From: David Goldman (David_at_DGoldman.Com)
Date: Mon Nov 04 2002 - 15:48:34 EST
At 02:04 PM 11/4/2002, STeve Andre' wrote:
>Well, I just got a call from a Mike at IBM, about my "offensive
>or biological hazard" in my ThinkPad.
>
>I lose.
>
>He said exactly what the other people at IBM said: that something
>(cat urine? cat hair?) was in my machine, and they would not deal
>with this until it had been cleaned by someone else. After that my
>unit would be repaired on a billable basis: my warranty is gone,
>due to "negligence" on my part.
>
>The part that I found so interesting about this call was that it wasn't
>helpful at all. No hint of trying to help the customer here.
>
>Wow. I don't think I can recomend ThinkPads any more.
>
>I am sad.
I find it interesting that they could not / would not tell you exactly
what is wrong. For example, couldn't they tell the difference between
cat hair and cat urine? And if it was urine, how would they know the
difference between cat/dog/human urine? Do you even own a pet (or an
ill behaved child)?
If you have the ability to contact "Mike" again, I'd ask for a SPECIFIC
answer regarding what testing was done to determine that something
"offensive" was on your system. Did they use a chemical test? A black
light? A alcohol wipe (a la current airport security checks), etc. If
they refuse to identify the testing method they used (and where in the
warranty statement they previously informed you that such "offensive"
material would void your warranty), then you intend to take them to
small claims court over the arbitrary loss of value of your Thinkpad
associated with a loss of warranty. Also indicate that you will file
a complaint with the BBB. Finally, if "Mike" is not available, I'd
ask to speak to his supervisor.
This issue is *NOT* resolved until they can supply some proof that they
did something more than flip a coin to determine that they could/would
void your warranty.
Good luck. Don't give up yet!
-- David Goldman
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