly be exactly the same...

a) I'd get the longest possible warranty, accident protection, no on-site. Last time I've sent something to depot, it was out my door on Thursday and back on Monday. Then again, I always have several machines around and I'm not that pressed for one of them being back ASAP.

b) Internationally, warranty reflects what was originally purchased with the machine (accidental, on-site, whatever), with two big IFs:

1) IF your machine is covered in the given country by IWS which is determined by your model number.
2) IF the given type of service is offered in your country. Next day service, as well as accident protection, are not available everywhere AFAIK.

Hope this helps.

I second the opinion to get the longest possible warranty w/ accident protection (definitively makes sense if you move around your laptop a lot). I personally would go with on-site service. But if you have another machine to rely on, this may not be necessary.

Even if you don't make use of the warranty, it will give you peace of mind.

accident protection? i chipped my x60s and ibm said i have to pay close to 100 dollars to repair it. how much is that accident protection plan? and does anyone have any idea where is the cheapest ibm spare part dealer?

Accident protection plan must be purchased within one year of the initial machine purchase, BTW...

Don't mind me hijacking this thread to post a few questions of my own?

Will Lenovo honor their warranty if I send in my x61 for service with a certain FRU (e.g. bluetooth) missing from the system?

Another will be, what is the part number (i.e. not the 7 digit Machine Type Number nor the UUID) meant for? Is it just for part ordering purpose?

My X61 has a part number on the box that I am unable to locate using the thinkvantage software. Is the part number even recorded somewhere inside my system?

Cheers

I've always found it to be much cheaper to skip the warranties and accident prevention and take out a personal articles insurance policy on the laptop instead. For example, I paid just a bit over $70/year to insure my X61t, Z61m, and all my camera equipment for full value.

The disadvantage is I have a deductible to pay if I file a claim on the policy, but the (big) upside is everything is covered - theft, damage, failure, accidentally leaving it somewhere... everything.

bassman wrote:

I've always found it to be much cheaper to skip the warranties and accident prevention and take out a personal articles insurance policy on the laptop instead.

This makes a lot of sense in certain respects. However, are you really going to file a claim for a dead hard drive? I make one phone call and it's in my mailbox two days later, and that's with depot warranty.

istel wrote:Don't mind me hijacking this thread to post a few questions of my own?

Will Lenovo honor their warranty if I send in my x61 for service with a certain FRU (e.g. bluetooth) missing from the system?

Another will be, what is the part number (i.e. not the 7 digit Machine Type Number nor the UUID) meant for? Is it just for part ordering purpose?

My X61 has a part number on the box that I am unable to locate using the thinkvantage software. Is the part number even recorded somewhere inside my system?

Cheers

Hmm.... Anyone has any idea?

Cheers

Bluetooth can be missing, as can HDD, wi-fi card, battery...they'll be happy it's not there.

What's the P/N that you're referring to?

Thx for the prompt response ajkula66,

Any chance they'll replace the missing bluetooth card when we send it in for servicing?

Looking at the x61 shipment box.

There's 3 serials on the side of the box.

Machine Type-Model: 7674-GK1

Part Number: 45T1927

Serial Number : L2VI239Z

I'm interested to know what is the Part number meant for, is it just a part number for ordering that particular x61? Also, is this part number reflected anywhere in the x61's system? Will it be essential for warranty purpose. I understand that the warranty is fixed to the serial number and UUID. As long as the system reflects these 2 details correctly, we'll not have any problems with warranty services?

Cheers

Remove the serial number from your post, you never know who's reading...that P/N refers to your machine as a whole, BTW.

And no, they won't replace the BT card if it's not there...

[quote="ajkula66"]Remove the serial number from your post, you never know who's reading...

I am curious...What can anyone do with a serial number?

A ton of nasty stuff...that would get the machine blacklisted

ajkula66 wrote:Remove the serial number from your post, you never know who's reading...that P/N refers to your machine as a whole, BTW.

And no, they won't replace the BT card if it's not there...

LOL, the serial is just a fake one that I made up.
So in that case, it's not possible to find the P/N in the x61 system?

ajkula66 wrote:A ton of nasty stuff...that would get the machine blacklisted

Please enlighten me...and maybe others. Explain "nasty stuff". Lenovo would blacklist a machine with just a serial number entered somehow in their system. No other information. And blacklisted means what? It is stolen? I can't believe Lenovo would "blacklist" (???) a machine based solely on serial number.

I am paranoid, too... I have a shredder at home. But just a serial number...?

Thank you for enlightening me.

One could report it as his/hers and stolen...

One could order CRU parts from depot on a warranty claim and never send in the supposedly defective ones...

Either would get the unit blacklisted.

I suppose it's not possible to find a x61's part number just by looking for it in the x61 system itself then?

Thanks a lot for your invaluable advice ajkula66.

Regards,
Jimmy Ng

I also have the warranty and accident protection on my X61. Does it cover an accidental scratch on my LCD screen and bad hard drive without questions??

thanks

Hard drive gets replaced no questions asked. You'd have to break the LCD and not just scratch it for it to get replaced.

thanks for the reply... common accidental things can happen to the LCD which could be embarassing i.e. closing the lid with the pen left on the keyboard, dropping or sitting on it.. even the computer like a drink spill, dropping it, etc... i feel better with the accidental warranty = piece of mind

just don't want to get the 3rd degree. Would they let me fix my own screen or do i need to send it in?

ajkula66 wrote:bassman wrote:

I've always found it to be much cheaper to skip the warranties and accident prevention and take out a personal articles insurance policy on the laptop instead.

This makes a lot of sense in certain respects. However, are you really going to file a claim for a dead hard drive? I make one phone call and it's in my mailbox two days later, and that's with depot warranty.

Considering a hard drive costs around $100 now, no. I can go to the store and have a new one in hand in 30 minutes. But talking about failure of a single (relatively) cheap component misses the point.

My point is for less than $70/yr, I'm covered for anything that could possibly happen. Lenovo doesn't list the 1 year depot warranty price, but let's assume it's half the 2 year depot warranty ($69). One year depot accident protection is $89, and one year of LoJack is $49.95. That's a total of about $174 for one year.

The disadvantage to insurance might be the turn-around time for repair. But I'm sure you could get pretty quick service from the local Lenovo-certified repair shops and file a claim for that amount.

bassman wrote:

But I'm sure you could get pretty quick service from the local Lenovo-certified repair shops and file a claim for that amount.

How many claims you think you'll be able to file before the insurance company drops you like a hot potato?

ajkula66 wrote:How many claims you think you'll be able to file before the insurance company drops you like a hot potato?

Nice job trying to cloud the issue. Are you trying to say you have soooo many warranty repairs that your insurance company would drop *you*?

If you're the type of person that breaks things left and right, then don't go the insurance route. Go ahead and overpay for a warranty.

I'm just talking from experience of someone who had been dropped by a major insurance company after a large claim which was the first claim after almost two decades of being insured by them...I hope no one ever goes through what my family went through on this issue.

I've had easily $500 worth of repairs on my T43p alone over the last three months, and that's not by Lenovo pricelist, where it would've been double. All covered, no questions asked.

As people who have bought ThinkPads from me will tell you, I'm not someone who breaks things left and right. My stuff is well taken care of, and has always been. And, unlike insurance, warranty follows the ThinkPad to its new owner.

But there's an excellent reason why one of the characters in Stephen King's "Christine" says :" When someone asks me what the lowest form of life on Earth is, I'll tell them it's an insurance agent".

My experiences only.