X201i 1st year report; warranty disappointment

Question

I got a X201i last summer. I immediately took out the hard drive into an external case as backup storage and put in a SSD to run Arch Linux. It was a steep learning curve but after not too long had everything working on it except the volume buttons (although suspend and hibernate only worked with certain kernel versions making updating the system a pain). It served me well for most of the year without any major issues.
The first test of the Thinkpad quality came when I set it on the edge of a cot (fan just over the edge) and it fell about a little less than 2 feet onto a wooden floor when I got up. The hard drive cover came off and the screw went flying, yet to be found. Replaced it with one that doesn't look quite right but no serious problem there. However, within a day or two I noticed the Thinklight wasn't working. This is a problem because I often use the machine in the dark with the screen turned down all the way to conserve battery power, occasionally on excursions where I have no light available. This is a serious fail for the Lenovo brand for me if this light and durable "roadwarrior" machine is going to have things break from a 1.5 foot drop.
Being busy with summer, I didn't look into the warranty immediately. I packed it with me on the 4th for a family gathering. A bottle of beer packed nearby leaked from the cap a little being shaken up by the ride. Not to worry, there isn't enough beer missing to tell and there doesn't seem to be any fluid, just dampness. The Thinkpad is safely zipped inside the Thinkpad-branded neoprene sleeve I ordered from Lenovo along with the laptop. However, once I return home and go to use it, the screen looks like a Rorschach test of bright/dark blotches. Upon further examination, the neoprene sleeve has holes in it at the corners and other random spots. I'm so glad I forked over that extra money and went to the trouble of zipping it up every time I took it with me to get a false sense of security about providing some kind of protection.
Speaking of false sense of security, this was the point I definitely started looking into warranty information. If I'm paying 3 or 4 times what I could get a functional equivalent for, at least I'm sure to get outstanding service to make things right. No sarcasm intended, that was what I believed up until a couple hours ago. I was particularly heartened when I was looking at the warranty information (from the thinktools, couldn't find much in the paperwork shipped with) and saw the part about being covered for keyboard spills. My incident sounded similar enough that it might fall under the warranty, especially since there was no mention of spills in an exclusionary manner.
It was a bit of a pain to determine what to do for service, being guided to providers that only did business accounts, but after an hour or two of looking into it was hooked up with the free UPS return service. I was hoping to ask someone about specifics of coverage, but it was not readily apparent how to get a hold of someone and I figured at the least I could get the Thinklight repaired and take care of the screen on my own.
Today I received a voicemail saying the repairs to my thinkpad would be billable for $950. That is about 80% of what I paid for it, and about $200 MORE than what the X220 with equal capabilities now costs (sans Windows which has been a burden because I needed to keep it around for the Warranty service). The service rep I have since talked to said spill damage anywhere near the screen is automatically excluded from warranty coverage. He has submitted a request to have the Thinklight worked on separately, but didn't sound reassuring even on this point.
To me the thinklight repair seems so insignificant compared to the hundred$ I'll be shelling out for the screen, but is the bare minimum of what would still make dealing with Lenovo an acceptable experience. Still, at this point I feel extremely stupid for not just buying a $400 netbook from whatever generic company didn't make me feel like I was getting superior quality.
The one thing I am still not sure about is the warranty on the carrying case which I've just found. I've done nothing unusual with it; when I travel I place the Thinkpad in the sleeve and place this in another waterproof bag and then into the case in my motorcycle. That these conditions resulted in holes worn through the case seems ridiculous to me. I've not seen any claim that the case is waterproof, but I can't see how what little moisture there was could have damaged the screen if the case did not have holes worn in it. Isn't the failure of this Lenovo case reason to see the damage to the laptop as a warranty issue? Is this an issue to discuss with the service rep that called me or is there another avenue I should pursue?

Answer 1

I don't mean to rag on Lenovo baselessly. I recognize the problems I'm describing aren't unique to them of their own creation. I'm just saying that I went with a Thinkpad knowing I was paying a premium over what many other brands would charge for a similar spec device, but expecting I would see a more cohesive, helpful all around experience.
In comparison, a few years back I stepped up from a Yamaha motorcycle to a BMW. Not the same type of bike but I checked around enough to realize what a premium I was paying compared to a similar speced Japanese or American cycle. And there were inevitable failures and a process where I figured out that stateside dealers were going to gouge me for money so I learned to fix it myself. But everything I've bought from BMW has lived up to a higher quality standard. Finding what I need from them is straight forward and their stuff works significantly better than any entry level type competitor's. When I buy BMW riding gear I know I"m not going to get something made of plastic mesh that melts into my skin if I crash and slide, for example.
I don't have a laundry list of specific items I want/ed Lenovo to incorporate into their policies. I'm just relaying my experience that I feel I wasted my money paying a premium to deal with them. I wouldn't be surprised if their equipment is a good investment for someone who's corporate overlords give them a hefty IT allowance to find top notch tools for the office, but it seems to me they are a poor choice if you are a regular end-user consumer on your own.
I don't see that I have any choice but to be responsible for my mishaps, just that I could have done it for about $500 less if I hadn't wasted my time with the Lenovo name brand.