Easy Serv RUINED my Thinkpad

[dt911]

Hi All,
I guess I have a little bit of a rant, and could use some advice in how to effectively bring this issue to the attention of the folks at Lenovo. Being a business owner myself, I really find it hard to believe that there's nobody there who cares, but that's how I'm starting to feel.
My venerable 5-year old Thinkpad T43p was in need of a system fan and this would be its first out-of-warranty repair. I have been working on pc's and laptops for years, so I had no problem in ordering a new fan from ebay with the intention of installing it myself. When it arrived, I flipped over my laptop and got to work. The first thing that I noticed was that 2 of the screws on the bottom were so badly stripped, that I had no idea how I was going to get them out. The machine, mind you, had never been worked on by anyone other than IBM Easy Serv tech's. I called them to ask if they would be willing to offer any assistance, and being about 10 months out of warranty, all they would do was terminate the call. On my third attempt to speak with someone, I was able to speak with a supervisor. I was met with nothing but staunch denial that such a thing could have been done by one of their techs, and was accused of having caused the damage myself with improper tools. In fact, he was quite rude in his accusations, and the only solution he could offer was that I could send in the machine for $599.
Severely annoyed, yet undaunted, I proceeded to drill out the 2 screws, order a new screw kit from ebay to go with my new system fan, and continue on my original mission. As soon as I was able to remove the keyboard, I was met with an absolute horror-show. The first thing to catch my eye was the broken support structure on the left-hand side. On closer examination, the screw which held the back corner of this support member was so badly stripped that it could have only been done with a power tool. I know, from the "serviceable used part" sticker on it, that the system board has been replaced on one of its visits to Easy-Serv. I can only surmise that the frame member had been broken by the tech in order to free the system board, after the screw had been so horribly mangled that it couldn't be removed. One more trip to ebay to replace the broken frame member, coupled with the realization that my laptop will now be in pieces for a week while I wait for replacement parts.
So, out came the Dremel tool and I was able to cut a slot in the screw-head, and then carefully back it out to liberate the snapped-off end of the frame piece. Looking further, it becomes apparent to me that there are only 3 screws present where there should be 4, holding down the Ultrabay housing. Better yet, one of those 3 screws is standing proud of the others, its head stripped just like the screws before it. This time, I am able to free it with a small pair of vise grips, but I notice that it had been driven-in, Cross-Threaded only 3 or 4 turns, at which point the screw head must have given way to the power-tool wielding HACK technician.
At this point, I have disassembled much of the machine, and intend to fully rebuild it when my new set of screws arrives. I am thoroughly disgusted with Lenovo and their Easy-Serv department, and I would like to bring it to their attention. I am disheartened, because now I don't know where to turn for my next laptop. I have been using Thinkpads for the last 13 years, ever since my first 760XL. Before any of this had happened, I had actually been seriously checking out the 410S line of Thinkpads, but I'm not sure if I can ever give them my business again. The lack of professionalism, coming from both the tech and the telephone supervisor, was absolutely alarming to me. I'm not sure what I expect to get by writing to them, but it would be nice if someone would admit that, maybe, they are to blame, and that there is something they can do for me. Does anyone know how to get in touch with anyone there who will actually listen, and possibly affect some change? Am I the only one to have had such a horrible experience?

[Neil]

Seems you have every reason to be upset. I would start by contacting forum member Mark@Lenovo. I don't know Mark personnally, but his forum profile says his occupation is "Customer Satisfaction". Seems that is exactly what you are looking for.

[Mark@Lenovo]

neil,

Thanks for the pointer - guess I need to update my profile here. Technically, that's not exactly my bag anymore, but I think that everyone that works at Lenovo is in the customer satisfaction business, whether or not that is officially in their job title.

dt911,

I received your PM, and I apologize for the late response here. Can you send another PM with your contact information, and the model type and serial number of your system? I'll see what we can do at this point. I'm sorry that you experienced what sounds like poor workmanship that occured during a prior repair.

Best regards,

Mark

[dt911]

Mark,
Thanks for getting back to me, and I'm sorry that I didn't check back here sooner. I got in contact with Terry McCarthy at Lenovo Executive Relations. Where I had already taken the machine apart, there wasn't much opportunity for him to help out with it, but he did offer some assistance on my next order.
I am still hesitant to order another Thinkpad. If I do, I'm just worried about what will happen if I need to send it to the depot. I guess I will just need to scrutinize it when it comes back, if it ever needs to go in for repair. Thank you again for your offer of assistance!
On a side note, I have completely rebuilt my T43P with hex socket screws. It cost me about $90 to get all of the necessary sizes, because many of the fasteners only come in 100-piece bags, but it was one of the most worthwhile upgrades I could have made. I would love to see you guys start doing this at the factory, and I would imagine that you could do it for less than $10/machine. What are the chances that this could ever happen??