Lenovo - not impressed

[witch]

We have a suite of new ThinkVision monitors with the little ThinkCentres tucked in behind them - not all in one but connected.

Initially (last easter) we were very happy but problems soon emerged.

We have a situation where the on button (which is on the monitor) would just flash rather than turning the computer on or off.

Changing the computer or monitor, or powering down and up again sometimes worked but not always.

In the end, random computers were doing this but I noticed that 3 or 4 were the worst culprits.

 

First line support sent me new monitors - which made no difference. I sent a youtube video of what was going wrong, to no avail.

I did a lot of research myself too.

Eventually it got to second line and they requested one of the failing computer and monitor pairs to be sent to them.

Initially they couldn't access the computer - I sent the admin acct details but they were "wrong" apparently.

Then I was told that they couldn't reproduce the fault.

Then..nothing

Eventually I was told that the equipment works separately but not together.

 

This is of no help to me, I have a new IT suite with one computer missing and on any one day either two or three others not working.

 

(I am also being chased for a monitor that we returned as they say we didn't.)

 

I am very unhappy now and getting no response. I need to sort this out as the IT suite is not easily useable as it cannot cater for a whole class at the moment.

Does anyone have a higher-up contact at Lenovo they could share?

 

At my wit's end here

[CamelMan]

I dont know if its of any help but I use Computer World Wales alot who are an official Lenovo dealer - you could have a chat with them and they may be able to do something. They are pretty helpful with issues, warranties, replacements and the like. Guy called Shaune Parsons is the one I deal with.

 

Hope you get it sorted.

[PotNoodleTech]

This is where twitter comes in to it's own. Post a little dissatisfaction note for them you may find things accelerate.

[witch]

Good point

[witch]

Still no resolution - and here we are in 2016

 

I have been offered a replacement for the monitor and computer that they have - so that "it isn't away too long" - two months not too long then?

They utterly FAILED to mention the other issues I have been having up until this point. I had to reiterate it all to the sales manager who sent it up the line to the next guy. From him, I got the same "we will send you a new computer" which I had ALREADY BEEN TOLD and once more, he obviously had not gone back to the beginning and seen the video I sent and the other issues I have had.

To add insult to injury I was asked for AN INVOICE to prove the kit was bought - when they have already replaced some monitors and indeed right back at the beginning an engineer came out.

I had a hissy fit and no more was said, but one week on, NO computer or monitor has arrived.

Currently I now have two that won't turn on AT ALL (maybe that's good and they have finally broken) but I can't identify if it is the monitor as if I swap it out, sometimes it starts working and sometimes it doesn't. I still have the flashy green light issue such that 3 or 4 will not switch on immediately but will come on after 10 minutes or so.

I really really have had ENOUGH and if Lenovo are at BETT, they had better watch out

[southhamster]

Let us know when you are visiting the Lenovo BETT stand and we can have an edugeek flash mob

!

[twin--turbo]

It's your suppliers liability, so go to them regardless of what they say.

 

I would sugest to them that the product has an inherant fault that exhibits across all the supplied units at different times.

 

State that if they can't garuntee trouble free operation then you would like to have the units collected and replaced with something from another vendor.

 

That should at least spur them into action, if it does not then state the organisations soliscitor will be in touch.

 

TT

[davethetekkie]

We have a few Lenovo Tiny units (most are attached to Hanns-G monitors rather than the proper Lenovo docking monitor thing) and generally I really like them (the ones we've retrofitted to the underside of our pop-up desks really look the part)... BUT the number of hoops I had to jump through to convince their service department that a hard disk had failed on one were beyond belief! By the time their engineer eventually attended (because I couldn't possibly replace a drive on one of those myself, oh no!) I could have been through the entire process with Viglen or VeryPC five times. We're just lucky that the Lenovos seem to be pretty reliable for us otherwise!

[speckytecky]

I'd be getting the supplier of the kit (or were they a direct purchase?) heavily involved if it was my school. Lenovo is a big player nowadays and my guess is the upper management would be issuing a few 45s if they were aware of this dreadful absence of joined up after care. I'll make a couple of calls tomorrow and see if I can suss out who to complain to at their head office. Edited January 10, 2016 by speckytecky

[witch]

i have had help from the southern salesman but he has struggled to get answers. I bought the kit from my usual guys but they don't normally sell Lenovo so they got it from a distributor. Noone is taking responsibility and the story I am getting keeps changing

[twin--turbo]

i have had help from the southern salesman but he has struggled to get answers. I bought the kit from my usual guys but they don't normally sell Lenovo so they got it from a distributor. Noone is taking responsibility and the story I am getting keeps changing

 

It's time to mention your legal proceedings to the reseller, does not matter if it's their usual stuff the sold it.

 

TT

[smithson83]

Look on the bright side @witch, it's the 12th tomorrow

[sted]

yeah Lenovo isn't great engineers just turn up unannounced leave notes saying they are coming back and take 2 weeks to replace a faulty psu in an aio pc (im only at that site once a week)

 

when their stuff works its good but warranty support is lacking to say the least

[witch]

So...an update.

EVENTUALLY they sent me a computer and monitor to replace the one they STILL HAVE - and we couldn't image it. The engineer came and swapped out the hard drive but we still couldn't image it. Now they have sent us a disc to see if we can load their version rather than our image. I have been off for a few weeks so the tech we paid to cover wasted hours trying to get the damn thing to image. I complained but I might as well have been shouting into the void. I then got sent three more computers. When I complained again about the failing one I was told that I had three new computers. I pointed out that these were surely to replace the three others that weren't working and eventually I got told that no, those three would be mine to keep whatever happened and the others would be mended when they found the fault.

Very nice, but I actually don't need three more computers, I would rather have had some money back.

We had added RAM to our Lenovos so they sent it under separate cover for the replacements - and then I got a note telling me to return one stick IMMEDIATELY else we would be charged! There wasn't any extra RAM. I complained - again, and got a message back saying - don't worry about it. Gee - thanks for that. I pointed out that this was another error and got no reply.

FINALLY I got a message to tell me that they had identified the issue as a problem with a batch of monitors, and I am to send them the serial numbers of the monitors I have and they will tell me which ones need to be swapped out.

I'm not convinced - we were sent a new monitor at least 6 months after we bought the original kit and the same problem occurred again - how likely is it that the monitor was from the same batch?

So, when I get back I will send them the list of the monitors I have - and on we go......

[DJ-1701]

That is madness... I would be wondering when someone is going to come out and say I was on Beadles About...

[witch]

So - I get back to work and realise that the discs they sent with windows recovery on are useless because....the computer doesn't have a DVD drive. I asked the tech who originally dealt with it and he said that Lenovo told him that he would have to make a bootable USB stick to apply the recovery disc!!

WTF? That means a lot more work and it presumes that there is a tech capable of it in the school - many schools have nobody like that on site.

I will be having words on Monday......again....

[snagrat]

Or use a USB CD drive?

[DJ-1701]

It also depends if the procedure would actually work, I remember in the past many a time that trying to boot off USB would fail, either due to the motherboard itself, or the software used to create the Boot USB not working as desired (though hopefully the free software online would be better now). Bad enough that they know and seen the spec of the PCs (they have a couple there still don't they?!) so should darn well know there isn't a DVD drive, they assume you just have USBs floating around and software to covert the discs.

[witch]

They do indeed assume I have stuff floating around, and the tech knowhow to do it, or indeed a usb CD drive - which I don't.

[sted]

how were you originally trying to image them? It might be something as daft as disabling uefi on the the pcs and enabling bios pxe support (depends on pc and server level iirc 2012r2 can definitely wds/mdt uefi but i dont think anything older can)

[witch]

how were you originally trying to image them? It might be something as daft as disabling uefi on the the pcs and enabling bios pxe support (depends on pc and server level iirc 2012r2 can definitely wds/mdt uefi but i dont think anything older can)

 

We have 32 others and I have checked every single bios setting multiple times. The settings are identical on the new computer. @Galway - yes, I can do it but we pay for enhanced on-site support so why would I? Not sure they'd believe me if I did it and the damn thing still wouldn't image

[witch]

I had a brainwave and swapped out the non-imaging computer for one of the spare ones they sent us as a "gesture of goodwill"

 

Worked first time...and now they are going to replace the whole thing.

 

They have definitely decided that it is the monitors that are at fault and they are going to replace them - 8 at a time. Which is fine but yesterday it took me well over an hour to swap out the first 8. Dismantling it, taking the stand off, assembling new one (stand has changed so had to unpack new one, repacking old one etc. I know it doesn't seem like a long time but I am only paid for 3 hours and I wasted half of it doing this. A "gesture of goodwill" would be sending out a tech to give me a hand

 

On the plus side, the monitor/pc combo that didn't work even though they replaced the monitor, works with the new one. So that is something