Outlet Orders Are Slow

[ZaZ]

I ordered a scratch and dent battery from the Outlet. I ordered it a couple weeks ago and it's still not showing up in the system. When I ordered everything seemed normal, so I didn't give it much thought. Lenovo hasn't charged me yet. Anyone got any tips for expediting the matter? I need a new battery as mine's at 11% of capacity. I guess for $36 bucks I can wait.

[seungsohn]

Just ordered a 4 cell battery for my T61. Lets see how long it takes.

[GatorHawk]

4/10 -- Web ordered a Scratch & Dent 4 cell slim for X6 series from Lenovo Outlet.
4/13 -- Received order confirmation
4/15 -- Shipped from Greensboro, NC via UPS 3 day select

ETA 4/20

10 calendar days from start to delivery not bad. Hope all future orders are as good as this one.

[seungsohn]

Mine shipped today.

[gonzo1082]

I ordered an x300 on 4/23, i still haven't received email confirmation from lenovo. i'm pretty fed up with these people, how hard is it to process and order and send a simple email? i called my credit card to see if anything was pending. they did receive a charge from Lenovo for the right ammount, so.. something is in process. i guess they don't care about their customers?

[archer6]

I ordered an x300 on 4/23, i still haven't received email confirmation from lenovo. i'm pretty fed up with these people, how hard is it to process and order and send a simple email? i called my credit card to see if anything was pending. they did receive a charge from Lenovo for the right ammount, so.. something is in process. i guess they don't care about their customers?

Just a heads up, based on my recent experience with them.

There is a very fragmented process that is employed by the Outlet Store. Lenovo provides the computers, and ChannelAdvisor Corporation does the processing and billing. Much like a clearing house. When you first place your "request" (not to be confused with an order) they take your information and then they call your credit card company for an "approval" for the funds. That is _not_ the same as charging your card. Then once they know you are qualified, they must literally send someone out to the warehouse to find the computer you have ordered. While this sound archaic and unbelievable, I know it is how they operate. In the event that the computer is not there (already been sold) you are then contacted and given an opportunity to select another computer for them to "find". The computers that we see on the web site are only "representations" of the ones they actually have at any given moment.

So, you may think you have placed an order when indeed you have only initiated the process. If the computer is there, then they turn your request into an order. At that point is when you are assured that sometime in the future it will be shipped to you. The "processing time" from the request to the order stage can be as short as two days or as long as it takes them. Once it's an "order" then they bill you and ship it. That takes anywhere from one day to as many days as it takes them.

I have gone to great lengths to gather this specific information (as explained to me by a supervisor at the Outlet Store) and insure it's accuracy. Why? Because I had an "order" (at least I thought it was one) that languished for 30 days, only to be notified that they did not have the computer, and would I like to "try again".

And that was after placing an order the prior month that took ten business days, and the very reason I ordered again. In addition, I spoke with another supervisor yesterday to see how busy they were and how fast I could get a computer, and that supervisor said that if they have the computer the minimum quoted is two weeks, but I might have it (if they are in stock) in 8 to ten days at the earliest, or approx 30 days maximum.

So it's buyer beware.

Good Luck,
Cheers....

[gonzo1082]

@archer6, Thank you very much for that info. It's the most helpful reply i've had in my LIFE.

With that said, i'm just going to try and cancel my order. i need a laptop ASAP and waiting so long won't cut it.

Thanks

[archer6]

@archer6, Thank you very much for that info. It's the most helpful reply i've had in my LIFE.

With that said, i'm just going to try and cancel my order. i need a laptop ASAP and waiting so long won't cut it.

Thanks

You're Welcome.

Here's what I did with great success.

I browsed to CDW.com, they had a great selection of ThinkPads in stock at very good pricing. I called them that afternoon with a question only to find the sales representative very courteous, helpful and knowledgeable. She updated me with a description of the ThinkPads they had just received, and were not yet posted to the site. Having just what I wanted, I gave her my order and by 10am the next day I had my new ThinkPad in hand. Now _that's_ a great purchase experience.

Cheers...

[ZaZ]

Just as an update, I finally got through to a rep who could find my order, whoo-hoo. I don't know why, but it seems there was a CC issue. So, I hope, my order gets processed in the next few days as I really need a battery.

[gonzo1082]

Update on my order:
archer6, thanks for the suggestions. I actually checked the CDW site but didnt find anything within my budget. So this morning i called lenovo to cancel the order. Some rep told me the order was shipped and i should have received an "email confirmation". I never even received junkEmail regarding lenovo. so i told her, i called my card and they told me the approved ammount for the laptop was canceled and refunded. She kept confirming the laptop shipped yesterday. So i called my card company and they said the charge wasnt there anymore. I ended up having to call lenovo where a gentleman easily cancelled my order. i asked him if he was SURE, he said yes. What gives?

ended up buying an x300 from ebay... waiting for shipping conf. =)

[archer6]

<snip>this morning i called lenovo to cancel the order. Some rep told me the order was shipped and i should have received an "email confirmation". I never even received junkEmail regarding lenovo. so i told her, i called my card and they told me the approved ammount for the laptop was canceled and refunded. She kept confirming the laptop shipped yesterday. So i called my card company and they said the charge wasnt there anymore. I ended up having to call lenovo where a gentleman easily cancelled my order. i asked him if he was SURE, he said yes. What gives?

What gives is just the rather routine confusion of their system.

The challenge we face as customers, when cancelling an order, is that Lenovo will not issue a confirmation of cancellation. They will not put anything in writing, they simply notate their record. Therefore you have nothing to prove that you called in and canceled the order. If they fail to do so, there is no easy recourse for the customer, you are subject to how they document it, or fail to document it. If your card has been charged it takes many weeks, and many phone calls to Lenovo before you receive credit (I've been through it).

Regarding shipping of a valid order, my experience has been that sometimes I've received an email and other times I have not. I've also received a computer that I did not order, nor did I place any order at all in that instance.

You may find the laptop being shipped to you anyway, so be prepared to refuse it when they attempt to deliver it to you. As long as you do not sign or accept it, then you cannot be held responsible. I hope that sharing these facts with you helps.

Cheers...

[gonzo1082]

--Thanks again, i think this is a good thread so people can see what they're getting into when ordering from the oultet store. So after i canceled my order this morning i thought i was home free. later today they called me from 919-294-1000. it was a CSR advising me about my cancelation. As archer6 mentioned this was not written in stone. they ended up shipping the laptop yesterday and i STILL haven't received a single email since placing the order aka "request".

The CSR advised me i should not accept the laptop (like archer said) when the ups man comes and asks for a signature, then to send it back and then get my money refunded. now what i'm interested to see is how long this refund process will take.

im just amazed at the lack of emails for an order, its actually pretty funny at this point.

[archer6]

An additional thought to share.
The "policy" of not putting anything in writing when a customer cancels an order, or if they cancel it, is the same for customers that purchase _new ThinkPads_ as well.

[ZaZ]

So finally today UPS shows up with my battery I ordered eight weeks ago. I plug it in and it doesn't work. I think it's a conspiracy.

[ZaZ]

How this for a total brain fart? I'm in a hurry to get out the door after the UPS guy comes. I only quickly tested the battery to see if it works, which is does not. After I return it dawns on me that maybe I should throw the battery in the laptop to see if it shows up in the Power Manager software. It does and it reports it's at 0% charge, which is why it didn't work. It seems understandable it's at 0% charge as it was manufactured in December of '07. I almost called support. I can hear the conversation now:

Me: Hi, my battery isn't working.
Lenovo: Um, did you charge the battery?
Me: Well, um, technically, no.
Lenovo: Maybe you should charge the battery. Call us back if it doesn't work.
Me: OK. Thanks.

The good news is the battery has 0 cycles and is at full charge capacity. Not too bad for a $36 battery, which looks new. I wonder some days whether everything's connected up there.

[gonzo1082]

UPDATE on my return

Todayi received a credit for my cancelation. NOT return, when canceled the rep told me to reject the package and i would get 100%refund. well, today i get a refund minus 15%. so i call the returns dep. and some guy tried to trick me into accepting my fate. i told him, reps repeatedly stated i would get 100% refund if i would reject the package. he said it's nowhere to be found on the notes and checked with his manager. I was told they would ask the rep tomorrow if i was told such thing. i will hear from them tomorrow.
so the purchasing and returns process for lenovo is rocky at best. i will never buy a lenovo from lenovo directly as their ordering system is worse than HP's customer service department in India.

[archer6]

UPDATE on my return

Todayi received a credit for my cancelation. NOT return, when canceled the rep told me to reject the package and i would get 100%refund. well, today i get a refund minus 15%. so i call the returns dep. and some guy tried to trick me into accepting my fate. i told him, reps repeatedly stated i would get 100% refund if i would reject the package. he said it's nowhere to be found on the notes and checked with his manager. I was told they would ask the rep tomorrow if i was told such thing. i will hear from them tomorrow. so the purchasing and returns process for lenovo is rocky at best.<snip>

I would suggest that you _not_ wait for them to call you.
They promised to call me three different times when _they_ made a mistake, and not once did they get back to me. I would call them, and ask for a supervisor as the first person that answers the phone has no authority to help customers. Asking for a supervisor will get you to the person that can authorize a full 100% refund which is what you are due. If you are courteous, patience and persevere, they will indeed refund 100%. Be prepared for a long process. It goes like this: once they receive the refused computer, since it doesn't have an RMA number on the outside of the box, it gets returned to a different address than the central return center. At that point it has to be matched up with your account, which sounds easy but takes them awhile. Once matched, they then send in a request for your refund. That waits for approval for about eight to ten days. After this period it's approved and then it goes to the department that credits your account. In total, the average amount of time it took them to credit my account on the three orders was 14 days per order.

[gonzo1082]

Thank you Archer, you've been very helpful throughout this whole process.

Final update: Lenovo finally refunded the remaining 15% restocking fees (today). after 3 calls and no voicemails returned on their end. i guess persistence pays off. i'm glad this all happened within 30 days, since i was trying to avoid interest charges in my credit card.

On the other hand i've been using my x300 purchased from ebay... What a technological marvel...i love it. kinda miss my old macbook air's looks. but the x300 is just a workhorse. it almost makes me breakfast inthe mornings, thats how good it is.

[archer6]

Thank you Archer, you've been very helpful throughout this whole process.

You're quite welcome. I'm glad to hear that you have it behind you.

Cheers...