Another Lenovo service complaint thread. (RESOLVED)

[trharlan]

In the beginning of August, I ordered a Thinkpad Advanced Dock via the web. After I placed my order, the system timed out, and the website told me to resubmit. So I resubmitted, as instructed.

Three days later, I got two "Your order has been shipped" emails. I called, explaining that I only ordered one dock. I was told that I was too late, as they both had shipped, but that I could return one of the docks under the "21 day no questions asked" policy.

On August 15, the dock that I was using stopped working; it randomly undocked. I called Lenovo to explain the problem, and stated that it would be great if I could return the defective unit for a refund. I was told that no refund would be issued, as the box was open. I then explained that I only ordered one dock (a call they claim to have no record of, of course), and that wouldn't it be a great solution to just take the broken dock back, and credit my account? After being placed on hold four times, and "speed-dumped" or cold-transfered at every turn, I finally reached someone who insisted that I speak with tech support.

At this time, I had invested over 90 minutes on the telephone. I explained the problem to tech support, who told me that I needed to return my laptop. I explained again that the laptop was not broken, but tech support insisted that my laptop be returned. Sensing that this was ridiculous and counterproductive, I called again, waited on hold some more, was transferred between customer service, sales, and tech support again, until I finally reached someone who seemed to understand. But he wanted to charge me a 15% restocking fee! He stated that he was cutting me a break, because I had opened the package. I explained again that my order was duplicated through no fault of my own. After placing me on hold for 30 minutes, the fellow on the phone offered to waive the restocking fee, and said that he would send me an RMA number for UPS.

I asked, "Don't I need a label?" and he replied that all I had to do was write the RMA number on the box. So I did so. UPS, of course, would not accept the package.

I called Lenovo back, and after being transferred three more times (and disconnected once), I got someone at tech support who (I thought) was not a total moron. He said that he'd send me a label.

The next day, I received a third docking station!

I called Lenovo back, and after spending another 90 minutes on the phone and being transferred no fewer than five times, the gentleman told me to put the sticker form the box he sent me on an even bigger box, and to place both the dock he sent me and the broken dock in the bigger box.

I did so. I did not see a tracking number, but I did write other data from the return ticket down, and emailed it to myself as a sort of "receipt" of my own.

After nearly a month, I noticed that my account had not been credited. So I called Lenovo back, and over that date I spent (and I am not exaggerating) over four hours on the phone with Lenovo. I was disconnected twice.

I asked for a manager, and I was speed-dumped into a queue where I waited for 90 minutes before giving up.

Later, I reached someone who offered to stay on the phone with me until a resolution was reached. She abandoned the call as soon as I was placed in the tech support queue. Then I was told by another employee that "It takes (Lenovo) three weeks to receive the dock I sent back." When I questioned this, the rep told me to call back when the dock was received. When I asked how I would know such a thing, she said she didn't know.

I called again, and got a different rep who said that he would check with DHL, and he asked me for DHL' s phone number. This was the first and only time I swore at a Lenovo employee. I told him that he had to be effing kidding me, asking me for his shipper's phone number.

I was transferred to another rep who told me that Lenovo did not use DHL, and that I must be mistaken. I explained that DHL picked up the package-- and it was in fact the same DHL driver who delivered the third dock! I was told again that I was mistaken.

I called again, and asked directly for a manager. The rep made me retell the entire story, and hung up on me. He never transferred me to a manager.

Then was the employee in Toronto, who told me to ask for her when I called back in case Lenovo disconnected me again. After I was disconnected again, I tried to call her back. The rep refused to transfer me to her.

I'm pretty sure I talked to over a dozen people-- none of whom could help me. And repeatedly being transferred in a circle between tech support, service, and sales I have learned that no one is equipped or competent to help.

Finally I got to someone who offered to do some research, and promised me a callback from someone who would take accountability for the problem.

Feeling relieved but apprehensive, I finally got a voicemail, the rep said to call the 800 number with my tracking number at the ready.

I have told Lenovo no fewer than five times that I don't have the tracking number, but I have the rest of the data from the DHL label-- the data from the label that LENOVO issued to me.

I have truly run out of patience.

All told, I have been disconnected at least four times, and I have spent over eight hours on the phone with Lenovo.

At this point, I'm almost willing to give up the $400 that Lenovo owes me, but I just can't seem to let it go. I wish I could say that this post contains misstatements or exaggerations, but it certainly does not. I truly feel like a victim.

I need the email address or phone number of someone at Lenovo who can actually help me, without making me spend another day on the telephone.

Can anyone help me? (PMs are okay)

[JaneL]

Where are you located?

[erik]

send a message to sam palmisano (current president and CEO of IBM) explaining everything in detail and someone high up will get back to you.   sorry about your experience.

[trharlan]

I am in Manhattan, nonny.

And I'll email Palmisano if I must, but it seems strange that IBM would still be policing Lenovo so closely. The idea of emailing Palmisano is even stranger when one considers that Lenovo's systems and processes-- the very things that IBM does for a living-- must be partially at fault in this ordeal.

[erik]

I am in Manhattan, nonny.

nonny asked because it's not in your profile.   policy here on thinkpads.com asks that your location be added and shown at all times.

And I'll email Palmisano if I must, but it seems strange that IBM would still be policing Lenovo so closely. The idea of emailing Palmisano is even stranger when one considers that Lenovo's systems and processes-- the very things that IBM does for a living-- must be partially at fault in this ordeal.

emailing sam seems to get results, regardless of who's policing who.

[gator]

That is a horror story indeed, sorry for your trouble. I hope things get resolved soon.

[DranK]

Well at least you got your order even though 3 times I have 3 orders and none of them has shipped yet

Seriously I am really sorry for your trouble.

[BillMorrow]

i have placed 2 orders in two weeks and receivced both within a week..
the orders were correct and timely..
both were done over the internet..
one order took over several hours..

you should imagine that lenovo/ibm is like a battleship, cruising along at full speed..
and you are a barnacle on the bottom..
you tap on the hull with a feeler and some surrounding barnacles might take note or even reply but that ship will continue along its course..

similarly, if you get two docks and they say "send one back", don't argue..
send the extra dock back..

when you tried to alter the procedure you tossed a monkey wrench in the gears.. the procedure stopped at an unknown point..

now you are tapping on the hull of the battleship trying to make it do something.. find that box of docks and relate those to you and your particular problem..

might even work..

when i hear someone say "i sent it back but i don't have the tracking number" i think that this guy is an idiot.. an idiot for a variety of reasons..

i have shipped thinkpads all over the world..
from moscow to a jungle on sumatra..
to baghdad (several times) and to afirca and points in between..
and NEVER have i done so without having the driver or other shipping company rep hand me a copy of the airbill with the tracking number on it..

a smart person just does NOT put an item worth hundreds or thousands of dollars in a box and hand it to someone else without some sort of receipt..

[NS]

Well at least you got your order even though 3 times I have 3 orders and none of them has shipped yet

Seriously I am really sorry for your trouble.

Be patient and good luck to you,dude..

@billmorrow,
thanks for your help.

[ronan_zj]

well, if I were you i would call my credit card company.
second, you should notice that IBM service always choose DHL (maybe always overnight shipping) for its customers, and it also does not make any sense that it takes 3 weeks to destination.

[trharlan]

As I was preparing my email to Sam Palmisano, I opened my inbox to find an offer of help from a friendly Lenovo employee.

It seems that sales and service at Lenovo are at this time completely disconnected-- and that this intracompany segregation is at the heart of Lenovo's institutional failure in this case. The good news is that as of the end of last month, my account was finally credited for one-half of my original purchase. In other words, one dock was fully refunded, as it should have been. Throughout the ordeal, the employee who found me was thorough and helpful, explaining both the problem's causes and the resolution's next steps.

Though I am still extremely displeased by the conduct of Lenovo's call centers (the broken promises, cold transfers, long queues, and random disconnects are completely disgraceful, and could be fixed in six months, profitably, by any remotely competent middle manager), I am encouraged that Lenovo has employed bright, kind, and empathetic people to find and fix problems such as mine.

[Hellbore]

As I was preparing my email to Sam Palmisano, I opened my inbox to find an offer of help from a friendly Lenovo employee.

It seems that sales and service at Lenovo are at this time completely disconnected-- and that this intracompany segregation is at the heart of Lenovo's institutional failure in this case. The good news is that as of the end of last month, my account was finally credited for one-half of my original purchase. In other words, one dock was fully refunded, as it should have been. Throughout the ordeal, the employee who found me was thorough and helpful, explaining both the problem's causes and the resolution's next steps.

Though I am still extremely displeased by the conduct of Lenovo's call centers (the broken promises, cold transfers, long queues, and random disconnects are completely disgraceful, and could be fixed in six months, profitably, by any remotely competent middle manager), I am encouraged that Lenovo has employed bright, kind, and empathetic people to find and fix problems such as mine.

Who resolved your issue for you?

I had a similar experience, I had ridiculously bad service from the sales and technical support / repair branches of Lenovo, but finally got in touch with someone who worked specifically with customer satisfaction issues and he was very helpful.

It's strange how disconnected different areas of Lenovo are.