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> EZServe cracked my LCD lid on the right hand side (where I put
> my thumb when I pick the closed computer up). When I posted my
> story (below) to this list, someone else commented they'd also
> gotten their 701 back from EZServe with a crack in the exact
> same place.
>
> Because they keyboard expands, the case near the right LCD hinge
> is very weak. If the computer is open, it's tempting to pick it
> up by this point since you can't pick it up by the keyboard.
> Doing so will eventually crack it (mine has).
I think I should chime in with my bad experiences. I have found that IBM
refuses to repair case cracks no matter what. I had a crack in the lid
near the hinge. I never dropped the maching and never misused it. When I
sent it into repair the tech said cracks and cosmetic damage are excluded
from their warranty. As a literate person and a law student, I read their
warranty and it only disclaims damage from misuse.
IBM has interpreted this to mean "crack = misuse." I made a big stink
about it and elevated the issue up the management chain. They finally said
they will correct it this time but stuck with their stupid interpretation
of "crack = misuse."
That is when I got worried. If the warranty is good for everything except
cracks I would have to reevaluate buying IBM. This is especially true
since the TP760 tilting keyboard is innovative, but makes for a flimsy case
in my opinion. I find I recommend Toshibas when the user needs a more
sturdy case.
I began to worry so I checked my other Thinkpad and found a crack on the
hinge. The hinge had been malformed and that caused it to rub the other
part of the hinge. A crack formed on one of the pieces that rubbed
together. Any idiot could see the crack was caused by the malformed hinge
and not by misuse. So I sent it back to IBM. Guess what, "crack =
misuse." It got elevated to the same idiot in management who now said "I
warned you before . . ."
Reluctantly, the fixed it for free after admitting he had never seen the
machine as the tech and machine where in another state. But, he assured me
the techs were very good at deciding what cracks were caused by misuse.
What is strange about that is the tech he was talking about said they
aren't allowed to fix any cases for free under any circumstances, i.e.,
"crack = misuse." Blind application of a beurocratic policy made on high.
It gets worse. The first machine that got sent in had been sitting on the
table for 4 weeks after being sent in. I had only turned it on once or
twice when I noticed another crack. This crack must have happened when
they were fixing the first. It is near the hinge which had to be removed
to do the last repair. I called EZ-Serve to report it so they would know
but that was four weeks later. I now am in a quandry on whether to send it
in because "crack = misuse." I know I will be dealing with the same idiots
as before, and don't look forward to that battle.
As a result I don't feel I can be the champion of IBM machines at the
Fortune-100 company I work at. When IBM had the best service in the
industry and usually fixed things no questions asked, the $2,000 premium
paid for their machines could be justified. Now the calculus is more
complex.
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|| Thomas D. Franklin ||
|| tom.franklin@usa.net ||
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|| .oooO Oooo. ||
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