I think I'm finally done with Lenovo for good

[jayk]

Just called the IBM/Lenovo parts department and tried to order a replacement heatsink for my T60 (the fan in mine is getting pretty noisy). I opened up the machine and compared it with the pictures in the HMM and the FRU is 41W0467. I tried looking this up on their parts website (not found) and then called 877-719-0841 and they just told me the part number is invalid. The parts line person told me to call tech support and gave me their number. I called and gave them the machine serial number and they told me they couldn't help me because the machine was out of warranty. They refused to even check if the FRU was valid, much less help me find an alternative p/n "because the machine is out of warranty". He kept saying it was a company policy that they would provide no information for an out-of-warranty machine. I asked if he worked for Lenovo or IBM and he said both. I asked to talk to the guy's manager and he said there was no manager for out of warranty machines and then he hung up on me. Amazing. I'm actually glad I called so I could see just how bad things have gotten. I was starting to think about a W520, but now once my T60 finally dies I'm done with Lenovo for good.

[RealBlackStuff]

You obviously did not dig too deep.
There's even a post about this very item on TPF: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=92847
That fan is also available under 41V9932 and if you go to https://www-304.ibm.com/shop/americas/c ... _main.html you can order it online ($63.-)
Or go to eBay where you can get it slightly cheaper. Just search for "IBM T60 fan".
Either way, good luck with your future Dell or HP or other rubbish.

[jayk]

You obviously did not dig too deep.
There's even a post about this very item on TPF: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=92847
That fan is also available under 41V9932 and if you go to https://www-304.ibm.com/shop/americas/c ... _main.html you can order it online ($63.-)
Or go to eBay where you can get it slightly cheaper. Just search for "IBM T60 fan".
Either way, good luck with your future Dell or HP or other rubbish.

Thanks for the condescending reply. Of course I did an extensive search first, and I read the post you mentioned. When I follow the link in there it says 41W0467 is invalid or can't be found, which is why I called tech support. Is 41V9932 compatible with 41W0467?... the thread you site certainly doesn't confirm that. That's why I called tech support... I'm sure they could have told me, but they hung up on me instead.

It's amazing how often people on this board attack one another and other manufacturers but defend Lenovo no matter what.

[RealBlackStuff]

My pleasure.
In the HMM on page 61 there's a compatibility matrix, showing both fans.
IMHO they look the same.
If you want to go on the cheap, just by the fan itself (again on eBay), rather than the whole unit.

And I'm not attacking.
Just wondering that people seem to be not capable any more of having a decent telephone conversation....

[sarbin]

the two models differ a bit, but i'd say they both work fine. one came in core2duo-equipped t60/p's. the other came in the coreduo models and there are some differences in the heat pipes. there is post on the forum, which i can't find now, that has images of both. i switched my t60p to the core2duo fan/heatsink model when i dropped in the t7600.

[Unknown_K]

I don't think many companies will bother looking up part numbers for machines out of warrenty. Companies do spend some effort on their websites to post information on part numbers and how to swap things out (IBM/Lenovo especially) even for older stuff. In the commodity world you go out of business helping the customer with things you make no money on (or need to under warrenty). Those companies price spare parts pretty high to get people to buy new machines, or because some company contract stipulates they need to have replacement parts for so many years so they have to stock them anyway.

Some companies that charge a premium will go through the effort to help, but you pretty much paid for that help up front (Apple maybe).

[ThinkRob]

It's amazing how often people on this board attack one another and other manufacturers but defend Lenovo no matter what.

Would it have been nice for them to help you? Yes. Were they somehow obligated to? No. I know it's probably frustrating, but we're "defending" Lenovo here because... well... they did nothing wrong.

[ajkula66]

jayk wrote:

Amazing. I'm actually glad I called so I could see just how bad things have gotten.

Compared to what? When I called Atlanta for my (at the time) out-of-warranty A20m the first thing they said was that they were going to charge me for the call since the unit is out of warranty...this was 2003 at the very latest.

The same people have been answering calls over the past decade. Not much has changed, if anything. Take it from someone who's been communicating with that depot a lot, and has no problem ripping IBM or Lenovo ten thousand new ones when they're wrong.

I'd actually tell you to go ahead and buy a HP Elite with IPS screen if you can afford it. I know I would if I could justify the expense.

If you end up doing so, you might actually end up missing the "Atlanta service experience"...

Good luck.

[ThinkRob]

Let it also be said that I've found Lenovo's service to be quite good compared to my experience with Dell. Now granted, my time with Dell ended in 2005, so I am quite out of date, but my most memorable support call -- and there were many -- consisted of about 30 minutes of trying to convince the rep that installing Linux didn't spontaneously cause the hard drive to develop bad blocks. This was, of course, after we had moved on past the shocking revelation that there was no "My Computer" icon on my desktop...

[Reboot]

I had back-to-back in-depth service experiences with Dell and IBM/Lenovo around 2005. Both companies had equally clueless tech support people and did the same amount of damage to the machines they were supposed to be repairing and caused me an equal amount of frustration.

I didn't get the chance to go this far with Dell at the time, but after two months of BS from Lenovo I finally got an executive rep who replaced the lemon G41 with an R52 that my client is still using today. Although I went through a similar thing with Dell in 2010 so I can't give either company an edge.

Honestly, I don't know who has a really good support department any more.

[ThinkRob]

Fair enough. I guess (as with all things in tech) YMMV.

[pianowizard]

It's amazing how often people on this board...defend Lenovo no matter what.

Believe me, such behavior was even more widespread a while ago and it was sickening indeed, but thank goodness most of these forum members have disappeared.

However, like others have pointed out, other manufacturers would have treated you the same way in this case: if you are out of warranty, they are not going to help you. But you did raise a valid point: why stick with Lenovo if all manufacturers' customer service is more or less the same? In terms of laptop quality, the Thinkpads are slightly better than Dell's Latitudes/Precisions or HP's EliteBooks but they are usually more than just "slightly" more expensive. The Latitudes and Precisions on the Dell Business Outlet site offer much better value -- all of them come with 3 years of warranty.

[twillis449]

My understanding is that the OP originally phoned lenovo and wanted to order and pay for a part. The Op wasn't looking for a freebee. If I phone up a vendor and I'm willing to pay, I want service.

When I go to my local dealer for my my brand of (old) car, the parts department is quite happy to look up a part and order it for me as long as I have the ole credit card handy!

[dr_st]

The Op wasn't looking for a freebee. If I phone up a vendor and I'm willing to pay, I want service.

Quoted for truth.

In Israel Lenovo's repair service is provided by IBM, both in and out of warranty. And they also sell service parts, and will happily help you with part number lookup.

The OP's experience is just a classical case of a service rep with the IQ of a chickpea, who is physically incapable of anything other than reading a script.

[ssd_thinkpad]

I asked to talk to the guy's manager and he said there was no manager for out of warranty machines and then he hung up on me.

The behavior of the support guy is the problem.

I bet it's hard to find another guy with that behavior, just call a second time.

[rssb]

Also in the past when I called IBM parts department and told them I had a old FRU, they were able to give the changed FRU number. When you call , if you say you were looking for the new FRU they will give. But if you mention I am looking for a FRU # of such and such thinkpad and start mentioning ( memory, fan, motherboard etc.. generic terms ) they will ask you to call tech support.

[ThinkRob]

rssb offers some sounds advice. I'd call and try again.

[jayk]

Away from the board for a while... some sad/amusing replies in here, but also some reasonable ones.

I ended up getting help over at lenovoblogs: http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T61-and-pri ... d-p/404367, which seems to be more helpful with less of the attitude of thinkpads.com. There's really a lot of anger in here for some reason. andyP over on the other board is really a super-nice guy who appears not to work for Lenovo but is just amazingly helpful.

[sarbin]

please stick around. any forum can have its 'moments'.
there are plenty of helpful folk around here, too.

[ajkula66]

sarbin wrote:

there are plenty of helpful folk around here, too.

With our good friend andyP being one of them... ...since this forum's diaper days...

It's sometimes easy to forget that Bill Morrow was the one who connected terms "forum" and "ThinkPad" to begin with...everything started with the *old* ThinkPad forum...

[sarbin]

i remember the old forum.