[tumba]

I'll just offer a contrary anecdote. A few months ago, I had a catastrophic failure of my X260 failure (hard crash--would not power up) while on site for a client in a manufacturing facility on the south side of Chicago. I called support and within 3 hours, a tech was on site with a comprehensive set of tools and parts. The technician had been repairing ThinkPads since the late 1990s and still wore his original IBM badge along with his newer one. He ended up nearly completely disassembling and re-assembling my machine in the temporary cubical I was sitting in to replace the motherboard, but was gone within two hours and the machine has worked fine ever since.

I'm sure service varies, but I always purchase the same day, onsite, four hour warranty option and try to be a little savvy about who the contracted service firm is. You can use Lenovo's website to find the certified repair firms and suggest that your ticket be dispatched to one you want.

I have been buying a new ThinkPad every couple years for about 15 years. I have ambivalent feelings about the newest generations, but still find them to be the most ergonomic and comfortable option for me (TrackPoint, keyboard quality, matte display, extended battery options).

[Harkins]

Thanks for sharing your story. I wasn't aware of the possibility of buying a separate service contract from an outside firm. I'll include it in my consideration the next time I buy a laptop, along with my frustratingly-earned knowledge of Lenovo's party service.