My complaint:
I recently updated my Lenovo laptop to Windows 11 and shortly after received an error message indicating that the computer would not boot up.
I googled Lenovo Tech Support and called the number. I spoke with a woman who spoke very heavily accented English. (I mean no disrespect to the woman, but I had a very hard time understanding her.) She said I could purchase an extended warranty to get the problem repaired. I purchased a warranty for $70. She then said I could take my computer to Best Buy or she could transfer me the software repair department. I asked her to transfer me to software repair.
The woman I spoke with in the software repair department said that I would have to buy a software repair package. I explained that I had just purchased the extended warranty and that I understood that the repair would be covered by the warranty. Frustrated, I asked if buying the package would fix my problem or if I would just be sent elsewhere to someone that I would have to pay even more to. She assured me that they would fix my problem, so I purchased a repair package for $69. I was transferred to a technician.
The technician asked me to do a few things on my computer and it then rebooted successfully. He said it seemed to be fixed but that if I continued to have problems, I could call back in the next three days for further repair work. I hung up and the computer almost immediately crashed again.
I called back and spoke with another technician who guided me through a few things on my computer, after which he said that the hard drive would have to be wiped and restored to factory settings. He asked me if my computer was backed up. I said no and told him that I did not have a thumb drive to back it up. He advised me to buy a thumb drive, back up the computer and then call back.
I purchased a thumb drive for $40 and then called back. I spoke with another technician. He told me the computer could not be backed up. I was frustrated because I had just spent $40 with the expectation that I would be able to back up my files. He then said that I would have to send my computer to Lenovo for repairs and that there would be a charge for that. I tried to explain that I had already spent $140 for the repairs, and I did not understand why they would not be covered under the extended warranty I purchased. The technician would not listen to me, constantly and rudely interrupting. He transferred me to the hardware department.
I spoke with a helpful and courteous person in the hardware department to whom I explalned my tale of woe. I thought he had agreed the repair would be covered by the extended warranty, so I went through the tedious process of getting the computer shipping arrangements set up only to find that there would be an additional charge for the needed hardware repair. Totally exasperated, I asked to speak with a supervisor. He said that none was available, but that he would have someone call me. I hung up.
I took my computer to Best Buy who charged me $200, with the possibility of still further charges after diagnosis.
This was one of the worst customer services experiences of my life. I still have not heard back from the elusive supervisor, I’m out nearly $400 and four hours of my life, I still do not have a working computer and I anticipate even further expense. In the interest of brevity, I have left out numerous other frustrations about this experience. Suffice it to say, it was a nightmare.
Suggested solution:
Please refund to me the charge for the extended warranty and the software support. I'm sure you have the total. I believe it is roughly $140.
Please do whatever you can to ensure that no one else has to go through this hellish experience.
