From: Bruce Markowitz (scosgt_at_worldnet.att.net)
Date: Mon Nov 04 2002 - 17:49:02 EST
Itr sounds like there may have been a spill. If so, it is customer abuse and
they will not honor the warranty.
However, if you clean it up and do the current repair, they warranty will
not be voided in the future
----- Original Message -----
From: "STeve Andre'" <andres_at_msu.edu>
To: <thinkpad_at_stderr.org>
Sent: Monday, November 04, 2002 3:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Thinkpad] EZ Serv insanity update 2
> Thanks for the words of encouragement, everyone. It helps.
>
> I have now taken the keyboard off the Toxic ThinkPad.
>
> I will first say that I *really* like the quality of the build in here
> Thats good, if I am marooned doing my own repairs from now
> on... But really, it does look good, and the keyboard came
> apart with about 5 minutes of work, most of that finding the
> screwdriver set for my Letherman.
>
> I found the "biological hazard". There is indeed something there,
> looking brownish. It does not smell. It does not contain hair. It is
> not large.
>
> When you open the keyboard up, there are two largeish aluminium
> panels on each side of the unit. These are the covers for the two
> ultra bays on each end of the ThinkPad. On the right panel, on the
> extreme left edge, there is a stain there, .5 cm wide, and about 6cm
> long. There is a matching stain on the bottom of the keyboard where
> it rests. On the bottom side of the panel (closest to the front edge of
> the unit), there is another stain, again about .5 cm wide and about
> 4 cm long.
>
> Thats it, as far as I can see. Since the panel is the top of the ultrabay
> and nothing is in the ultrabay currently, I can see no discolorations
> there. Sitting between the two panels is a protectve sheet of plastic
> that helps protect the system board below, and it has no stains on it.
> No part of the system board that I can see has anything on it.
>
> The "biological hazard", whatever it is, definitely looks like it entered
> from the top of the keyboard, with residue resting on the bottom of the
> keyboard which touches upon the two abovementioned ultrabay
> panels.
>
> I hope I've done an OK job describing what I'm seeing.
>
> I am *stunned*. I honestly was expecting something with blue fuzz
> on it, like what happens when you forget about something in the
> fridge for six months, and discover a potentially new life form
> happily growing on forgotten meatloaf. You know, something
> with tenticles.
>
> This isn't it. I need to go find a digital camera now. And I need
> to contact this Mike person again.
>
> --STeve Andre'
>
> On Monday 04 November 2002 03:57 pm, Jane Loyless wrote:
> > At 03:04 PM 11/04/2002 -0500, 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.
> >
> > Wow, indeed.
> >
> > Might try escalating it on up through customer care. Couldn't hurt,
> > anyway. There used to be an e-mail address on Lou Gerstner's page, but
I
> > don't know if his successor has one.
>
>
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