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I know exactly where you're coming from. This article was posted back in 2005 and as of 2007, their customer service has not improved one iota:
I've been through absolute customer service hell with Lenovo, after Lenovo lied to me about how to properly process a return.
It's nice to know that I'm at least not alone.
I'm going through similar customer service hell with Lenovo regarding processing a return. I had called to cancel a recently placed laptop order and was told that the cancellation might not be possible but, in any event, I could just return the unopened product for a full refund within 21 days from the date of the invoice. Sounded about right. Lenovo's policy, straight from their website and the \"Lenovo acquisition agreement\" which, according to order confirmation emails, \"governs the terms and conditions of my sale\":
For a new Product that is unopened and still in its sealed package, you may return it to Lenovo for any reason within 21 days of the date of invoice and obtain a refund or credit... Opened products returned are subject to a restocking fee equal to 15% of the price paid.
Pretty clear, right? Guess not.
The laptop arrived and when I called for a \"return authorization form\" I was informed by a CSR that, subject to a recent change in policy, ALL returns are subject to a 15% restocking fee. Really? Thanks for not changing the return policy on your website to reflect this recent change, or letting the other CSRs in your organization know. I'll reserve comment how I feel about their supposed new policy, but that's not my concern. The information provided to me when I placed the order and in subsequent order confirmations pointed me to the old return policy.
When I pressed the matter and offered to forward him the information provided to me in the confirmation emails, the CSR he said he would put me on hold and contact a supervisor. The CSR came back with the same answer. There was nothing he can do. I would have to pay the 15% to return the never-used, unopened product.
So, of course, I asked to speak with the supervisor the CSR just contacted. To which he responds, \"There are no supervisors here.\" You can imagine my next response. Like the original poster, I don't like being lied to. Especially one so blatant.
Naturally, I \"escalated\" the dispute and am waiting for a call-back. Despite being told I would be contacted in 24 hours, it has been 36, and when I called to check the status of my \"dispute\" a CSR, seemingly exasperated with my \"impatience\" told me that their call-back policy is 24-48 hours from the date of the request. Another lie.
I love ThinkPads, and until this incident, never thought I'd purchase any other type of laptop. But after being repeatedly lied to by a Lenovo employee, I'm taking my business elsewhere.
So, here's how two companies treat their customer...
Recently, two of my gadgets had a problem:
1. The touch pad on my iPod Touch stopped working.
2. The right hinge on my Lenovo laptop broke--on it's own.
Both devices are 2-years old and out-of-warranty. However, the problems I had with the devices are not uncommon. There are numerous reports of problems with the touchpad on iPhone and iPod Touch, and there are over 47 pages of complaints on the Lenovo forum about the right hinge breaking on the specific model of laptop that I have (http://bit.ly/cSKIHs).
Apple initially said they couldn’t fix the iPod because it was out-of-warranty, but after escalating the problem, they said they would make a one-time exception and fix it.
Lenovo on the other hand, acknowledged it was a known defect, but would not fix the hinge. I was told by the \"highest authority,\" Doris, that they could not do anything. Additionally, the attitude I got indicated they don't stand behind their products and that they do not care about their customers
The amount they were planning to charge for replacing the hinge was unjustified; for only a little more, I can buy a brand new laptop or netbook--from another company.
So, bye-bye Lenovo, you are never getting my business. Guess which company and products I will be recommending to my friends from now on.
Here is a bit if inside information for you. I work for a computer reseller who deals with many brands, Lenovo among them, and although this kind of incident is not supposed to happen, it definitely does from time to time. The company you were talking to and ordering from was not Lenovo but a different one that they outsource their direct sales to called DAC. While it is more likely that the T43 was shipping from the assembly plant in Mexico than out of China it might have been un-cancelable at that time because their systems are not linked so completely that a cancellation request could be intercepted in time to actually prevent the shipment. The lie about the supervisor definitely sucks though. Unless you're talking to the companies CEO they have a supervisor for sure. If you had it to do over I would suggest contacting a domestic reseller that stocks the inventory in their warehouse such as www.zones.com or another one of the many authorized resellers. If you catch this message in time please know that you still have time to get it from a stateside seller that has them in stock and will be sympathetic to your situation. If you press them a bit, you can probably get a better price than \"direct\" anyway. By the way, their repair and warranty service is still one of the best, and this can be further augmented though the purchase of a warranty uplift part.