2006 Laptop sold as 2007 - Ripoff???

by NorthBeachnik Jun 14, 2007 6:58AM PDT

Apropos of the recent thread about knowing what you have in your PC before you take it for repair: What if you are purchasing a PC but you don't really know what you are purchasing because of a possibly duplicitous computersales and repair company? What if you think you have a 2007 model but it is a 2006? Then, everything inside, everything about the PC is called into question.

My partner ordered a custom Lenovo T60 widescreen in April 2007 from a computer shop that came highly recommended by a co-worker. The shop in question "serves major corporations and universities". It sells "custom computers for power users. Offering uniquely built computers that push the limit."

Last night we had a problem with this laptop (kitten on the keys p- literally. Our Siamese slept on the keyboard and pushed the function key along with num lock and a few others. You should have seen the wierd colors of the fonts and the size of the desktop icons!

System Restore took care of everything (after I ran AVG Anti-virus and Anti-Spyware, PC-Doctor 5, etc. to make sure everything was Kosher and there was not something else more serious wrong. I also called Lenovo Support before running Sys Restore even though I knew that that was the thing to do.

I found out that the 1- year warranty was only good until something like December 12, 2007, odd for a laptop ordered in late April. We straightened that problem out with the warranty department at Lenovo.

My question is this: is the fact that we were sold a laptop that was hanging around in this computer sales and repair shop since 2006 under the pretense that it was ordered and built in April 2007 misrepresentation under the law?

It seems to me that the BIOS may be an older version than that put in Aptil 2007 Lenovo T60s. And the CMOS. And, of course, Lenovo may have been selling T60's with different batteries, hard drives, DVD drives, etc. The 2007 might even have come with more memory (I haven''t checked into this). Basically, we may have (and probably did) pay 2007 prices for a 2006 machine.

Also, our T60 may have had completely other parts put into it and may not have what Lenovo put into it before it left their hands and shipped out to this shop...if it originally shipped it to this shop. They may have bought it on th egrey market.

Now, why would I say such a thing? Because twice they have screamed at us when at an earlier time we tried to discuss a computer problem (straightforward virus removal on my Dell 600m and a simple issue with the Contacts and email transfer from an old Dell to the new Lenovo T60. The owner of the shop is hyper sensitive about anyone questioning anything they do is its not quite right or not done at all but on a work order. In my case they confirmed that I had a Trojan in the Dell (which I already knew) but they could not get it out. When I told them it was still there they screamed and said we don't do software, only hardware (this after they completely installed and configured software on our Lenovo T60)

Well, another shop took care of the Trojan in the Dell overnight, no muss, no fuss. But, I wonder if the first shop misrepresented the 2006 as a 2007 Lenovo T60 and the likelihood that what is in the machine are cheaper parts with the originals from Lenovo removed by the shop to use in other machines. I noticed that they treated my partner as though she were a "dumb female" (she has a Ph.D. and has been using PCs since the days of the Kaypro).

I'm reluctant to use Belarc because it did something to my Dell's registry and I had to sys restore. Do we approach Lenovo, give them the serial # and ask them for everything that shipped inside and then compare with what's in there now? We've added nothing but the AVG security products in the Lenovo.

So, what are people's impressions (besides never do business with this computer shop, report them to the Better Business Bureau which they do not belong to, give them a bad rating on Yelp and City Search, etc.).

Has anyone run into such a situation before? If so, how did you handle it? If not, how would you suggest we handle it?

Many thanks in advance for responses!

Discussion is locked

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Well...

by John.Wilkinson Jun 14, 2007 8:49AM PDT

The customization option when you order a laptop lets you detail the components, but doesn't necessarily dictate that the computer built right after you place the order. It's quite possible that they already built a laptop according to your specifications and have it sitting there ready for sale. Unless they specifically stated that your computer would not be built until after you placed the order, it's common business practice and not forbidden.

In your case it sounds like that's what happened. Someone ordered a laptop, but then denied payment, it couldn't be delivered, etc. so it remained brand new and never used. That would explain the initial warranty oversight, forcing them to adjust the date.

Also, note that it's not uncommon for one model to be shipped with different components based on which assembly line it came off of and on which day. Thus, you may order two new laptops, one with a Samsung DVD burner and the other with a Sony. Unless they specified the brand and model of each component they were going to use they can do that as well. Not all purchasers actually receive the same bang for the buck.

Aside from Belarc, I recommend Everest, which can identify all of your components. Match that up with the order sheet and ensure they match spec-for-spec. If the specs don't match I'd bring it to Lenovo's attention, but otherwise it looks like it's been done 'by the book,' so to speak.

Regards,
John

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Lenovo handles Ripoff "Custom" Laptop & Warranty

by NorthBeachnik Jun 16, 2007 8:24AM PDT

Thanks for your thorough answer, John, and also the advice to check out Everest (how did you ger the name "Everest" to hotlink in blue?)

I talked to my partner about the full story behind the ordering of the Lenovo T60. Here it is: She spoke with the custom computer sales & repair shop about the need for a new laptop and started to tell him what she wanted (We've both been buying PC's and laptops from Dell for years and always detailed exactly what we wanted which is never what is standard in their catalogues - you get the picture).

The owner of the custom computer shop starts interrupting and telling her what she wants and needs (which I now believe to be the hardware and software specs for the Lenovo lying around in his shop since last December, probably as you say, John, since someone else decided they didn't want it. If I had been there I would have stopped this guy in his tracks because he was telling her she needed less memory, etc. than she needs and Outlook Express even though she is a consultant who works at home and is a HEAVY email user with complex email files. In many other ways this was not the system she was trying to tell him she needed. He said he could order it for her. She said she would think about it and left it at that.

Later we looked at Lenovo's website to see the different models and specs. While I was out of the house she called the owner of the cuomputer shop and asked what the difference was between X and Y. She was told Y was for multimedia stuff and she wouldn't need it at all (this, even though she was buying a widescreen laptop and wanted to watch DVD's and online video's (and I want to watch and EDIT home videos as soon as we buy a videocam -which I am researching now).

So it is now two weeks after he first told her what hardware and software she wanted on a Lenovo and he steers her away from a model different than they had had told her she "needed" two weeks before. He says "I can order it for you and it will take x length of time to come in. D you want me to do that for you?" My partner had major deadlines and was going out of town for business. So she said "yes" believing that the system would be ordered as he indicated from Lenovo.

Clearly, this is misrepresentation as the system arrived in a matter of days and no way could Lenovo ship that fast to Berkeley and then have this guy put on all the software and transfer her data and then screw up the transfer of her email from her old Netscape to the new Outlook by putting it in Outlook Express instead. Well, of course, in retrospect it is obvious that the machine did not have Outlook but Outlook Express because the person who did not accept this same laptop in December had ordered Outlook Express not Outlook.

And of course it has too little RAM for a dual processor and is not what I would have had her order if I had had the time to get involved.

We've checked with Lenovo and this T60 has everything in it that it had in it when it left Lenovo last year...ordered obviously for someone else. Lenovo is VERY concerned about the "Custom" Computer sales shop pulling a fast one with the warranty - which began, naturally, last December when the other person was suppoosed to have purchased it. They are changing the start date on the warranty to the date my partner purchased this decidedly NON-custom laptop, which does not meet the specs she was trying to get from this over-bearing bully who screams at customers when they try to get his computer repaired (i can guess why the guy refused the laptop last December - something was maybe not perfect and this psycho shop owner screamed at him or her).

Lenovo Warranty Department is kicking the matter upstairs to Management and they are going to deal with this guy. We suggested that he no longer be authorized as a Lenovo dealer as her reflects very badly on a company that makes excellent machines and has great, responsive, customer service.

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Lenovo...

by John.Wilkinson Jun 16, 2007 8:48AM PDT

* The linking to Everest was done using BBS coding, which is the forum alternative to HTML. You can find a nice little guide available here that shows what options are available.

* I too would be outraged with that repair shop. Sometimes the customer needs guidance in selecting a system or can save money with a less expensive yet fully capable model, but you never tell a customer what he/she wants. And from what you described he didn't even listen to what she needed the laptop to be capable of doing. Personally, I'd go in with her and complain that it's not what she said she wanted. You may or may not get anywhere, but it can't hurt to try.

* I'm interested in how Lenovo is handling this. Most manufacturers, including Dell, will sell previously built computers to fill a custom order if they can, so I wonder if Lenovo is taking issue with the shop doing this as well or just him putting words into her mouth.

Best of luck getting it straightened out.
John

2006 Laptop sold as 2007 - Ripoff???

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