Final update on screen repair situation:
Corporate support guy called today to let me know that the laptop was repaired over the weekend, and he gave me the shipping tracking number. Checked EasyServ web page, and it was now listed as being under repair as of Saturday. Return shipping info still blank. So there is clearly not a lot of quick communication going on among the parts of the process.
In fact, it's STILL listed as being repaired, although I am sitting with the machine right now. Maybe I'll get a call in a few days telling me when I can expect to receive the machine, as a list member mentioned earlier.
They sent the machine Saturday via DHL's "next day AM", signature required. It arrived today (next business day) at 12:40pm. (Interestingly, DHL's web page shows it being delivered at 11:54am. Guess that's how they can keep up with their "AM" guarantee.)
The screen is definitely not new (note that the manager told me on Friday that all the replacement screens are refurbished) - it's clean, but has weird scratches/discolorations all around the edges like it was cleaned too roughly (apparent when screen is off or in glare situation).
When powered on, the screen appears to have no stuck or dead pixels. But the area all along the bottom of the screen (about the height of my mouse pointer) is very noticeably darker than the rest of the screen. My original screen was evenly illuminated. So, that's a little sad and will take some getting used to.
I can't really comment on the overall maximum brightness, but it seems about as bright as my original screen.
As far as the reason the machine was sent in (terribly flickering screen), that's fixed.
Return sheet says "replaced display, updated system BIOS, replaced LCD cable, fan."
No cosmetic fixes were made, like the panel on the bottom that has had all the paint flake off, that's still the same way. (I didn't mention this when I sent the machine in, though of course I could have.) Keys still have letters rubbed off (which I don't care about).
Everything I sent in came back.
Indeed, IBM doesn't do the repairs themselves. The company that appears to do it is called "Solectron." Check out these links:
http://www.solectron.com/services/post_rep.htm
http://www.solectron.com/pdfs/Repair%20Story.pdf
Total time without machine: 10 days.
Using the scale from Soletron's materials (the one they use for their "in as little as 36 hours" claim) from time of initial call: 11 days.
I'm glad to have my machine back, fixed. I'm still shaken that I was told I'd have to wait until Februrary if I didn't accept a 46% lower resolution screen. I'm glad I didn't give in to that ultimatum. And I'm glad to have found that accelerated support line, thanks to this list, that appears to have removed my laptop from an indefinite limbo.
Thanks again to this list for the support and pointers to resources that helped keep this from taking even longer than it did.
- TK
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Received on Mon Sep 20 14:22:59 2004
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