Lenovo Shipping Debacle Continues

Lenovo, who acquired IBM's PC division in May 2005, has recently released another stellar notebook computer, the ThinkPad T61. As I have been shopping for a new laptop over the last few weeks, reviews have touted Lenovo's ThinkPad T61 as the notebook to beat in many categories. Lenovo describes the ThinkPad T61 on their website as "the most secure, strongest, coolest and quietest" notebook yet. Notebook raters and computer testers at Cnet.com and Notebookreview.com have given the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 high praise for its rugged durability, fast performance, and reliability. So, the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 seemed like an obvious choice for me in my search for a new laptop.

Unfortunately, future searches online have revealed a big problem at Lenovo. Many customers are growing more frustrated by the day by huge shipping delays. Advertised shipping on Lenovo's website states that the ThinkPad T61 will be shipped within 3-4 weeks of purchase. However, many paying customers who ordered as early as late May have found that their shipping dates have undergone delay after delay. Estimated shipping dates for some of these customers have been moved into late August.

Lenovo has dedicated an entire blog to keep customers updated on their progress. On that blog, a Lenovo representative mentions a data entry error with the manufacturing department as the reason for the shipping delays, "Because of a data entry error, the bezel - the frame that surrounds the LCD panel - was omitted from the bill of materials for certain T61 & R61 14.1" widescreen orders which is sent to our factories to specify how to build the products. This omission caused a majority of the orders taken between May 9th and May 24th to "hang" or get rejected by the manufacturing process. The missing part problem was discovered and we began to work with manufacturing to fix the rejected orders and get them fulfilled ASAP."

They are also very apologetic to those who have had their patience tested by waiting many weeks longer than expected for their new laptops to arrive. Lenovo even went so far as to offer those affected by this debacle a free gift: a carrying case, an AC adapter, or a better battery. This is a nice gesture, but many customers who had purchased the ThinkPad T61 have cancelled their orders and are shopping for comparable notebooks to fit their needs. The ThinkPad does have some enthusiastic supporters, however, who I am sure will wait as long as necessary to try out this sleek new machine. ThinkPads have long been recognized in many business sectors as the laptop of choice. If problems like these continue, however, Lenovo might find bits of their market share slipping away to competitors like Dell, Hewlett Packard, and Apple.

Sources:

Notebookreview.com, "http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3761"

Cnet.com, "http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-t61/4505-3121_7-32442903.html?ar=o&tag=pdtl-list"

Lenovo, "www.lenovo.com"