Terrible customer service after systemboard on T400 died for no apparent reason.

Question

So I hate for my first post to be a negative one, but here goes.
I'm sorry if my actions sound rude or impatient, but I'm sure some of you understand the aggravation and worry that accompanies a computer that suddenly stops working when it is needed.
Warning... here's the abridged version, it will still be long. I have also attached a email I sent to Lenovo websales... it has not gotten a response. So far I have not received parts that were supposed to be shipped. I have been hung up on. I have been interrupted. I have been ignored. I have been told that if I want my product fixed I should upgrade my current existing warranty to an on-site service.
I bought a T400 roughly six months ago. I had minor issues with the sound cutting in and out after waking up from sleep since new. I figured it was probably a driver issue. Never bothered to try and fix it, it wasn't a big deal. Other than that, I loved my T400 and recommended that everybody check out Lenovo if they're in the market for a new laptop. Well... no more. I recently put my T400 to sleep. Left it on my desk and walked away. I came back about 20 minutes later, noticed that all the indicator lights were not lit. Strange... okay. I tried to start it. Nothing. I did a search on google, came up with the procedure to press the buttons to drain the system board. Nothing. Oh no. I immediately call Lenovo since I was going to be returning to classes soon. The phone conversations I had with Lenovo techs were less than stellar. One tech told me he could not ship out the box since the system was down... but he somehow managed to look up my serial number, input my information, and issue a case number. Well... turns out he also closed that case. Since he couldn't ship out a box, I brought it to a local authorized warranty service center.  They told me it would be no problem. I dropped it off first thing in the morning, several hours later, a tech had called to tell me that the systemboard was dead (what I thought) and that he had already placed the order with Lenovo and that the part was in stock and should be in the next day. I wait two days and did not hear anything. I call the shop. They call Lenovo. Apparently the part is now backordered and there is no ETA on when it may be back in stock. They said I should pick up my laptop and send it in. So I pick up my laptop and call Lenovo to try and obtain a box. I spoke to one gentlman who seems to empathize with me. He wanted to speak to a supervisor to see if he could have the case elevated. I was put on hold... several minutes later, I was somehow transferred to another tech. This guy had no idea what was going on, he was less than helpful, and he did not seem to be interested in helping me at all. I finally convinced him to ship me a box. When I got off the phone, I realized I should try and obtain some sort of time frame. I called back. Some women picked up. I explained my situation once again. She told me the part was in stock (not what the store and 2 techs had just told me). So I asked if it could be shipped to the store? "Uh... Well..." *Click* She either hung up or we got disconnected. I waited several minutes for a call back. There was none. So I called again... This employee told me that the part does not have an ETA and he has no idea when it might be back in stock. This gentleman is a little pushy and interupts me a few times, but for the most part seems to want to try and help. I was told that Lenovo would keep my laptop for an indefinite period of time until the part is no longer backordered. That's not what I want to hear. I need my laptop for school and research projects. He tells me that if I want to get my laptop fixed in a timely manner, I should upgrade my warranty service to a better one. This raises flags. Is Lenovo just trying to pocket more of my money? Shouldn't the standard warranty cover this? So I decide to email Lenovo and see if they can shed any light on the situation and offer any alternatives. I have tried twice since last week and gotten no response.
Here's the email I sent.
To whom it may concern:
My name is William Xiao. I purchased a Lenovo Thinkpad t400 roughly 6 months ago. The deciding factors in this purchase were all the things I had heard about Thinkpad's excellent reliability, durability, and the outstanding customer service. Unfortunately, none of these have been true in my experience thus far. I had recently put the laptop to sleep. When I came back twenty minutes later, none of the indicator lights were illuminated. The system would not power up. I performed all of the procedures offered by the technical support to completely drain/power down the system board. This did not rectify the situation. When I did call technical support, I do not feel that I was treated with respect. One time I called, the employee was very unenthusiastic to help. The technician was very rude. He frequently interrupted me and did not listen to what I had to say. I asked him to ship a box out. He told me he could not (or would not) do that. He told me to call back the next day with the case number to get somebody else to ship out a box. Or to take it to a repair center. I decided to take it to a local repair center first thing the next morning (Jan 5, 2010). The center assured me that the repair would take no longer than 3 or 4 days. Several days later (Jan 7, 2010), I called to check on the status of the repair. Apparently the system board that was needed was in stock when they ordered it, but became backordered with no ETA on when it might become available again. Unfortunately, I am leaving town to return to college on January 11. The shop suggested that I pick up my laptop and have it shipped to Lenovo. I called Lenovo the evening of January 7th. The first person I spoke to seemed knowledgeable and empathetic to my situation. He looked up the part and said it was out of stock at their depot. I explained to him that I would be returning to school soon and needed my laptop for classes and my research projects. He put me on hold while he went and spoke to a supervisor about escalating the case. For one reason or another, I was transferred to another employee who was not a supervisor. This employee was absolutely clueless about what was going on. His attitude was very poor. He told me that the original case that was opened had been closed on Jan 4 or 5. I had not asked for this case to be closed. When I asked him to to ship a box, he seemed somewhat reluctant to do so. He seemed frustrated when I asked him to have it shipped to a different address. As I said, I would be returning to my school over 200 miles away. I would no longer be able to have the box shipped to my home where I was over winter break. For whatever reason, this employee just did not seem to understand that. I asked if the parts were not in stock, how long would it take to get them in stock and get my laptop repaired. He could offer no answer. I asked him if there was any way this case could be escalated since I cannot be without a computer at school. He told me no. I do not feel that I was treated very respectfully. He told me to call some other department. I asked if I could be transferred. He very reluctantly did so. The other department was closed for the night. I called back to the technical service center in Atlanta, Georgia. This time I spoke to a woman. She told me the parts ARE in stock. I asked if they are in stock, can they be shipped to the store where I was having my computer repaired at. She said "Uh... Well..." and then she either hung up on me or I was disconnected. I waited several minutes for a call back. None was ever received. Thus far, I have been extremely unsatisfied with the customer service that has been offered. I asked if there was any way that a temporary unit could be offered while mine was being repaired since I was told that my laptop would be kept for an indefinite period of time while waiting for the part become available again. Or I asked if they could pull a T400 from the shelves, take the system board out, and use that system board to repair mine. I was interrupted and told no. This seemed to be a common theme: interrupt the customer, do not know what is going on, tell them no to any sort of request. It is interesting that the recording on the telephone says how much Lenovo values customer satisfaction. Well, I am not satisfied at all. This computer is still under warranty. It should not be my responsibility to drive to and from service centers to try and obtain repair. It should not be my responsibility to have to call back whenever somebody decides they do not want to perform a task at that time. Lenovo should be repairing my computer in a timely manner. I was told that if I wanted my computer repaired in a timely manner, I should upgrade my current warranty to a on-site service. I feel that they should be doing whatever is possible in order to best serve the customer. It looks like Lenovo is more concerned with making a fast buck. A computer is very important to my education, as I said, I need it for both classes and research projects. Based on the quality of the product and the customer service that has been offered, I will not be buying any Lenovo product in the future. I was strongly considering purchasing a Edge for both my girlfriend and my mother. And I had previously recommended many people to buy Lenovo after I initially purchased mine. But that is no longer the case. Not only will I likely not be purchasing another Lenovo product, I will warn all of the people I know who are in the market for a new computer to look somewhere else. I really want to like and enjoy my Thinkpad, it is very unfortunate that I cannot and that Lenovo will not do what is necessary to make things right again.
Your very unsatisfied consumer,
William Xiao
Any ideas? Any other email addressed I might be able to reach somebody at?
Thanks for reading that mess. I appreciate any input that this forum may have to offer.

Answer 1

As I said (in my overly long post), I had already brought it to a reputable local warranty service center (still about a half hour to forty minute drive each way) after an employee refused to ship out a box (supposedly the system was down, but he looked up my information and was able to both open and close a case without telling me that he was closing it, he told me to call back about it later) because the turnaround time SHOULD have been faster. I was quoted a 3 day turnaround time, 4 days MAX. I dropped it off first thing the morning after I spoke to somebody at Lenovo. Tech took a look at it later that day, before noon, put the order in, called me to let me know that he ordered the part and that it was in stock. He tells me that generally they receive the part the next day. I hadn't heard from the shop in 2 days. So I call. They call Lenovo, part is now on backorder. That's why they told me to ship it. Now I'm dealing with this headache.
I should not have to spend this much time trying to obtain a warranty. The staff has been rude, unhelpful, and uninspiring.
If something is not done to rectify this situation... at least some sort of apology or attempt to make amends, this will certainly be my last Lenovo product. I will not be purchasing a Lenovo for my girlfriend or family members. I cannot in good conscience recommend that others purchase a Lenovo. My faith in the product and in the company has been corrupted. I would hate to have the new motherboard fail unexpectedly and without reason in another 6 months (which would be just after my warranty runs out), but the service provided thus far cannot justify me spending 140 dollars on a on-site service. If things don't take a turn for the better, it would seem that the best option for me may be to sell my once loved T400 when I get it back and buy a new laptop from a company that actually stands behind their product.
I NEED a laptop for school. The turnaround time I was quoted should have my laptop back to me right before school started again. I have been back to school for a week, and after all this time, they cannot even tell me when I might be able to have my laptop back. The staff flat out refused to offer any sort of temporary laptop for me to use while they held mine for an unknown period of time.  I have read of people being offered loaners. They also refused to pull the system board from another T400 because "it will not work." That's just incorrect.
I want to love my Lenovo. I really do.
Edited to add more information. I figured it was better than posting multiple times in a row and cluttering things up.