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A Laptop Warranty that Actually Works?

May 25, 2005

As a lawyer, I’ve always looked at warranties with a bit of skepticism.  Everything’s in the fine print and oftentimes, the exclusions to the warranties make them useless.  For example, many times you’ll hear a salesperson say, “It’s covered by a 3 year warranty.”  What they mean is:  if the thing breaks within three (3) years and you’re wiling to take the machine to our service center (a minimum of 2 hours’ drive from wherever you are), prove the date of purchase, bring your original receipt, and wait while we diagnose the problem, we’ll fix it for free —  in thirty (30) days and by the way,  you have to pay for the parts (if we have them, otherwise you’ll have to wait while re-order the spare and pay extra if you want us to hold this thing for you in the meantime).  Also, if you bought the machine outside our authorized dealer network, the warranty’s no good. 

When something breaks and you do the cost-benefit analysis, you’ll probably end up ahead if you just buy a new one.

So, I was a little concerned when the AC adapter to my IBM Thinkpad started sparking yesterday morning even after I pulled the plug from the wall outlet. Uh-oh, there goes my day.

I’ve bought a couple of laptops in the past few years.  The first one was an Acer that I eventually sold to my brother to buy a succession of IBM Thinkpads.  The T40 I’m now using I bought while taking my masters [Harvard negotiates for big discounts for students (and alums) and I couldn’t resist upgrading].  I specifically asked and was told that IBM Philippines will honor the warranty.

When my Acer’s keyboard broke down one day, I had to make a few calls to the Acer offices which directed me to the nearest service center along West Ave.  It took the whole day to sort things out but they replaced every part that wasn’t working and I was only too happy that it didn’t take longer.  I also learned another thing that day,  if you replace the keyboard of your laptop with a new one, the whole thing looks like new.  Consider this the next time you upgrade.

So, when my T40’s adapter broke, I cleared everything for the day and dug in to run through the IBM warranty gauntlet.  First stop: IBM website to find out where their nearest service center is.  The tech support number is 995-2IBM. Catchy.  I get this guy on the phone who asks me for my machine’s model and serial number.  I then wait for the inevitable: “Ok, sir. Just run down to our service center in Lipa, Batangas and they’ll replace that part.”  Instead, I got this: “Ok, sir.  We have the part in stock and we’ll deliver it over to your place in about 3 hours.”

I was speechless.

More so, when they kept their word.  A guy in a motorcycle shows up in our office in the middle of the afternoon with the replacement part.  And I was off and running again.  (There was a minor hiccup but it’s not worth mentioning and they did fix the problem in about ten minutes.)

Now, THAT’S A WARRANTY! 

That does it. My next laptop’s going to be an IBM Thinkpad.  I won’t even look at anything else.

Posted by JJ Disini at 6:30 am | permalink

Previous Comments

http://www.villman.com/products/pc_systems_details.asp?name=1834MA4&brand=&platform=notebooks…

i don't know if i'll be able to buy it but it looks like it's the cheapest around right now. and no, i don't know anyone at ibm or villman =)

Posted by vonjobi at May 25, 2005, 10:28 am

IBM's been recalling certain types of notebook AC/DC adaptors because of inherent defects, hence perhaps their eagerness to replace your unit. But that's speedy service, nonetheless. I'm tempted to think they're making up for other known (power) issues with their thinkpad series. Or had these been resolved already with the latest lines?

The R50e is cheap for an IBM! What's good about this unit is that it's a thinkpad–built like a rock! Definitely good competition over other lesser-known brands (or the "generics" like ECS, Neo, etc.),

Cheers!

Angelo

Posted by jangelo at May 25, 2005, 4:50 pm

Hey, you're using a T40? I'm thinking about getting one. How's the performance? Would you reccomend it? Thanks! :)

Posted by Jonas Diego at May 26, 2005, 2:09 pm

I bought a Neo Q-Note- and was promised a warranty of one year….I hope I get the same warranty as you did panyero….

Posted by Atty. Bikoyski at May 28, 2005, 12:29 pm

[4] I have the T40 (2373 9CU). It's not given me any problems except the AC adapter and as I wrote, the support is EXCELLENT!

I highly recommend the machine.

Posted by JJ at May 29, 2005, 2:12 pm

[5] Hey Atty. Bikoyski!

Good luck on the Neo Q-Note. I know someone who has one. No problems pa naman. Looks like a great laptop.

Best.

Posted by JJ at May 29, 2005, 2:14 pm

I am using a ThinkPad R30 - secondhand from my friend but it's great that IBM in Glorietta's Digital Exchange still has some parts for it :)

Posted by Clair Ching at May 30, 2005, 9:56 am

[5] The keyboard of my Neo Q-Note started malfunctioning so I bought it so brought it to the service center at the Mega Mall. After verifying the warranty, the technician replaced the keyboard for free in less than 15 minutes!

Posted by Rey Cruz at November 20, 2005, 1:12 pm

i've had my IBM i-series since 2000 and it's still working well. (most of its contemporaries and some of newer models of other brands have long conked out.) moreover, IBM laptops are not as sensitive as other brands. service and parts are not problem and the service center in glorietta is very efficient. i hope the lenovo performs as well as the good ol' ibm.

buying an ibm is really worth the price.

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