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Hi John, Thanks for all the great advice you give on this group. I really appreciate it. I empathize with your warranty situation. Your case teaches us a pretty grim lesson about warranties and insurance policies... if we leave ourselves liable in any way for their mistakes, IBM--or any company that spends tons of money on warranty service--will try to save (or even make) money by taking advantage of your liability. I can just about guarantee that you are not misrepresenting yourself with regards to the hairline crack on the top lid (plastic between display and keyboard). These were incredibly poorly designed. I had my 701 keyboard replaced recently, and the IBM certified technician cracked my top lid in the process of fixing the keyboard. It seems like you and my technician are not the only people who have cracked these things, because the parts are completely back-ordered. There is not a single top lid part in the country. My technician laid it to me straight... there is no telling when these parts will be available. So, John, when you sent your 701c in to have the top lid replaced, there is no way that they could have replaced it.... There are none around to replace it with! I imagine that IBM did what my repair man had to do. He had to glue the crack so that it was still functional, since there is no telling when it will be in stock. IBM is not being fair with you. Maybe you should ask them to explain themselves. Why did they send back a computer under the guise of being repaired, which had not, in fact, been fully repaired? Sounds illegal to me. If I were you, if IBM is going to be dishonest when you are being commendably honest, I'd have IBM send it back to you. Then, take it to a local computer store (MicroCenter?) or a school tech repair service, and they will probably fix the problems and send the bill to IBM without asking. If they do ask, just explain that the problems came about under normal wear and tear, and should be covered. Let me know how this all turns out for you. Sorry to hear about the dilemna. I think it is better to see if you can get this repair resolved rather than try to frantically find another 701. They are very very hard to come by. I recently sold mine, and got way too many offers because there are none around. Yours, Daniel On Thu, 30 May 1996, John H. Kim wrote: > Please reply before 4:00ish on Friday the 31st. It seems IBM is > tightening down on their liberal repair policies. This past week I > sent my TP701C in for service for the following: > > Present upon return from previous repair 2 months ago: > - Hairline crack on upper lid > - Loose battery > Caused a few weeks ago by my own stupidity: > - Cracks on bottom of case > - Keyboard detached in front right corner (still functions) > > I got a call today saying the top two were indistinguishable in cause > from the bottom two. Since I hadn't reported the top two problems > immediately after service, none of it would be covered under warranty. > I explained I hadn't called because the computer was otherwise perfectly > functional and I'd needed it for some field research I was doing at the > time. I'd hoped my honesty about the keyboard and cracks would lend > some credence to my insistence that the first two problems were present > from the previous repair. No go. > > They say I now have two options: > - get it all fixed for $600+, or partly fixed (about $150 ea) > - don't get it fixed and get charged $170 for shipping and appraisal > > They gave me until Monday (5 days from when they received it) to decide > what to do with it before they automatically ship it back. > > So what do you folks think I should do? I've seen used 701's selling > on the net for ~$1200. There's also a chance I wrote about the crack > and battery problem on the service satisfaction survey they send out > after each repair, but I don't remember exactly what I wrote and didn't > make a copy. Please reply by Friday since I don't want to risk them > saying "5 days from Tuesday is Saturday" and getting socked for shipping > twice. > > If you have any problems with your machine, don't try to save IBM > money by not calling until you're ready to arrange service - report it > first chance you get. Apparently having a report in their database is > evidence enough (although I don't see what sort of protection this > gives IBM - I could have called to say the case, battery, and keyboard > came to me broken from repair but I needed to use the computer, then > called again a week later saying I'd dropped it causing the cracks). > > The real kicker is I wasn't using my 701 Portfolio case, which might > have prevented any damage from the second incident: I wanted to velcro > it to the lid, but hadn't done it yet because the lid was going to be > replaced when I sent it in to fix the crack... *sigh* > -- > John H. Kim There are only two industries that call their > jokim@mit.edu customers 'users,' and one of them is illegal. >