Comments on: Does Lenovo really provide international warranty service for ThinkPad users?

By: Qing

Qing — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:13:22 +0000

Really freak me out, my laptop's warranty is recorded on their website, why do they ask for purchase receipt when I contact mainland china IWS for repair. ridicular, are they fool us? also ask for entry date of passport and passport photo page which is private info. why do they need it? (even if the laptop is smuggle into China, but at least it is still on warranty, people still pay for that service). moreover, when I wanted to speak to their manager, the girl said they don't have manager. – in fact, IWS just don't wanna to get into repair service (mainland China) even if you paid for it.

By: Dr. Sunil Pevekar

Dr. Sunil Pevekar — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:56:23 +0000

First contacted Lenovo toll-free on 9 June. On 4 occasions on same day, just music for 15 mins each time. Thereafter kept trying but can't get beyond the music. On 14th (after 4 working days) contacted staff of MD (Lenovo) and was promised action. Next evening (after 24 hrs) some Ranjan called and said he would get back in 30 mins. He just disappeared off the face of this earth and has not been located till now (21st). Somehow on 18th (9 days after my problem occured) I got through to the toll-free number and was given contact of service centre. Service centre staff was most polite, courteous and helpful and solved the problem within 2 hrs.
I believe Lenovo is only interested in Sales but not in support. This even after getting MDs office to push the matter. And to top it all, to rub salt into my wounds, Mr. Jitender Nagar (of Lenovo, Gurgaon) implies in his mail that customer is trying to get free service (when I have specified that I am not looking for free service), as if customers are here only to rip-off Lenovo. What an attitude !! What actually took just 2 hrs required customer to wait for 11 calendar days. Lenovo service is not sinking, it has reached ocean bottom.

By: John R

John R — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:22:15 +0000

Had similar problems with a G410 bought last year in HK, now in the UK. I was told by the shop that it had an international warranty – which I required. When the machine went wrong in the first week, Lenovo UK said that since they had no record of the machine on their system they wouldn’t warranty it. They more or less said it wasn’t a Lenovo if it wasn’t on their system!

It’s broken again and this time I see that the IWS web-page says I can get warranty service in Sri Lanka or India!

Amazing it doesn’t cover HK where it was sold.

This is my second Lenovo. Build quality has deteriorated and I used the warranty on the first but it looks impossible for this one – I won’t be buying another Lenovo.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:09:43 +0000

I have a similar experience with the very bad customer service from LENOVO.

I bought my laptop T60p in Switerland. The warranty page of the Lenovo website indicates that the warranty run until 2010 according to the type and serial number.

Unfortunately, I’m living now in China, when LENOVO’s headquarters are and when the world “customer service” was definetely washed away during some revolution. After calling many times the customer service in Beijing and having listened to all their songs on the answer machine, I finally got to know that I have to provide an endless list of document before they can consider my warranty in China: passeport, visa, purchase receipt, etc.

Given that the customer service refuses to give the contact details of the service center, I guess I will be facing an endless list of demands before been taken into consideration. I guess I had better leave it than spend 2 weeks chasing them for an unprobable fulfilling of their promise.

That’s the last time a buy a LENOVO product and I strongly suggest you do the same because customer service doesn’t seem to have the same meaning in Greater China. Once you’ve paid for your product, you seem to land directly in the forgotten files of LENOVO.
Moreover, quality is definetely getting worse and worse. Bad quality components, missing services, etc.

Think twice before buying Lenovo…

Chris

By: T400 T500

T400 T500 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:26:24 +0000

Talk about IWS, I was thinking of buying the new T series ThinkPad (T400 and T500) and here is what I have found:

ThinkPad T400 integrated graphics 7474
ThinkPad T400 discrete graphics 2764

ThinkPad T500 integrated graphics 2242
ThinkPad T500 discrete graphics 2081

ALL THESE MODELS return the same warranty status:
This Machine Type is not eligible for International Warranty Support.

What is this? IS Lenovo stopping to provide international warranty support from the new T series onwards?

I do not check the other new model (SL,X, R,W) but I suspect the same result will be return.

If it is not, maybe Mr. Mark Hopkins can use his connection with IBM or Lenovo to check with his IWS department guy who is handling the data entry. Check whether the guy is sleeping/dreaming/busy with other more important stuff.

Thank you,

By: lophiomys

lophiomys — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:17:56 +0000

My goodness. This is just an annoyance.
On one side there is always an argument “because of
Globalization” on the other side those big companies
fooling their customers, when the promised global service
is actually used.
That is completely unacceptable.

The consequence is that I will ignore any sale promises
of this kind in future.

By: True

True — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:43:31 +0000

Actually, it is IBM who revocated the International Warranty Service in China. And this happend BEFORE it sold the notebook department to LENOVO. The current warranty policy in China is recovered by Lenovo. Wanna know why it is so hard to get warranty there? That is because Lenovo want to prevent any kind of impact to chinese market by huge amount of smuggle. Thinkpad China charge twice as much as it is in America on an T61 with identical configuration. So many customers in China tends to purchase smuggle product which is much cheaper.

By: Sergiu Turcanu

Sergiu Turcanu — Wed, 21 May 2008 06:55:03 +0000

Yes, Gary… I guess it is common sense if you’re informed, but still if dialing from land line it used to play a message in Chinese and hang-up (and that was during working hours). I did like their attitude when actually talking to somebody, better then most hot-line assistance on the phone I knew, but in the end, even if they are polite and do try to help you – they are useless if unable to solve the problem!
… and things like … “sorry we don’t know about that” or “we cannot check it now because we don’t have internet” or “just go to any lenovo service center…. give me an address please… well just go to any…” – do piss you off a little bit.

By: gary

gary — Sun, 18 May 2008 08:11:40 +0000

cell phone can not dial a 800 number, that’s a common sense.
btw, iws is really helpful other than in mainland China.