[Price Error] Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E330 13.3" i3-3120M $346, i5-3230M $434, also E531 FHD from $336

Jabba the Hutt on 14/09/2013 - 06:43
Last edited 17/09/2013 - 14:59 by 2 other users

Moved to Forum: Original Link

UPDATE - OFFICIAL RESPONSE

According to Lenovo, the following email will be sent out for affected orders over the next 24 hours.

Dear xxx

Unfortunately, we’ve been unable to accept your recent order due to a pricing error on the Lenovo Australia online store.

Based on current information this affected the following laptop configurations between Friday, September 13 and Monday September 16:

  • ThinkPad Edge E330, E531, T530, T430s & X131e display options
  • ThinkPad Helix digitiser pen, front camera and camera display.

I apologise sincerely for the inconvenience caused and can confirm that this error has now been fixed. If you would like to place another order at the correct price, you may do this on our online store or telephone sales support centre.

If you wish to contact me directly to discuss this further, please feel free to email me on

[email protected]

Yours sincerely
Chris Jowsey
Online Manager, Lenovo Australia

ORIGINAL POST
For some reason, Lenovo is offering a hefty $165 discount if you select the "Arctic Blue" display colour when configuring the E330. There are three base configurations on offer - this applies the the i3-3120M and i5-3230M models (the i3-3110M cannot be reconfigured).

After changing the screen to Arctic Blue, the standard coupons also apply. For the i3-3120M, you can use SEPWELC2013 coupon. For the i5-3230M, the E330DEAL coupon provides a slightly bigger discount on the base config, while SEPWELC2013 may be better if you add upgrades.

http://i.imgur.com/zpaQPQZ.png
http://i.imgur.com/Cm11OSh.png

UPDATE: As noted by Souljarh and brick007123, a similar discount also applies to the E531 range by selecting the "FHD Antiglare" screen.

UPDATE 2: See list of discount of different products with code SEPWELC2013 —

  1. E330 - $165
  2. E431 - none
  3. E531 - $176
  4. L430 - none
  5. L530 - none
  6. T430 - none
  7. T530 - $187
  8. T430S - $187
  9. X131e - $132
  10. X230 - none
  11. X1 Carbon - none
  12. X230T - none
  13. W530 - none
  14. Helix - $330
  15. Twist - none
  16. B590 - none

Update 3: Discount on both E330 Arctic Blue and E531 Full HD has been confirmed to be a price error. See this comment as confirmed by Lenovo.Other members have been receiving emails from Lenovo claiming it's the customer who requested the cancellation. Also this email from Lenovo detailing the list of products that were affected by the price error over the weekend.

Computing 13.3inch 15.6inch Computer Laptop Lenovo ThinkPad

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Comments

        • Flyeroz on 20/09/2013 - 15:00
          -1

          Sorry guys , but the price negotiated would not apply to other ppl.
          Although sales rep didn't say anything about price secrecy, in the light of some comments here I prefer not to disclose the exact deal. Let's just say the price difference was under $100 compared to pricing error. ;-)
          I suggest anyone still interested in purchasing send the email to Lenovo or ring their sales dept & ask what they can do for you.

        • Craze on 23/09/2013 - 21:56

          You must be a lucky one flyeroz! I replied to the e-mail they sent me, politely asking what else can be done but unfortunately the price quoted wasn't attractive enough so I'd proceeded to request for a refund.

  • ol mate on 19/09/2013 - 15:22

    Still waiting for cancellation email…. If they had contacted me on Monday or Tuesday saying pricing error and cancelled, okay. But it's Thursday and I still haven't received any notification of order cancellation. All my order status says is "order confirmed"…

    • Juice08 on 19/09/2013 - 15:46
      +2

      maybe you get it?

      mine says 'Estimated Delivery Date: Never sucker'

  • Main Man on 19/09/2013 - 16:14

    Received this just now????….. So they did take my money, cheeky buggers.

    Dear xxxxxxxxxx,

    Our sincere apologies.

    It was cancelled by us due to web price error, not your request, that email was sent by system automatically after cancellation, sorry for the bad wording, we will refund money back to you within 5-10 days. Thank you.

    ANZ Customer Fulfillment
    Global Supply Chain. Asia Pacific. Lenovo.
    1 300 557 073, Option 2 (Australia)
    0 800 446 833, Option 5 (New Zealand)

    Should you have any other questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us again, or should you prefer to speak to a ThinkPC Sales Specialist, please dial 1300-557-073, Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm(AU). A representative would be pleased to assist you.

    • grammarstickler on 19/09/2013 - 16:53
      -1

      sorry for the bad wording

      Can this thread now be closed.

    • [Deactivated] on 19/09/2013 - 21:56
      +3

      Seriously, it should be included somewhere in consumer rights' law, regarding online sales, that a business must not accept payment from the consumer until the transaction, a successful sale, has been processed.

      Is there a reason why businesses can't implement an interim layer, such as confirmation of order placed, to withhold from taking money from people's accounts until transaction is final, such as order processed?

      It is an unfair disadvantage to the consumer where (temporarily) lost money cannot be used, for the consumer's benefit, elsewhere.

  • revo on 19/09/2013 - 16:52

    LOL what markup was this guy selling at?
    http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/west-perth/laptops/new-lenovo…

  • Splashtash on 19/09/2013 - 17:12

    5-10 days wtf~~ yer they fk everyone around, they make profits and what not ~_~" ffs

    • [Deactivated] on 19/09/2013 - 19:31
      +1

      They could reverse the charged immediately but won't. Says a lot about Lenovo.

      • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2013 - 00:31
        +1

        Stand-up comedy & hip-hop dancing??

        • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2013 - 05:41
          +1

          you missed smoking. Are you stalking me?

  • motlking on 19/09/2013 - 20:03
    +5

    This isn't the first time they have advertised a lower price and cancelled orders, held money and offered the same product at a higher price.

    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/29988
    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/57282
    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/27489

    Probably others too.

    Maybe its time they take responsibility for their actions

    • Gifwonder on 19/09/2013 - 21:20

      I knew that they're using our deposits on the short term money market, to gain lotsa interest

    • typical on 19/09/2013 - 23:49
      +2

      They told me on chat that this is the first time it has ever happened…Damned LIARS…got as email..They will return my money in 1-2 weeks. I had 5 days to pay them and they say 2 weeks…definitely money market…Lenovo = 1 less customer…going out on Sunday to spend my $1000 on another laptop…not Lamo

    • micky9191 on 20/09/2013 - 12:34
      +2

      Should use this as evidence to ACCC or fair trading that they are repeated offenders

    • mycosys on 23/09/2013 - 12:18

      wow - a ONCE A YEAR price error that is NOT ADVERTISED.
      Their call centre staff probably havent even been round that long lol.

      When you are talking to the ACCC dont forget to mention that they DID advertise a 'from' price on their website and it was higher than the price you managed to configure - hence leading a pretty clear case of an item with 2 marked prices - something that is specifically covered in the ACL, either you sell at the lower price, or you WITHDRAW THE ITEM FROM SALE UNTIL THE PRICE IS FIXED!

      The fact that they did not take your money but simply ensured you were ABLE to pay further complicates the matter, as you have no claim to them having made a contract of sale with you, further enforced by their sale terms which make it clear they will not actually accept the payment until they are actually able to ship to you - which does kinda seem the honourable thing to do.
      It also means they are not making profit on the short term money market with it (womthing they could do anyway without your money with CFDs if they were that silly)

      It is sad you were inconvenienced because you attempted to take advantage of a website bug and it failed, but it sure as hell is not fraud on the part of the company that had the bug, esp when they had a clearly advertised 'from' price and you knew you were probably taking advantage of an error when you bought.

  • altomic on 19/09/2013 - 20:17
    +2

    Lenovo = no Love

    • Neoika on 19/09/2013 - 20:50
      +6

      Dupe:)

      • nismo on 19/09/2013 - 22:46
        +2

        Actually, I think it's a tripe
        (triplicate)

        • altomic on 20/09/2013 - 00:17
          +4

          nothing is original.
          jim jarmusch said that.

        • easternculture on 20/09/2013 - 00:23
          +6

          nothing is original

          jv's comments are

        • altomic on 20/09/2013 - 00:36
          -1

          .

  • issh on 20/09/2013 - 07:28

    Refund Received

  • beeze on 20/09/2013 - 09:04

    My Paypal payment is still pending…

    • vee on 20/09/2013 - 10:35

      Me too… still pending…

      • drbanner on 20/09/2013 - 10:58

        They wont accept it. Paypal claim that it ends automatically in a month but the idiots at Lenovo can't go on their Paypal account and cancel it. I asked them about it and they said don't worry about it. Clowns.

  • PissLUR on 20/09/2013 - 11:06
    +6

    I got my paypal payments sorted after emailing these emails..

    give it a go everyone.

    [email protected]
    [email protected]
    [email protected]

    • drbanner on 20/09/2013 - 11:32

      Thanks for that. They said 3-5 days for it to happen but I'll be happy that it wont loom for a month.

    • cashless on 20/09/2013 - 11:40

      Yup - time to hammer these jokers

  • iJebus on 20/09/2013 - 12:45
    +1

    Wow, lol, cancelled and I didn't even receive a cancellation email. Had to manually check the order status to find that one out.

    • Juice08 on 20/09/2013 - 14:10
      +1

      when did you order? i still haven't received a cancellation email and my paypal is pending.

      • iJebus on 20/09/2013 - 14:16

        About 6pm Saturday 14th. At least that's when the confirmation emails came through. I didn't pay via Paypal because the website was dying.

    • Fishy on 20/09/2013 - 19:55
      +1

      My status went from released to manufacturer to order received on Monday. I still have not received a cancellation email. I thought about buying a better laptop so I called hoping they would cancel my e330 order soon and release the fund in my credit card. The lady I talked to told me it was already cancelled earlier.

      Still no email now and status not cancelled yet.

      I really dont mind if they cancel as I'm usually prepared when buying price error products. However, Lenovo handled this poorly. I was thinking about getting x1 carbon from them but ended up buying Dell latitude 6430u today…happier than ever not having to deal with Lenovo anymore. (In case you think Dell isnt better, they have been fine to me. Been using their laptops for 7 years)

  • epic on 20/09/2013 - 21:28

    I too didn't get it, but it's all for the best… "Spy agencies ban Lenovo PCs on security concerns".

  • subywagon on 20/09/2013 - 21:47

    What a bunch of retards… so now I have to WORK to get my money back…

    I received an email where I have to fill out a form because they are too lazy or incapable to work out how to pay me back…
    I wonder if I need to let them know how much they need to refund me too??? I hope so…

  • subywagon on 20/09/2013 - 21:48
    +1

    Thank you for choosing Lenovo, the maker of the products for those who DO… who do what? Do like being baited, ripped off and having their time wasted?

    • mycosys on 26/09/2013 - 17:39

      To be fair, you weren't baited since they didn't try to sell you something else, nor ripped off as you aren't losing anything, and you had to have known this could end up being a huge waste of time when you bought knowing it was probably an error according to most people and as such they have no responsibility to honour it.
      It is also impossible for them to send the money back without the information they asked for, not least because of Australian privacy laws. Would you really want just anyone you sent money to to be able to get hold of your financial details? I suppose they have the option of just sending a cheque with your name on it but that would be a pain in the butt - forcing you to take it into the bank and wait for it to clear. Would you prefer they had just gone that way instead of asking what you wanted?

  • ethereal88 on 21/09/2013 - 08:01
    +1

    Hilarious, I bought my E330 for $420, added in an mSATA drive for $130, it FLIES. Of course, they charged me twice (oops) but I'd still buy again when there are deep discounts on. Oh, the build quality is pretty so so and the screen is rather dim, but it was to replace a creaky old Core 2 that cost $3K back in 2009, so can't really complain.

  • fchis on 21/09/2013 - 12:06

    My toshiba core 2 only cost $800 in 2008.

  • Craze on 21/09/2013 - 17:01

    I received an e-mail to notify cancellation of my order and another one for refund of payment (I did direct debit cause paypal wasn't working). Let's see how long it takes to refund the money back!

  • [Deactivated] on 21/09/2013 - 18:04

    Visa's rules are 72 hours to refund but its been over a week and still no money back from this scam

    https://db.tt/wzBHXagS

    • KOBH on 22/09/2013 - 21:12
      +1

      You have to send an email to [email protected] and request for refund ASAP. I did that few days ago and got Paypal refund notice 30 minutes after I sent them an email.

      • paulaus on 23/09/2013 - 03:24

        Thanks for that i just requested my money nicely.

        Order 4246172619
        You cancelled my dam order how about doing the *ucking right thing you bunch of tossers you have had my debit card money for over a week and this is my savings money not credit money so I cant pay my bills because of your dudd company. Shame on you I will tell every one about this and make sure you lose even more customers.

        • paulaus on 23/09/2013 - 12:11

          I got a reply saying i would receive my money back into my account within 1-2 days so thats only 9-10 days without my $400 ,so you have to swear at this company to get a refund.

  • subywagon on 22/09/2013 - 23:42

    Did any of you guys pay by direct deposit? I did and was sent this email…

    Dear <Subywagon >,

    Thank you for choosing Lenovo, the maker of the products for those who DO.

    We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience which is caused due to price error. Since your order has been cancelled and your payment has been confirmed as received by our cash team, we are happy to arrange a refund to you.

    To help us refund the amount that you have paid to us, please advise if you prefer to receive the refund by fund transfer or cheque, and then provide us with the required information below:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Fund transfer back to your account:

    BENEFICIARY ADDRESS:

    BENEFICIARY NAME:

    BENEFICIARY BANK NAME:

    BANK ADDRESS/LOCATION:

    BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER:

    SWIFT CODE OR CHIPS UID NUMBER

    OR ABA ROUTING CODE:

    Refund by cheque:

    BENEFICIARY NAME:

    BENEFICIARY ADDRESS:

    BENEFICIARY BANK NAME:

    BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER:

    We endeavour to process your refund soon after we have received your reply. Refund will take approximately 1-2 weeks.

    Should you have any queries, please feel free to contact us on 1800 798 320 for Australia, or 0800 451 671 for New Zealand, between 10:30 to 3pm or 4:30 to 8:30pm AEST, Monday to Friday.

    FFS, they make it hard enough to get my money back… 1-2 weeks?!!!

    • HN Professional on 23/09/2013 - 02:19
      +1

      Just be thankful you're not dealing with Gerry Harvey. Promised refund in "2-3 business days", kept my money for 42 days until several (polite) reminders from me. And accused of stealing from him to boot.

    • OBone on 23/09/2013 - 14:08

      Yes, I also paid by drirect deposit and got this same message.
      I didn't respond for 2 days to see if anything else came of this 'deal' and then they sent me a second message exactly the same.
      This time I responded and gave them my details and asked them to please explain why it takes up to 2 weeks.
      They replied (nicely) today saying they refunded already but it could still take 3-5 days to appear in my account.

  • dumadiscount on 23/09/2013 - 08:02

    Anyone get their headphones? I just got an adjustment note showing my laptop cancelled but headphones charged for 82c.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/09/2013 - 09:08
    +2

    Bank just advised me to cancel my visa card and get a new number - F Lenovo

    • subywagon on 23/09/2013 - 09:18
      +1

      F%$$ing wow….

  • RocketSwitch on 23/09/2013 - 09:53

    Guys, I got my money back on Saturday.

    But I agree, needs to be some law about taking money instantly to avoid this from happening.

    • PresidentClinton on 23/09/2013 - 10:13
      +4

      It exists. Lenovo did not have your money (if you paid by credit card). Your credit card company quarantined that money for them to complete the transaction. They never completed it and after 5 working days, the money is released back into your account.

      • ozhunter on 23/09/2013 - 10:17

        Ah, I paid by credit card and got a confirmation for my order. I was waiting for the refund but when I checked my transaction history there was no record of money ever being deducted by Lenovo.

        • RocketSwitch on 24/09/2013 - 09:38

          By credit card they don't take the money but put a hold on the funds which is controlled by the bank for up to 5 to 10 days. However, Lenovo initiate that hold first, but after that if the order is cancelled, it's up to the bank to release it.

          My issue is with the initial hold.

    • counterbargainglobal on 23/09/2013 - 10:45
      -4

      Why should there be 'some law' about it?

      It's your responsibility how you spend your money.

      Having such an extreme price drop that has not been advertised officially other than the Lenovo website should have raised some red flag…

  • typical on 23/09/2013 - 15:09
    +1

    Btw…This Australian number goes direct to China..,..1 300 557 073, Option 2 (Australia)…It was only after I spoke to China that I got a call back on Friday from a manager. I wasn't home and I'm not wasting my time with Lamo anymore…Lamo couldn't care about keeping the customer happy …SO I bought 2 x ASUS K55VD-SX073H Notebook $549….Much better computer, so $1098 Lamo don't get…Pity Lamo don't have a brain…suckers….lol

  • mycosys on 23/09/2013 - 17:17
    -6

    Come on guys - you KNEW you were taking a punt when you made these orders. You KNEW it was likely a pricing error. You KNEW it was less than the minimum price ADVERTISED on the site for the model (before adding you ADVERTISED discount code).
    You found an UN-ADVERTISED price glitch deep in the checkout system for the model. Any 1st year law student is going to INSTANTLY make the point that the ACL has SPECIFIC provisions for what to do when this happens, which is either sell at the lowest price or WITHDRAW THE ITEM FROM SALE UNTIL THE PRICE IS CORRECTED. Make sure that if you call the ACCC you mention these facts - otherwise you could possibly be done for deliberately providing misleading information (if you want to be legalistic about it).
    That they chose to do the latter in this case where they would have faced a 6 figure loss from people who KNEW it was likely an error hardly seems villainous, just sane.
    It seems that they have not taken anyones money, provided every one of you with a discount code at checkout, and apologised repeatedly on multiple fora for the error. They seem to be bending over backwards for anyone that contacts the civilly in terms of expediting funds release and even providing the best discount they have the power to in their call centres.
    Honestly, if you had something out for sale and a '0' fell off the price, would you honesty sell it for that? would you part with a 20k car for 2k, or your caravan for 5999 rather than 9995 cos your kids put it up wrong? What would you think about somebody who stood outside your house shouting about it (they had already been to the bank for the cash and all ya f-wit) and then badmouthed you to everyone you could find?
    Given that you all KNEW you were likely trying to take advantage of a mistake by an employee (ie you aren't blameless angels here) the rage, conspiracy theories, slander, attempts to damage them publically seem rather out of proportion, and to be frank, entitled silver spoon born behavior. Why should you be rewarded for, put frankly, knowingly trying to take advantage of them?
    How about some sanity here? You took a chance, the chance didn't come out for you, but at least you haven't lost anything (unlike the poor bastard who made the typo who has probably lost his job or is seriously in need of some valium about now, and the CS manager who said he thought it wasn't a mistake (rather than he would check on monday) who likely has at LEAST been demoted, and their families).

    • Juice08 on 23/09/2013 - 17:31
      +2

      never got a cancellation email or a checkout code. please explain …

      not mad about the money, not getting the lappy, or what not. definitely not enraged.

      but this is a pretty bad experience in terms of customer relations.

      • RocketSwitch on 24/09/2013 - 09:41
        +1

        Exactly.

        Don't put the initial hold on the money.

        Don't have your Twitter account confirm it's a deal.

        Don't have support confirm it's a deal.

        When seeing a thousand orders in place, don't let the 'error' go on for 3 days.

        • counterbargainglobal on 25/09/2013 - 14:10

          Link me to official tweet that states exactly 'yes we are providing a hefty discount of $169 if you pick the premium screen that costs even more than the normal one.'…

          No photoshopped pics please.

        • [Deactivated] on 25/09/2013 - 15:26

          Not a twit but when queried Lenovo said special discount on the display - https://db.tt/wzBHXagS
          Not everybody thinks FHD is worth more.

        • RocketSwitch on 26/09/2013 - 14:35

          They deleted the tweet, but I'm glad mullsie found the link for support.

        • counterbargainglobal on 26/09/2013 - 19:14

          Picture never specified how much was the discount so it could still have been a clerical error by the idiot that put in the price.

          Anyways, I don't think Lenovo is going to exist around for much longer, at least give back everyone's monies ASAP.

          Sounds like they only have a finance person in occasionally to hand out refunds.

    • salem on 23/09/2013 - 17:38
      +3

      I assumed they were overstocked of the fhd screened e531. I assumed the sale was genuine. Their reps confirmed it.

      I paid with direct deposit, so they really did have my money.

      I got a cancellation where their head of operations said to contact him directly on an email address that was generic. He never responded to my enquiries. My requests to the anonymous people behind the email to forward my email to him were auto-replied with emails about getting a refund. They offered to sell me a similar item for a higher price than previously available. This is the definition of what a bait and switch campaign is.

      I still haven't got my refund. I never got a checkout code.

      So yeah, I'm a little raw.

      • mycosys on 23/09/2013 - 18:18
        -2

        If you really did unreservedly believe it was a genuine sale of a half price laptop for choosing a HD screen then you are in the minority for sure, as are you in paying by DD. You haven't received a return email YET, I genuinely hope you do, and I am sure if you email one of their boss types above you will get your discount, though I myself hope that you just clicked right past it in your excitement.
        I think you will find offering to sell you the SAME item at a higher price is the definition of a pricing error having been withdrawn from sale and fixed - Bait and Switch means offering you a DIFFERENT item, hence the switch.
        I note that you say that you got a cancellation email with the contact in it - that means does it not that you received an apology for the inconvenience? Have you received an email asking how you wish to have the money returned? It will of course take a couple of days after they know where to return it to (they cant return it without it hey) for the banks to do their work.
        I didnt say it was perfect, just that it is a pretty easy mistake, and that they seem to have responded in a reasonably prompt manner for such an enormous bureaucracy, and in a manner that overall seems just sane. Sure some of their staff made mistakes, But I would hope they were forgivable ones that we can see in ourslves.
        It certainly doesnt seem something illegal or immoral, a scam or something worth lowering yourself to slandering them all over the net - or for that matter ruling out ever having a machine from the no1 PC maker in the world.
        Disappointed, sure - nobody can blame you for that, esp if you truly acted honestly, but hopefully given time they can sort you out.

        • WhiteEvo6 on 24/09/2013 - 21:21
          +3

          The fact of the matter is those of us that ordered earlier confirmed with online sales chat reps that the deal was correct and not a mistake. It was asked by more than one person and it was also brought to the persons attention at Lenovo that the upgrade took money off and they still agreed it was the deal. How much more proof do you require when the sales person themselves tells you its genuine? I am sure I'm not the only one here that hasn't had these mistakes happen and you give it a go and see what happens, but I held off until I saw the chat confirming it was real and then ordered assuming like most would have it was an overstock of screen and a genuine deal to unload stock, wouldn't be the first time a company has done this and won't be the last. In this case Lenovo staff screwed up twice. Don't get me wrong I have moved on and I am certainly not wasting my time with the toothless tiger ACCC.

      • [Deactivated] on 23/09/2013 - 20:28

        IT people would see FHD as more valuable but in reality, it was totally credible for Lenovo sales to say they overstocked on the FHD. I've had a 13" FHD laptop for about three years. Every single person who saw it hasn't liked the screen (is too small/res is too high).

  • xfiledavid on 23/09/2013 - 18:04

    Price error was less than $200 dollars.

    I bet they wouldn't of made a loss in the long run as well.

    they got marketing and brand awareness out of it, but its a pity they handled it poorly and now its negative.

    • mycosys on 23/09/2013 - 19:59
      -2

      On the 531 that most people seem to have gone for, given they claim it was a + rather than a - that would make the price error over $300, but if you take the price as having meant to have been what it is NOW it would be over $250.
      And then a $98 off headpone promotion on top
      And then another 10% off the price
      That seems to be close to half price if I am doing my math right?
      Sure the total off the 330 was less, only about a third, but still loss making (likely still close to $100) and in the minority.

      You seriously think that putting a quarter million dollars into honouring the orders of people who knew they were likely taing on a pricing error would be better publicity (AND MONEY BETTER SPENT ALL AROUND) than qiving a quarter mil to the children's hospital or some other sponsorship? or even plain old advertising?

      • ozdesi on 23/09/2013 - 22:06
        +2

        ozbargain members wanted to buy laptops here and not donate to any charity.
        lenovo should have handled this error in a professional manner, it goes a long way in keeping customers happy. Reading your comments, I am not sure why you are trying to defend them so much.
        Lenovo made a pricing error and they are responsible for it.

        • mycosys on 23/09/2013 - 22:26
          -2

          I am defending EVERY business, they WILL ALL make a mistake like this, tho most wont be exposed to quarter of a million dollars loss. It is just NOT in our best interest to penalise businesses for a simple human error.

          At no point has anybody denied they are responsible for the error - they have apologised and taken the legally mandated action (fix the price). You are still free to buy a laptop. Nothing has changed, you have lost nothing, though they would have incurred significant administrative costs that is their own problem for the mistake - I am sure they are not suing the employee responsible.

          As to a professional manner - professional responses take TIME. as time has gone on it seems they are responding in such a manner. Their people, I am sure, have perused this site, and this thread, and they know that there is nothing short of losing a quarter mil that will satisfy the people here, that you still wouldn't be greatful (see kogan, he only made the mistake once) and that they could do much more for their brand with that money. There is also the fact that it would be a HEAP of their WORST computers hitting the streets at once, diluting their brand image for quality. And not many people here are in their target market even if they did make you all happy. There is seriously NO reason for them to effectively pay you to take their computer.

          The fact you would prefer $100 off a laptop than save 1000 childrens lives just makes the point painfully clear

        • salem on 23/09/2013 - 22:35
          +7

          If I thought donating 10c to a charity would save one kid's life, I'd do 10. Nice straw man though. I guess you never buy anything ever because it's poor value compared to donating to charities and saving lives.

        • mycosys on 24/09/2013 - 04:27
          -1

          You seem to be the odd one out here man - but you have totally missed my point.
          Why should they treat you guys (particularly the one I was responding to at that) like a charity, effectively donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to random OzBargain users when they can see from our past history it wont even get them one bit of gratitude or brand loyalty around this place. Even moreso when they think that most of the people buying knew or at least strongly suspected they were trying to take advantage of an accidental error.
          From their point of view, wouldn't they garner more goodwill in their target market by donating the money, or putting the machines in university engineering/architecture depts to cultivate future graduate clients?
          What is in it for them going far above and beyond their obligation, far beyond what any other company would do, for something they know really won't pay off for them. We are also people who apparently found their cheapest models were too pricey so even if they did buy our gratitude they cant really be seeing us as their target market either.

          The fact that some of the people here would ACTIVELY PREFER to receive a discount on a laptop than save children's lives just illustrates the level of entitlement of SOME people, and just how much hope anything lenovo does has of actually helping them any more than just doing nothing.
          Do you honestly think honouring a clear pricing error to OzBargainers is the best thing they could do with them money?

          YOU on the other hand seem like a special case, you sound earnest and honest, and if what you say about confirming the price before buying is true, and you aren't on a 6 figure salary lol, then I would love to go to bat for you personally, see what i can do to get some friends to do so too. I am poor (disabled these days but i used to be a technician and am trying to study) but i do know some people - we could start a campaign for you, perhaps for others who really need it who acted in good faith and had direct confirmation from them, but definitely for you - you seem heartbroken and like it was something you really needed. One of the minor things I do these days (I used to volunteer a lot) is make the odd machine for people in need - I know how important they are, last one went to the mum of a severely autistic kid so he could have his own.
          Would you mind PMing me and maybe we can see if some help can be found?

        • salem on 24/09/2013 - 07:41
          +1

          Nah I'm good. Thanks for the offer though. The laptop was for my girlfriend for TAFE study, but we'll just put Lubuntu on her old netbook and see how that goes.

          I feel there is a bit of a difference between expecting the biggest PC company in the world to sell me a laptop at a price they told me was genuine and then happily sending me confirmation emails with direct debit payment instructions and then happily talking and confirming said payments. And asking some random guy on the internet to take time out from building PCs for autistic kids to build me one.

        • RocketSwitch on 24/09/2013 - 09:45
          +2

          Don't put a hold on my funds then unless you have confirmed the order.

          Money held for up to 10 days (that's a long time if you need that money), not every business does that and they shouldn't UNTIL the order is confirmed!!

          I can forgive pricing error, no issues at all there.

        • [Deactivated] on 24/09/2013 - 10:57
          -1

          You didn't need the money though… When you take into account postage delays, you were going to be without your money and without this laptop for a 10 day period regardless of whether they honored the deal or not.

        • zxcvb on 24/09/2013 - 15:09
          +3

          Wife's card declined only to find out, Lenovo have not refunded the funds.

          They are running a business and they cant offer the item at this price, fair enough. They wont offer compensation other a simple apology but did fix the price, fair enough.

          However its unforgivable that it took so long for them to respond. More importantly completely unprofessional for a company as big as Lenovo to not fix the order status page 10 days after the error and worse yet NOT to refund until the customer has to call back to get the refund. That is completely unfair.

          I accept Mistakes can happen. I also dont expect them to honor the price. However it is silly how mycosys and Modokun defend Lenovo for failing to refund the funds or correcting the order status page after 10 days! That is plain unprofessional for a company as big as Lenovo. I cant believe they dont have a web developer to fix the order status (still shows exception in the background) after 10 days. If you defend that you are defending mediocrity and not holding them to professional standards.

        • mycosys on 24/09/2013 - 16:39
          -3

          I wouldnt worry too much - i have a lot of time out being rather crippled, I cant work most of the time - dont mind using it to try and get people to put pressure on them to give you a deal if you need.
          Next one is actually going to a 7yo whose fam lost everything in as fire. But it doesnt stop me having time to type or make calls?

        • mycosys on 24/09/2013 - 17:00
          -2

          It it is a credit card then they never HAD the funds and by now your band should have released them - asa you say 10 days is a really long time to keep a credit pre-auth held. I would have a go at your bank on that account personally, as it isnt something Lenovo controls (they would expect it to be done by now). MANY people (esp in Lenovo's target market) can buy a car on their credit card (wish I could) so I guess they have no way of knowing that $500 is inconveniencing you unless you tell them.

          Yes it isn't ideal but it IS pretty common corporate practice (in my experience its in the majority) to just allow pre-authorisations that arent used just to lapse rather than to actively do anything about them.

          It is also EXACTLY what they said they would do in the circumstances in their T&Cs and fully complaint with the law - so the fact you can call them and they will break their trading terms to prevent you distress doesn't seem that bad. It always seems to be what hotels do too, PITA to be down hundreds each in a deposit or 2 at the end of an all out holiday but thats life.

          For the people whose funds they actually DO have (via direct deposit) it seems they have sent emails asking where to send the funds. Personally I might have waited to see if it all was going to be good, but I know for you, salem, you had no doubt - just a bit more evidence. Once they have that they have to send it to some accountant who has no clue but the authority to do the deposit, tho that shouldnt take long, and then the banks do their usual trick of using it as trading capital for a couple of days on the way.

          Seriously salem I would LIKE to try to help you - I could at least give them a call?

        • mycosys on 24/09/2013 - 17:09
          -1

          I totally hear you - but I also feel that if I were the sales manager (I was once for a much smaller company) I would be pretty lairy about custom assembling a laptop for somebody, to their specs, If i didnt know that they even had the capability to pay for the unit and hadnt even put down a deposit. Off the rack units sure, but not customs.
          They also probably arent expecting you to be buying a PC with your last dime that you need to survive.
          As I also said just before - 10 days DOES seem like a bloody long time for YOUR BANK to be holding a pre-auth, I would be inclined to asking THEM why they are taking so long to release it, that doesnt seem quite right either.

        • [Deactivated] on 24/09/2013 - 17:27

          I didn't defend them. I pointed out that Justmiikes logic was flawed, and the "I NEED THE MONEY" argument is ridiculous.

          The only outcome having made the order, in both scenarios of the deal being honored and our current situation, ends up with you both not having a laptop and not having your money at this very point in time.

          If you can explain how that is not the case by more clever means than am anonymous neg, I implore you to do so.

        • salem on 24/09/2013 - 17:40
          +2

          Add an extra 10 days without money or laptop from when he gets his refund to when he gets a laptop from the next place he orders from. Another 10 days he wouldn't have to wait if the refund was quicker or Lenovo honoured their confirmed web pricing.

        • zxcvb on 24/09/2013 - 20:30
          +6

          Sorry Modokun, I cant seem to edit my comment. All I'm saying to people coming in defence of Lenovo is that Lenovo still have not fixed their Order Status page. It still shows exception and that the order is being verified when in reality the Order has been cancelled.

          More importantly, I paid for my orders via Paypal and not via Credit Card. So effectively the funds were blocked in my credit card causing the card to fail. I ordered a 330 and 531. I also cancelled another wrong order of 531 the very next day. All three orders were cancelled by Paypal only today after I called Lenovo. That is a lot of money (over 1000$) to be sitting on for 10 days.

          I cannot fathom that a company as big as Lenovo don't have technical resources to fix the order status page after TEN days. That is poor form and completely unprofessional. 10 Days is a lot of a time for any business to fix the error and cancel all "Pending" Paypal payments.

          The fact that they can cancel the Paypal Payments almost immediately (within 30 minutes) when I call them, clearly proves they have the ability to do (even if by Manual process). Surely they must have resources who can query and do this automatically. The same resources must have capacity to fix the website order query status error. They have done neither. That is mediocre and unprofessional, especially for a global company like Lenovo.

        • [Deactivated] on 25/09/2013 - 13:26
          -2

          fair call on many fronts. I just didnt agree with the "I need my money" post.

        • mycosys on 25/09/2013 - 14:20
          -5

          seriously - what the hell is there to neg in being disabled, offering to help someone get their PC or giving a computer to a family who has lost everything?
          Guess it just goes to show some of the mentality in here. NOTHING is good enough.

        • counterbargainglobal on 25/09/2013 - 14:22
          +1

          It's okay, the impeding economic recession/depression brought on by the Abbot government is nigh.

          That will surely fix anyone who thinks they are entitled to anything.

          I bet Lenovo has donated, on income ratio, more monies to charities than most people in here so really the kettle shouldn't be calling the toaster fat. Or judging it in any way unless they are mother Teresa.

        • pmupsinep on 25/09/2013 - 19:08
          +1

          You're accusing everyone on here of attacking disabled people and being anti-disabled because you got negged? Wow! Maybe if you stopped raising your health issues in every post you would realise you're getting negged because of what you write, not because you're disabled.

          I guess you'll think if you get negged for accusing everyone of hating disabled people then that confirms everyone hates people with disabilities? Seriously.

        • mycosys on 25/09/2013 - 19:38
          -4

          Nope - you just apparently cant read and are, according to your posts, king of entitlement.

          Maybe if you READ the comment and had the capability to understand it you would have seen more than one word. you would have seen a list of ALL the things in the previous comment. Nowhere did I suggest any one of them was THE target, hence the word "or". You don't really need a lecture on what or means do you - surely your mum taught you that? The POINT (since you need to be spoon fed) is that none of them are things that any reasonable person would see as negative. The whole post is about personal charity and it still gets negged. NOTHING is good enough.

          As usual you are just having a spack attack because I dared to mention the fact I was disabled WHEN IT BECAME RELEVANT. Clearly in your mentally disturbed world we should all pretend that we don't exist or are perfectly fine even when our disability directly affects something. I mean for gods sake all I did this time was mention I had time on my hands cos I'm disabled - major sin there! Definitely looking to gain something in a thread on the forum about something now past, while talking about trying to help someone!

          Is the problem that you feel somehow obliged to hide your disability because you have been told time and again by your abusive family that you must hide it from the world or risk being a freak? It isnt the 1800s anymore - you can come out of the freak show. People are open about disability now - they make shows like the last leg and beauty and the beast and paralympians are heroes not figures of pity.
          Or is your disability the fact you need the penis pump you named yourself after?

          You dont have to try to pretend you are perfect - we already know you arent :)

        • RocketSwitch on 26/09/2013 - 15:33

          How is it flawed? Both you and mycosys have based your arguments and opinions over assumptions.

          You make no sense but to fit your own scenarios, how the f#$% would you know how much money I have or what I need my money for?

          How would you know my credit card limit is not $1,000 and I have a mortgage to pay a house I had to reduce my credit card from $5K to $1K to get more of a loan? Not saying I do, BUT HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW?

          Such stupid responses from you two have no idea, before you start assuming you know it all and directing flawed logic to users, if you don't know OUR circumstances, then don't speak.

          Speak for yourself and YOUR situation, don't ever assume you know what's good for everyone because that's beyond flawed and ridiculous.

          @sk280 - Exactly, I paid via PayPal which blocked funds in my credit card.

          Such a big company is no excuse, our company I work for has 3 IT guys, me being one of them, and we have 1 on call on the weekends if anything goes wrong.

          There's no excuse and it's unprofessional. However, we understand the pricing error, not how it was handled. But this seems to be hard concept to grasp!

        • RocketSwitch on 26/09/2013 - 15:36
          -1

          Because you don't understand our situation, all you did was assume OUR situation and we didn't need the money.

        • [Deactivated] on 26/09/2013 - 17:47
          +3

          The only outcome having made the order… ends up with you not having a laptop and not having your money at this very point in time

          Bingo. You've described one scenario. There are two that could have been arisen.

          Let A = Having money in pocket
          Let B = Lenovo advertisement (or price error or whatever)
          Let C = Purchase (cancelled)
          Let D = Without money in pocket (and without, possibly needed, item)
          Let E = Deprived of opportunity/possibility to use that money for another use

          A is the best scenario. However, B → C → D → E. Without B, A is the outcome.

          You've described scenario B → E. Why would you [anyone] want to be subject to E for an extended period?

          I might have missed it, but what is Justmikes' "flawed" "logic"?

        • yannyrjl on 26/09/2013 - 19:00
          +3

          mycosys, you seem pretty passionate about this whole topic given the numerous posts.

          I think most understand errors are made, but then it's about how well they handle the situation afterwards.

          Lenovo had poor communication which p*ssed people off more, and I understand some are also getting refunds less than what they originally paid which is not acceptable

          A responsible entity would send an proper apology explaining the situation clearly, and doing everything in their power to rectify and minimise the loss / inconvenience of their (potential) customers.

    • counterbargainglobal on 25/09/2013 - 14:27
      -1

      Unless you've studied finance don't be so sure…

      The price margin on companies are increasingly being squeezed.

      Apparently even though Sony has had '1 million PS4 preorders' they will be losing $60 for every unit sold.

      • djones145 on 25/09/2013 - 15:33

        and making 60 bucks for every game sold..

        • counterbargainglobal on 26/09/2013 - 19:05

          And what about the millions it takes to produce a video game?

          The average price of a video game hasn't increased over the years it's actually DECREASED due to over saturation of developers and platforms.

          However, inflation has made producing big block bluster video games on PS4/Xbox rise.

      • mycosys on 25/09/2013 - 19:52
        -1

        people really dont like facts hey

        cant find specifics for the the division, but overall Lenovo are netting 2% of turnover according to recent financial postings abd that the smartphone and tablet section is most profitable
        http://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-q1-earnings-show-rising-prof…
        Though other articles i have seen have suggested the PC division is running as high as 5% on average.

        It is kind of weird (kind of refreshing too) to see a brand position itself in the premium end of the market but depend on sheer sales volume rather than margins to turn a profit. Far too many 'premium' brands simply produce the same old cheap crap as anyone else, the profit comes from just slapping on a logo, rather than focussing on a quality build at normal margins to remain up-market.

      • subywagon on 26/09/2013 - 23:05
        +1

        It's rather well known that most consoles loose money. Companies make it back through software sales… I'm surprised you didn't know this considering you suggest that you study finance?

        • counterbargainglobal on 27/09/2013 - 13:16
          -1

          I didn't suggest otherwise.

          All I pointed out was that the price of PS/xbox games haven't increased proportionally to inflation so they are still loosing revenue overall if there sales figures remain constant.

        • subywagon on 28/09/2013 - 19:37

          Okay, I'll let Rockstar know they need to raise their prices :P

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