How long does it take? I ordered it on 2/18 and no one will get back to me with an approximate delivery date.

3/14/2008 3:35:33 PM

Aha, I used to work there. OK it all depends on whether you bought an apple or a lenovo.

If you bought a lenovo, it has to be manufactured at the plant in china, then it has to be customized (if you changed anything at all, it can take a week to two weeks depending on how much you got done and if they have the parts in stock), then it has to be shipped over here and be processed and received by the bookstore before you get it. Usually this takes 3-4 weeks without customization, 3.5-5 weeks with customization (this can be hard drive upgrades, memory, etc).

If you bought an apple, it's normally three weeks unless there is a supply shortage. With a supply shortage this time can go all the way up to about 8 weeks, as apple really and truly fucking sucks at getting stuff sorted out sometimes.

If you are really really having problems, quit fucking calling the 919-515-3400 numbers. THAT WILL NOT HELP YOU OUT MUCH. You're dealing with a bunch of bored students and stressed out SPA's who are trying to keep the department from falling apart on a daily basis. The best thing to do is to call RANDY DAVIS (School Supplies & Computer Connections manager) at 919-515-3408 and to be non-hostile and pleasant and to ask him what the status on the computer is and if there are any extenuating circumstances that are delaying your computer shipment (like Lenovo sending out a laptop with the wrong specs the first time or something). If you want to get helped, I can only say to just keep your cool and don't run around threatening people. If they take forever, getting upset isn't too bad a thing to do. If you must be upset and angry, call Randy Davis. The students & spa's truly have no reason to give any shits that your one order is taking too long. Most everything related to the computer order is entirely out of their hands, and the only one there who can do most anything with the computer ordering is the department manager.

There, this has been a "the moar you know" moment, brought to you by an ex-employee. <3

[Edited on March 14, 2008 at 4:31 PM. Reason : I love mold SO MUCH!]

3/14/2008 4:31:03 PM

as an ex-employee and ex-computer purchaser all the info (^) is correct

3/14/2008 5:19:08 PM

Indeed (^) is an ex-employee. He got out while the getting was still shitty. I got out when it was leading to a coffin ceremony.

3/14/2008 5:22:50 PM

i havent been threatening or confrontational about it. im really not even that upset yet, i just wanted to make sure there were no extra problems. if i dont get it in the next week or so i will probably get mad though. someone sounded really helpful when i called and said they would check with the rep but i havent heard anything.

why does it take so long? i did customize it some (more ram). my roommate just got a custom spec lenovo and it only took about a week to get here, it was about the same price too.

3/14/2008 6:54:24 PM

I just ordered 2 thinkpad laptops on sunday from the lenovo website. I received them today.

3/14/2008 7:00:49 PM

I bought an X41T from the bookstore a year and a half ago (or was it 2.5, can't remember) and it took about 10 weeks to get it to me (not customized at all). I called once a week on Monday to ask about it after the third week. On the last Monday I called they said that it had been there since the Tuesday before that

3/14/2008 7:11:12 PM

if it takes that long i'll just go buy one from lenovo and forget about the bookstore

im pretty sure i never signed anything saying i would pay

[Edited on March 14, 2008 at 7:22 PM. Reason : .]

3/14/2008 7:20:43 PM

Quote :

"why does it take so long? i did customize it some (more ram). my roommate just got a custom spec lenovo and it only took about a week to get here, it was about the same price too."

Because lenovo is terribly slow with how they get their laptops to the bookstore, that's why it's so slow. We put the order in and they ship it to us. We have no control over how much a poorly run capitalist company in a country with a ridiculous government ends up managing its manufacturing chain. Your friend, I can almost guarantee, probably bought a computer that the bookstore had sitting on its shelves as a leftover from the spring ordering season, or perhaps it was a stock model that the bookstore upgraded itself with some parts they had waiting to sell. If you ordered a model that was slightly different from what the bookstore considers its mega seller, it probably wasn't in stock and had to be manufactured and shipped from China.

Also: The whole deal of ordering through the bookstore is that you get the computer for a discount with a 3 year warranty. You also get to be eligible for a loaner program which is designed such that, if your computer ever breaks, all you do is describe the problem a little bit and drop the computer off and the bookstore will do its best to take care of the rest and they will do their best to provide you with a loaner computer. You didn't sign anything saying you would pay, but you won't save money by ordering through lenovo directly unless they're doing a major sale.

Just something to keep in mind, your laptop will probably arrive before the next 2.5 weeks are up so all you'll have done is pay extra money for a laptop that comes with less available (local) services. I'd really just be patient.

As far as the X41T issues, I think that was one of the ridiculous supply problems the bookstore was having at the time. The bookstore, as a small retailer, doesn't really keep 800 computers in at a time to meet each semester's demand. When the supplier has delivery problems, the bookstore is not first on the list for getting the computers when they fix the supply problem. The deal with paying the slightly lower price at the bookstore is that you're getting a good price, that the university says it's going to meet their requirements, that you do get to be eligible for a loaner (not guaranteed but 80-90% of the time you should be able to get one immediately), that they take care of most of the servicing headaches for you, and that you can get all your software there at a price that, for the most part, you will not get anywhere else.

What you need to do now is to call the manager on Monday and ask him if your notebook has shipped from lenovo yet and, if so, does the tracking number say when it will be delivered and how long will it take for the laptop to be processed by the bookstore after it arrives. Don't call tomorrow (saturday) as the manager will not be there or, if he is, he won't be able to do anything to help you with your laptop (they run skeleton crews on Saturday, there usually isn't that much business and it's not worth it to keep more than one or two managers in the store). At this point, 4 weeks, you should be starting to expect your computer to show up any day now. At about 5-6 weeks is when you should start to get really fired up and pissed off. If it takes longer than 6-7 weeks just tell them you're going to go buy one in-store somewhere unless they have something you can get right then. Sometimes they'll give you a discount on an in-stock model they're trying to get rid of and you can get a better computer for the same price or less. Don't quote me on that though, that's just what I know from experience (and half those deals are probably gone by now).

In the future, if you aren't going to use any of the bookstore's servicing and you don't want an extended warranty for what is more or less free, and three weeks are important to you, I would say that it is entirely reasonable to just buy it straight through Lenovo. You get what you pay for, and in the Bookstore's case you usually are agreeing to wait a little longer to save a couple hundred bucks (maybe more if you order it for the tax holiday).

Not meaning to be hostile with this post. It's just that our customers often times don't quite see all the benefits of buying a computer through us. If you got your computer serviced at Best Buy's Geek Squad versus the Bookstore's service department, you would probably go with the Bookstore based on that alone. It's not perfect, but it honestly really is a lot less stressful when you have to deal with a screwed up computer there than most anywhere else. They give you a loaner computer that you can install anything on in the meantime, and try to handle your service call without keeping you all stressed out about when stuff goes wrong. If you'd bought the computer directly from Lenovo without any of that, and you had something die on your computer and they fixed it incorrectly (remember: it gets sent to the same lenovo service department that screws up sometimes), you'd be without a computer for another week or so before you got it back. The loaner is very helpful in this regard when you can actually get one. You pay nothing to get it and it's delivered to you in ready-to-go condition (with basic open-source office software that will at least ensure you can get the job done). I'm only ranting to make sure that people keep this in mind as far as why the Bookstore has problems, and why it's still worth the money even though they aren't perfect.

I'm also ranting 'cause I have a high blood sugar, and I apologize for that. (It makes me function like a drunk ).

[Edited on March 14, 2008 at 8:45 PM. Reason : Sry to text spam you]

3/14/2008 8:30:23 PM

Why can't the bookstore do simple modifications such as adding RAM, larger harddrive? What I think the bookstore should do is get barebone laptop, and then customize them according to the customers' orders.

3/14/2008 9:12:37 PM

Then they'd be stuck with the used part and they couldn't offer a warranty on it.

The only time they can do it is when they're adding an extra stick of ram or SOMETIMES when they add in a wireless card. Since I left though I don't think they wanna do the mini-pci installation any more.

Basically it's such a liability and a pain in the ass for them, being that they aren't an authorized service center yet (I don't think), that they don't want to do it.

You also forgot to think about the fact that they have about six employees when they're most busy, and two or three of them are going to work in the computer department. Most of the time those folks are going to be resetting loaner computers or trying to sort out some software problem on somebody's computer, sometimes doing a hardware repair. They have no time to spare to go upfitting hundreds of computers to customer specs, and it's cheaper for them to do it through the manufacturer. The Bookstore's job is to get things sold for as little cost as possible, at the best price they can consider reasonable for the customer. This ensures that they have as much money as possible to go to the university's scholarship fund, as the Bookstore is not for profit.

3/14/2008 9:23:34 PM

Quote :

"The whole deal of ordering through the bookstore is that you get the computer for a discount with a 3 year warranty."

i meant that my roommate ordered his from lenovo with the same warranty for the same price, but i think thats because of a sale that was going.

i've always been very happy with the service at the bookstore, im really just trying to figure out how much longer. i knew it would take a few weeks, i'm just hoping someone there will follow up with me and give me a time frame update if they have one

3/14/2008 9:51:30 PM

Yeah they don't update you unless there's a known problem with your order or if it has arrived. Sometimes it takes a day or two after it arrives to inform you. Some days they get rather busy doing restocking, lots of ordering, or cleaning, or whatever, so they don't get to the customer notification part of computer orders, haha. Randy will take care of you.

3/14/2008 10:18:34 PM

^^I hope you get a killer deal through the bookstore, cause I bought 2 T61 (2.4ghz, 2 gb RAM) from Lenovo for $750 each after taxes and shipping, and it took 5 days to get them here.

3/14/2008 10:38:58 PM

with the sale the tablet was the same price before shipping

3/14/2008 10:57:03 PM

which is cheaper, student discount from lenovo or employee purchase discount?

3/14/2008 10:59:14 PM

^^I've never seen the tablet goes for $750. If you can get that at the bookstore, then you're getting an awesome deal.

3/14/2008 11:05:04 PM

i know this is a retard question, but what is a SPA?

[Edited on March 14, 2008 at 11:59 PM. Reason : ]

3/14/2008 11:57:48 PM

State employee. They're salaried employees with benefits that get shit pay per year. The students are all "temp workers" that also get paid $crap/hr. The salaried employees have "permanent" positions, they're the ones who are responsible for knowing how the sales floor part of the bookstore works (all the ordering, products, back stock, issues, policies, etc).

3/15/2008 2:27:11 AM

4 weeks today

3/17/2008 4:15:24 PM