Okay, that was fast. On Friday I wrote about my problem with my pen not ejecting from it’s silo on my tablet PC and how, being a Friday, my 24-hour onsite service meant I wouldn’t be getting serviced (ouch!) until Tuesday. That’s what I was told, anyway. Well, this morning I got a call from a repair guy and he said that he’d be receiving the part from the warehouse today, and coming by later today to repair my unit.
Okay, color me impressed. But don’t get me wrong here – this kind of service SHOULD be available, at least for the first year, of a standard warranty, for free. They have made utilizing the standard warranties so horrible and time-consuming that you’re FORCED to pay for the extended plan if you use your computer regularly or for your business. I paid an additional $300 to get this kind of service (for three years). While I have no complaints when it comes to the promised turnaround, but it did add significantly to an already expensive computer. That said, it’s kind of a Catch 22, because I would imagine that each time they process a request it’s pretty expensive – I know that I’ve expended that $300 in charges to them on calls I made during the first year of ownership (I’m in year two), so I’m not sure that this really is a profit generating venture for them. Case-in-point, my current situation. If I weren’t on the onsite plan, I’d probably live with the broken silo for a while. Some might not even bother with it, or take the unit apart themselves to see if they could fix it themselves or jerry-rig a solution, or hold off until something major goes wrong and have it fixed at that time, or live with it. Since I paid for the onsite service and since it’s really easy to make happen, I call whenever anything goes wrong, which has to be expensive.
I love my tablet PC and I’m very careful with it. I use it almost exclusively so it gets a daily workout. And maybe, knowing that anything that goes wrong with be fixed in 24 hours (except when it happens on Fridays), is covered, has made me a little less careful than I’d be otherwise. I don’t think so, but maybe.
I will be buying the onsite warranty again in the future.
Update: The repair guy just left. Different guy. Minimal English skills. Minimal personal skills. He told me THREE times that it was fixed (blaming it at first on some cat hair on the track!!!) and it wasn’t. Wouldn’t use the replacement part sent (a full bottom tray). Decided, finally, that it was the entry loop was no longer connected…needs to replace the palm rest area…but he couldn’t call it in, I have to. He asked me to wait to call until tomorrow, when I asked why (this is really stretching the 24-hour thing) he said it was because he thinks they’ll make a mistake and send the same part (even though he gave me the replacement part number to give them!) since he hasn’t closed the order yet. Tomorrow. Meaning he won’t come back until Wednesday. Uh uh. Not gonna do it. I’m calling now!
2 comments:
Mmm...that does not smell good. I couldn't afford the onsite warranty, as I had already overstretched myself getting what I thought was an IBM product.
But I'm one of those who doesn't send things in for repair. Rather I try to "manage"/bear it (case in point my E90 which has had a microphone problem for about 8 months - which I'll have to get a Jabra earpiece for) for as long as the device remains alive. Sadly, the screen on my X61t is separating, and I know that I should send it in before school starts, but for some weird reason I haven't let it go. So I'm getting a slate to cover up while I decide to send it in for repair.
Continue to update on the status of this please. And maybe you should tell them to send you a different repairman.
@archiwiz,
I've found the onsite/24 hour service to be ABSOLUTELY necessary in this day and age. My last tablet, a Toshiba, died during the first year...and I had to take it physically to a repair center. The were backed up, so they had it for over 2 weeks. That's actually not bad, but it doesn't include shipping time...and I needed it back BADLY...
As an update to the IBM/Lenovo sitch...I called shortly after the repair guy left. The guy I got on the phone had a minimal grasp of the English language, too. On top of that, he was totally clueless. Sigh. Anyway, I finally got it across to him what I needed done and he said, "He can't return tomorrow, it's almost 7 pm. You won't see him until Wednesday." Okay, I thought, time difrerence. Whatever. Except a couple hours ago I got a call from the repair guy, he got the part and he's coming today. I don't know how they do it (they must have shipping zones in multiple locations), but this is the SECOND time they've told me the wrong day. Good think I'm a jobless freak right now!
Oh, and one more thing...he broke the latch the last time he was here (I realized it wouldn't catch after he left), so I have to make sure he fixes that when he returns ... which is any time now. Wish me luck!
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