Article: Lenovo Canada problems continue

Update:

Just got 2 almost identical emails re. order shipment:

Email #1:

Email #2:

Order placed March 1st.
Estimated DOA according to a CSR: March 26th.

 

I ordered my R61 March 6th. Spoke to CSR today who said it shipped from China on the 15th, usually about 5-7days to get to Mississauga and UPS from there. I didn't get any other Emails other than initial confirmation ones. Originally told approx. March 23rd and that seems about accurate.

 

The missing customer, PO AND tracking number are right in line with other people's experience. I did not order additional warranty.

 

for those still keeping count, i just got my shipping emails today (17 mar. -- i got two slightly different emails, sent precisely 1 second apart). i was told over the phone that i can expect a trackng # on wed or thurs this week...

 

Hey guys, just curious as to your orders. I'm planning on getting an X61t, probably in June since I absolutely need it by August. I wanted to know to those who have ordered recently, how long did they estimate your arrival as compared with the actual date of arrival? ie. ordered Mar 1, they originally said arrive by Apr 1 but the order didn't come til June 1... Should I still look at Lenovo if they are having these problems?

edit: oh yeah, would it make a dif if I ordered through EPP?

 

I ordered mine through EPP and as far as order processing is concerned, I'd say it's at the default speed for Lenovo Canada: slow.

 

maybe they were joking...

(fwiw, so far mine's right in line with the estimated 3-4wk delivery target.)

 

they missed my 1-2wk target but i did get it in 5 wks.

 

wju182, how long did it take for the order to arrive? also, do they have price protection for EPP

 

Friends and Neighbours if that matters. I think it is listed as "Friends EPP"

I'm still waiting on mine. Ordered March 1 and received the above emails yesterday so figure another couple weeks in transit.

Right after I ordered mine a new ecoupon came out that would have saved me about $100. I created a quote and sent it to Lenovo; they simply changed my total to the lower one as the CC wasn't charged yet (which reminds me, I need to check the CC balance and make sure they charged less). So yeah your price is still protected.

 

and if a $200 coupon comes out in 10 days, can you get an additional $100 off? heh, maybe you can test it if some other coupon does come up

 

wju182, I got two confirmation e-mails as well. When you asked for the price adjustment, did the rep say the price will be adjusted right away or after you've been charged the original amount then credited with the difference? In my case it's the latter.

 

This was the email I got back:

So I'm under the impression that the price was adjusted right away.

 

Did he mention if you would get an automatic Email with the tracking number or if you had to contact him for that?

I got the shipped Email the 17th as well but my rep told me to call next monday for tracking. I'd like to have it before if I can.

 

So as my signature says, I ordered my T61p on March 3rd and apparently it has shipped yesterday according to the CSR. This confuses me though because my CC has not been charged and I did not get a shipping e-mail (let alone two ). Has anyone else experienced this??? I was told I could call in on Monday to get my tracking number from them as well.

 

well, though it was never said explicitly, i got the impression that i would not receive any tracking number by email. in any case, i've found that calling for updates is pretty painless these days... most (3) of my calls have gone immediately to a csr and i was on hold once for only 5 min or so.

 

I was joking about that. If they don't bill you.. well, just don't call them to ask why . Seriously, I read from a few posts here that they typically charge about 3 days after they shipped from China.

Regarding the two emails, you should get them the same day or a day past the shipping. You should get them today if not already. In doubt, you can revalidate by calling an other CSR to confirm it was indeed shipped.

The wait is almost over but it will be nice if they can improve their shipping procedure a bit Hopefully, I'll have mine early next week. As long as it is in perfect shape, I'll forget the long wait.

 

good news for Canadian Lenovo buyers.

I bought my T61p March 3rd. Was then told on March 13th that I could track the package later this week from Brampton but the CSR was way off! I GOT MY T61P today! How awesome is that? Thats only 15 days my friends. Pretty good considering what some people have reported wouldn't you say?

I am now going to go and open the box : D

 

Sweet! I definitely purchased mine on the 3rd as well, but I was told mine shipped from China on the 15th so we'll see how I fair out.

 

Very sweet. I'm confident. Lenovo Canada seems to be improving from what I read from others compared to my own experience so far. 2 weeks is a good performance indeed. It should be their max target for future orders. 3 to 4 weeks is too long in my opinion for delivering such product.

 

Their ordering system is starting to get rolling on to reasonable delivery times.

I ordered my CTO T61 on February 29th and I got my laptop on March 12th.
Looks orders at the end of February are going a lot better

 

Just called Lenovo. My laptop is in Brampton offices. It should ship trough UPS today or tomorrow. I haven't felt like this since I was a boy, waiting from October to December for my Christmas presents! This is pure torture hehe. At least I know it is getting nearer.

 

I ordered on March 7th, and received on March 18th.
11 days! Wow!

 

I ordered February 29th.

The computer just arrived by UPS two minutes ago -- on March 19th. I haven't even opened the box yet.

I'm delighted! The original CSR I spoke to was dead-on when he said Canadian orders were now averaging two to three weeks between order date and final delivery date.

Ironically, I phoned Lenovo Canada yesterday and was told I should phone in a week to get a tracking number. Clearly, even the CSRs still do not have a way of tracking with any precision where an item is in the delivery process.

However, I'm very happy. If some of the recent emails here are any indication, it seems likely that the situation at Lenovo Canada has improved over what it was in December and January.

 

I called back at 1pm today and the second CSR told me... I cannot tell you that your laptop is in Brampton. Until there is a tracking number attached to it, they can't do anything. From what he told, it seems that the first thing they do when it arrives at Brampton is to scan it and thus attach the tracking number to it. I'm so disapointed after getting told by the first CSR this morning that it was arrived in Canada.

From what some say here, the laptop actually gets shipped up to the client's door even without a tracking number?? They still experience a few glitches

 

well that's disappointing to hear... i ordered basically the same setup as you (14" sxga+ t9300 dvd-r agn) on 29 feb and i was told today to call again monday for a tracking #, and expect delivery on or about next wed.

...based on your post i was hoping to get the machine sooner!

 

My recent experiences with Lenovo Canada:

1) T61 15.4:
Ordered Feb 10
Shipping confirmation email Feb 20
Received Feb 26

2) T61 15.4:
Ordered Mar 7
Shipping confirmation email Mar 18
Received Mar 19

I'm pretty satisfied with their shipping times.

 

Yes. It sounds like we are both set to get it somewhere next tuesday or wednesday... or, if it is like wrighton said, we could end up getting it without notice at our door tomorrow or friday... which would be fine by me

Reading the latest posts, it seems like the whole tracking thing is not reliable at the moment. It may be one of the many problems they still have to fix in their new IT CSR system. Sounds like the tracking number that are scanned do not make it to the CSR console.

 

I think I know why the computer arrived so early. Though there's still well over three feet of snow on the ground here in Ottawa, the UPS driver was wearing shorts. He said he had to drive really fast to keep warm.

Joking aside, I think you have it right, marcbe.

 

Still no tracking number. It is getting frustrating talking to these CSR which obviously have no clue. The last CSR I spoke with this morning proposed me to put my order "in priority". I asked "what does that change concretely?". He could not respond clearly to that, saying he could not discuss this with a client. "It is an internal thing" he said. What I could decipher from this is that they simply put a message on the box stamp saying "ship in priority". Since they must do it (if they ever do it) for many, it goes totally ignored and is useless. It doesn’t change the priority level of the UPS shipment in real. I.e., it doesn’t turn it into an express shipment, over night or whatsoever.

My feel from talking to him was that they are just trying to put the client asleep telling them false hopes. I just hope whenever this laptop arrives that I will not have to deal with malfunctions and have to fight the system in place at Lenovo Canada. From what I see, you don't want the laptop to be in their hands longer than required. Granted I’m still within the 3 to 4 weeks “accepted” (by them) time range but I guess I will be an unlucky case based on others posting here.

He is supposed to get a supervisor call me back today… We’ll see what that does. Last time I left a voice message they never called back.

 

This is too bad, marcbe.

If there are any real problems with the machine, I'll report them here.

However, I'm hoping that mostly I'll experience bafflement since I've never owned a ThinkPad or even a laptop.

 

well, the charge showed up on my cc today, so apparently there's a computer for me... somewhere out there...
(it's just 3 weeks since my order, but now i'm starting to get impatient! - *and* i'm also in ottawa, but all i get so far is the snow...)

 

For speedy delivery, you have to get the UPS driver wearing shorts. I kid you not. He was really wearing shorts.

 

i agree with you on all the above points, doggy...

otoh, i'm also happy that they brought the cto option to canada. for that i'm willing to accept a little frustration while they clear up the problems... i'd rather have this than that they trial-ed the system elsewhere and we'd still be stuck with only expensive preconfig systems.

 

Lighten up, Doggy. I put up on this forum both of those Digital Journal articles criticizing Lenovo Canada. I know the company has serious problems, and I don't need to be reminded by you that they exist.

If I feel relief at receiving my order more quickly than I expected, then I express that relief. If I have a sense from recent emails that things have improved somewhat at Lenovo Canada, I say that too.

Did I say things were perfect at Lenovo Canada? No, I didn't. Do I think Lenovo Canada has a way to go? Yes, I do.

But I'll report the positive and the negative when and as I see it. It's a simple question of being fair.

 

Well, I've had an opportunity to check out the machine a little.

Two days after receiving it, I still do not have an invoice from Lenovo Canada detailing the precise configuration. Pasted to the box the system came in was a packing slip that did provide those details.

On the basis of the slip and my own exploration of device manager, it would appear that the system is configured exactly as I ordered -- with perhaps one exception. Right now, I'm unable to confirm whether I have the integrated bluetooth PAN I ordered. Even device manager doesn't show it. Since I don't yet have a bluetooth mouse or keyboard, there's no way to do a test (even if I knew at this point how to set them up). Anyone have any suggestions?

Thus far, at this preliminary stage, I'm fairly satisfied with the computer. The only question mark is screen quality. Images and text are bright and crisp and there is no sign of graininess. However, there is some backlight bleeding along the bottom of the screen. Since the screen is so good in other ways, I'm still reflecting on whether to try and get a replacement.

Unless my future problems with the computer relate specifically to Lenovo Canada, I won't report them on this thread.

 

I believe it's FN+F5 that turns on the radio menu. You'll be able to see bluetooth from there. If you enable it, a bluetooth icon will show up in green next to all the other lights on the bezel below the display.

 

Thanks for this efroggo.

 

My T61p just arrived today. That's 24 calendar days or 15 business days - I guess it wasn't that bad.

Thanks efroggo, my "bluetooth manager" said the device wasn't installed so I was downloading the driver, but I'll try it now with it actually turned on.

As far as 21-day price protection goes, I sent in a cheaper quote right after I placed the order and the CSR said the total would be adjusted accordingly - that indeed meant that they will charge me the lower amount instead of charging for original price and refunding the difference later.

So far so good with the laptop. I don't have any issue with backlight bleeding on my 14.1" standard ratio screen. I'm sure I'll discover other things as I go along but at this point I'm just happy to have it in my hands. All in all, at least from what we heard in those articles, I must say Lenovo Canada has improved their services. Hopefully they'll get their online stuff back together soon as I might order a X61 in near future...

PS The 6-cell battery showing 100% charge with 50 minutes till full charge gives 3 hours and 10 minutes on battery time with everything still set to default values. It's better than I anticipated.

 

just got my Invoices today in the mail for the T61p I received about a week ago. Thought it was kind of odd that it didn't come with the laptop...but oh well. Doesn't really bug me as long as I get the Invoice

My CC has only been charged for the warranty thus far. Which I hope will be verified as ACTIVE soon (ThinkPlus Canada hasn't gotten back to me yet after I emailed my Serial Number - Im hoping just because of the Easter Weekend).

This laptop is awesome btw. I love it. I call it my stealth bomber. it barely makes a peep when I'm not gaming. The fastest comp I owned was a P4 3.06ghz w/hyperthreading before this one so you can just imagine how thrilled I am to see how fast this penryn T9300 is! I can have tons of big apps (photoshop, illustrator, flash, dreamweaver, and Age of empires 3 )going at the same time and there isn't much of a slow down at all. and AOE 3 looks awesome. I can run it at the second highest res with barely any lag and highest settings!

I do get a bit concerned when I see that the CPU/GPU temps rise to around 65-85 degrees celcius when I am gaming... but I hear thats pretty normal. The idle temp is amazing. sometimes only 43 degrees for the CPU. I also bought a hitachi 100GB 7k200 notebook harddrive and did a clean xppro install on it. It never goes over 40 degrees celcius according to PC wizard. SWEET!

Im still considering a Zalman NC1000 though just because I know that I am going to be doing a fair bit of gaming (especially when starcraft 2 comes out) on this thing. I am also considering the Thermaltake IXoft. But the Zalman seems to have better results.

I could go on and on but I realize that this probably is way off topic.

For those who are still waiting, be patient! These things are worth the wait. And if you can't wait any longer the answer is simple. Cancel it.

 

I ordered my T61 on March 18 and recieved an order confirmation a few hours later. A week went by without any status reports. Today, I decided to email them to ask them the status of my order and they said that it shipped from China on March 20. I didn't get any tracking information in the email so I emailed them again and await their response. I was surprised at how fast the initial response was: 6 minutes!

 

Got my R61 14" today - ordered Mar 6th. Not bad, though never got any Emails etc. warning me it was coming and my 2nd battery will be coming later. Result is fine, process still needs work!

 

well, they might still have some issues... i (in ottawa) ordered on 29 feb and still haven't received anything...

i got my shipping emails on 17 mar, and was supposed to receive the delivery today (lenovo gave me a tracking number, and the ups site said it was "out for delivery" and "...on time with a scheduled delivery date of..." today). but it just didn't come. it's since been "arrival scanned" and "departure scanned" again back at the depot (subsequent to being "out for delivery").

i must say i'm starting to get a bit annoyed... i was quoted various delivery dates and they kept getting pushed back as things went on. here's hoping it shows up tomorrow. the day after tomorrow will be 4 weeks since the order...

 

I got mine yesterday & I ordered it March 3rd, so I'm pretty happy with that, especially considering that I ordered the dock w/ dvd burner also.

 

...and indeed it has. 27 days total. physically everything looks good so far.
(...and the 14" SXGA+ screen looks fine to me.)

good luck to everyone still waiting!

 

It's here!

Ordered on Feb. 28 and received it today, March 27.

Everyting is looking fine so far. Now it's time to start playing around and used to the trackpoint.

 

Just a small beef this time.

The Lenovo registration shortcut/program on the desktop of my machine will not let me register if I try to give it a Canadian address. Only American addresses are acceptable.

Why do I get the impression Canadians aren't welcome?