RE: [Thinkpad] Warranty Extensions

My attempt to purchase an extended warranty started when I purchased my
new IBM Thinkpad 380z a number of years ago from CDW. The extended
warranty package was for a different model of Thinkpad. I attempted to
exchange it for the correct package but was told that they couldn't
figure out which package was correct for my 380z. I made a number of
calls to IBM, being transferred from one person to another. I probably
spent over SIX hours, trying to find out the proper extended warranty
package for my laptop. I finally gave up, convinced that IBM couldn't
even get out of their own way and that if THEY couldn't figure out
which extended warranty package was correct for me, then I certainly
wouldn't figure it out either. Further, if it was that difficult to
GIVE THEM MONEY, then I didn't even want to consider how many hoops
I'd have to jump through to get them to actually perform service work
on the machine.

Oh, one other detail... I was trying to purchase on-site service for
the laptop. Since (at that time) most of my work was spent at various
client sites, I inquired if there would be any problem having IBM
perform the service at a hotel or client site (if it was within an
area normally serviced by IBM for on-site repair) if I wasn't at my
home/office. I was informed in no uncertain words that they would ONLY
service my laptop at the single, registered address that was specified
at the time I registered the extended warranty package. No service
would be performed at any other site. This didn't make a great deal of
sense given the portable nature of a laptop computer.

All in all, I was very disappointed by the run-around and lack of
customer service provided by IBM when trying to purchase an extended
warranty. I've been lucky that no service was needed during those
additional years, but at the time it really bothered me.

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004, Jim Biggerstaff wrote:

>About three years IBM didn't want to sell me an extended warranty (EW) for a
>i1480, claiming that they were for business users only.
>
>I raised hell.
>
>Sent an email to Lou Gerstner, stating that none of the documentation with
>the unit said and EW was not available for individual users, no indication
>by the seller, etc.. Used the "D" word - discrimination.
>
>I got an extended warranty fairly quickly after the issue was passed to some
>sort of ombudsman.
>
>Jim
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: thinkpad-bounces@stderr.org
>> [mailto:thinkpad-bounces@stderr.org] On Behalf Of Deanna Berman
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2004 5:40 PM
>> To: thinkpad@stderr.org; Lee Stewart
>> Subject: Re: [Thinkpad] Warranty Extensions
>>
>> Wow! What a hassle -- not to mention the fact that many
>> businesses don't use corporate credit cards, websites or pay
>> for business email or phone listings.
>>
>> They'd have a field day with me; I have two businesses, for
>> which I file two Schedule Cs with my tax return -- and "Deanna Berman"
>> is the legal name of each!
>> Y'know, I just remembered that I got an industry discount of
>> a couple hundred dollars from IBM when I bought my X21.
>> Nobody asked for any verification of anything!
>>
>> Has anyone else run into these obnoxious roadblocks with IBM?
>>
>> Deanna
>> dberman@4dv.net
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Lee Stewart" <lee.stewart@attglobal.net>
>> To: <thinkpad@stderr.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2004 14:11 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Thinkpad] Warranty Extensions
>>
>>
>> > At 02:16 AM 1/10/2004, Deanna Berman wrote:
>> > >IBM probably doesn't give a hoot.
>> >
>> > I don't want to belabor all the comments on this too much. I agree
>> > IBM shouldn't care.
>> >
>> > But FYI... For me to get the warranty extension, I had to
>> be writing them
>> > via my business email (vs. personal), that matched the
>> business name,
>> > which matched a verifiable business address (either by web site, or
>> > business phone book lookup), and paid for with a business
>> corporate credit
>> > card. (They wouldn't take my personal card for it...) YMMV
>> >
>> > Sigh.... But hopefully in a week or so, I'll finally have
>> the upgrade I
>> > ordered back in early December...
>> >
>> > Lee
>> >
>> > Lee Stewart
>> > --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>> - - - - -
>> > - mailto:lee.stewart@attglobal.net
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> > http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/thinkpad
>>
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Received on Tue Jan 13 22:03:36 2004