I have purchased a Lenovo Ideapad Slim 5i laptop directly from Lenovo website (based on the suggestion by Lenovo customer support team) in my firm's name.
The laptop was purchased on February 13, 2021 and was received on February 16, 2021 and started using the laptop from mid of March 2021 as my extended warranty mail was received only at that time. Due to the lock down situation and the lack of consultancy work, I had sparsely used the laptop till the end of May 2021 and only after which I had regularly started using the same. Considering the slim built, I tried using it as delicately as possible. Only on regular usage from June 2021, I found out that there is actually a problem with the laptop.
Few weeks back when I was opening the laptop screen (lid/ top), i had been hearing a cracking sound, which I didn't take it seriously at that time. But then when I tried opening it again the next day (July 15, 2021), I heard the cracking sound again and saw that the right side hinge had broken the frame in the right corner of the laptop lid and it had got separated (screen shot has been attached). I am unable to close the laptop (as certain parts are protruding) / use it properly due to Lenovo's faulty built with no damage caused by us. Note that till date, I have not even taken the laptop outside my room (or infact from my table) nor the laptop had fallen down. Due to faulty placement of the hinges, there has been some problem with the key pad too, as some of the keys are acting weirdly and not entering the right character/ usage as it is intended to do.
I (for that matter anyone) can very well see that there are quality issue with regard to the built of the laptop which I had purchased and just with the normal usage of opening and closing the laptop lid (which is one of the basic function of laptop) for the past two months have caused the hinges to protrude outside causing the laptop lid frame (right corner) to break and the laptop lid right corner is detached/ separated from the base. This has also caused problems with the internal wiring of the keyboard as some of the keys (especially the keys in the top rows) cannot be used for its intended purpose. Laptop cannot be closed right now, some of the parts in the right side top and bottom are protruding outside and I cannot even use it for my work which I would have to start from next week (which is the main reason for which I had purchased the laptop). It has become pretty useless for me and it has not even been 6 months from my purchase date. If nothing is done, I am sure it will become serious as it may case damage to the screen.
I contacted Lenovo's technical support team for replacement of the laptop, who redirected me to Lenovo's premium care team as they do not have control over a customer who has purchased a premium support package. After multiple calls to the premium care team (by waiting for nearly 3-4 hours to get connected through your toll free number) and speaking to over 4 different team members and also sending out a detailed mail along with the pictures of the issue, I found out that the premium support team is of no assistance. They asked me to speak to the customer care team, asking me to inform them that this is not a technical problem and that replacement under warranty is to be provided only by the customer care team.
There is no contact number for the customer care and all I have is their mail id, through which I had contacted and informed the issue. And the only response I have received is that replacement is available only for DOA and that too, only if it is within 7 days of purchase. There has not been a single person from Lenovo's customer care team who has contacted me to find the issue and all they respond back is regarding DOA and don't seem to know anything else and don't even care to understand the exact issue. After multiple mails to the customer care team and informing them that if I do not receive a proper response I might have to escalate the matter, this is the response I have received an hour back today (July 29, 2021)
"Dear S*****,
We would like you to know that any machine that is out for sales are been tested and certified by a proper quality check, it is unfortunate to see some machine fails as it is electronic component and subjects to failure, they will be entitled for support as per warranty norms.
However, if the issue is reported within 7 days of purchase then we consider it for DOA as an exception and goodwill gesture. In case the issue is conveyed beyond the timeline then we go ahead with only repair as per TC."
I refuse the above mail/ communication that only a repair would be supported as the laptop is not even 6 months old and a replacement is available only if there is an issue which is reported within 7 days. As a customer, I would not have been able to find the issue/ problem without using the laptop/ unless they had actually assembled and tested the laptop by opening and closing the screen multiple times in front of me. The customer has every right to claim for a replacement in case of faulty product sold to them and it is not the right way to respond just through a mail that electronic components are subject to failure and that only a repair support is would be provided. If replacement is not available, I demand a full refund.
Lenovo is just trying to fool us by selling such faulty products and not even responding back properly when there is a issue with it.
I had paid Rs. 64K along with a premium support cost of Rs. 2.5K and I insist on replacement of the laptop, which get covered very well as a part of Lenovo's warranty terms (base warranty is for a period of 1 year and my laptop is less than 6 months old) as the damage was not caused by me - but due to the faulty internal built which has let to separation of the screen, braking of the corner frame and issues with the keys in the key board, just due to opening and closing of the laptop ( which is one of the basic functionality of the laptop). There is a basic fault in the build of the machine which has been sold to me which has caused this issue and a repair will not work, as I don't want to keep begging lenovo again after 2 months for the same issue and I do not want them to make me keep the faulty machine after paying nearly Rs. 66.5K (inclusive of premuim support)
This is the most pathetic service that a company can provide that too after paying an additional amount for a premium support service. Even before the completion of my EMI period, the laptop seems to have become unusable and I can't use it for my official use (which is the main reason why the laptop was purchased in the first place).
Considering that there is no proper response (I had contacted the technical team, premium support team, consumer care team as well as escalation support) and no one is even concerned to call back despite the several mails and complaints registered in the premium care toll number, I decided to raise a complaint in the consumer helpline about this issue.
Note: My claim form, invoice copy along with the pictures of the issue are already available with the Lenovo premium care team as I had already mailed them long back.
I was informed that registering a complaint would help me in solving my problem by Lenovo at the earliest as I am currently unable to even use the laptop for my work and is heavily disrupting my consulting work. Also, as certain parts are protruding and certain internal parts are exposed, due to which I am unable to close the laptop lid, delay in addressing the problem might lead to further damage to the laptop. Therefore, I request your help and support in the replacement of my laptop at the earliest.
Reference: Premium support complaint registration number [protected] (even though I had raised a claim for replacement and sent a signed claim form mentioning the issue - they had registered the same as repair in their records) and customer escalation team ticket id is 381747
Lenovo customer support has been notified about the posted complaint.
