A Disheartening Experience with Lenovo: My Quest for Support

If you’re in the market for a laptop, especially a refurbished one, you might want to think twice before opting for Lenovo. My experience with their customer service has been nothing short of a nightmare, and I’m here to share my story in hopes of preventing others from facing similar frustration.

The Timeline of Trouble

It all began on April 30, 2014, when I purchased a refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad through Amazon. As a long-time fan of ThinkPads, I was thrilled to get my hands on this model, which came with a full factory warranty despite being refurbished.

However, by July 23, 2014, I started to experience serious issues with the display, specifically ghosting and image retention—common problems noted by many users on Lenovo’s forums. Although Lenovo had not provided an official solution, I decided to wait it out as the issue was manageable at the time.

Fast forward to November 4, 2014, when Lenovo publicly acknowledged a defect in the hardware. By November 24, my laptop was deteriorating rapidly, prompting me to contact Lenovo support, who was quick to send me a box for shipping the laptop for repairs.

The Fiasco Continues

On December 2, 2014, I received my laptop back, repaired but with new issues—a responsive dead area on the touchscreen, including a critical spot right over the start button. After another call to Lenovo support, I shipped the laptop in again on December 9.

Yet, rather than resolving the issues, the repair process became increasingly convoluted. By December 17, my laptop status showed that it was being held for customer information, and I was assured by support that a representative would contact me—not surprisingly, I never heard back.

The Final Straw

Attempts to track down the status of my laptop led me through a labyrinth of transfers and hold music. As of January 5, 2015, I was informed that my laptop couldn’t be repaired, but I was told to expect a call back about a potential replacement. Instead, I was only offered a partial refund of $864.06 for a laptop I originally bought for $1,399.99.

Throughout this ordeal, Lenovo’s support team fell short of providing adequate assistance. They claimed their policies restricted them from replacing laptops purchased through third-party vendors, a fact that I was not