How Business Is Conducted in the 21st Century
On the first of June, I bought a Lenovo laptop computer. It arrived 10 days later and I took it with me on an extended train trip. It worked just fine.
When I got home some weeks later, I checked my Visa bill and no charge for the laptop had shown up.
So I emailed Lenovo: How come I haven’t been charged for my new laptop? No answer.
Emailed again. Again no answer.
Telephoned the 800 number and a live person assured me the billing was being handled.
The July VISA bill came in. No charge for the laptop.
Emailed again. Again no response.
The August VISA bill came in. Still no charge for the laptop.
Emailed: How come I still haven’t been charged? No answer.
Telephoned the 800 number and a real person assured me that my account was in order and I didn’t need to worry about it.
Two days ago comes a letter: Pay up or we’ll turn you over to a collection agency!
There was a specific name and phone number attached, so I called and spoke to a cold, officious woman. I tried to explain this 90-day delay in settling our account was their fault not mine, but she was interested only in getting my card number and moving on. No apology. Not even pleasant.
I was still steamed after we hung up. That’s a lousy way to do business. I should contact someone higher up at Lenovo … someone who cares about customer relations, like the Vice President for Giving-a-Shit. If they have one. Which they don’t.
Nah … a waste of time. Fuggedaboudit.
Our local hospital operates like that. One of my recent blackjack players works their customer service lines; when I found out what she did for a living I told her she must deal with irate people all day. She said “Yes!”. She knew exactly how screwed up their system is, down to exquisite detail, but she was “only” a front line employee so no one in management had ever bother to ask her how things worked.
Yes, it is the old IBM. It’s a good, very tough piece of gear.
I do have a new account number for my Visa card and I go on line to check new charges almost every day. Good advice for everyone, by the way.
Jim, if I understand correctly, Lenovo is the old IBM laptop business unit which they sold to the Chinese.
I’m sure they were just too busy with the Olympics to provide you with world class service.
You should probably monitor your credit card every day for “unusual activity” or perhaps even cancel that card and get a new one.