T42p Lemon - Replacement options?

[mbressman]

I purchased a brand new IBM T42p (2373-Q1U) back in January from eBay. The machine came with a warranty and everything, and was brand new from the seller as well (i.e. he had just purchased it so it wasn't like he had held onto it in the box for 6 months before selling it to me). Unfortuantely, since then, I have been plagued with numerous problems. The laptop screen goes crazy sometimes, the USB ports work sporadically and sometimes fail, the fingerprint reader worked sporadically at times and now no longer seems to work, some of the letters on the keys are rubbing off already, and finally and most recently, the hard drive failed!

It would seem to me that this machine is undoubtedly a lemon. If this wasn't my primary computer system, I wouldn't have a problem sending it in to be repaired, but given the recent timeframe from when it was purchased, the enormous amount of problems that I've experienced so far, and the fact that I can't be without it because then I don't have a comptuer system at all, I think it would be appropriate for IBM/Lenovo to just replace it with another one of the same model. However, the corporate rep I'm speaking with doesn't seem to want to do that. I'm not sure I should push the issue, although I'm concerned that repairing it instead of replacing it could end up not resolving all of the issues (if there are some hidden problems causing some of these things) and will cause me a lot of downtime. Any suggestions or ideas about this? Any ways I can force them to replace it for me? Thanks!

- marc

[JHaislet]

Except for the keys rubbing off, it sounds like the main board is bad. That however doesn't get you any closer to another laptop while yours is getting repaired. Unfortunately, their warranty doesn't cover the inconvenience of being without the product while its being repaired (at least with the standard depot warranty). The only one that seems to mitigate such circumstances is the "On-Site" option as it provides the least amount of down time.

Good luck & let us know what transpires.

[K. Eng]

You'll have to send it in for system board replacement. However, if Lenovo is unsucessful in repairing the machine, you would be more than justified in demanding an entirely new one.

[BillMorrow]

hmm..
6 months since you bought this from an ebay seller.. !?

not much you can do to "force" lenovo to replace with a new Q1U at this stage..

if it were me i would bite the bullet and send it in for service..
that IS what warranties are for..

ship it back on a monday or over a weekend (a bit late now for this weekend) and be sure to explaine all of the problems that you have discovered..

i hope it all works out well..
which this sort of thing usually does..