I just ordered a week ago a new Thinkpad W700 with the W700 Mini Dock 1.0 (43R8782) and I am still waiting anxiously to receive it. Today I have received an email from Lenovo telling me my order was modified and the Mini Dock was cancelled because of EOL (End Of Line?).
I went back to the Lenovo Web site and I found the same Mini Dock still listed and available for ordering. I also found a new Mini Dock 2.0 (57Y4345) for the same price but the 170W power supply (41R4421) is not included. The power supply cost an additional 100$. Of course there is NO difference between the old model and the new one beside the fact that the power supply is not included anymore.
Now I do understand Lenovo need to make some money somewhere, but isn't against the law to do something like this? I do think here in Quebec there is something called false representation or taking advantages of the customer? If the new docking station was alot cheaper I would probably bite the bullet and just order it, but this is crazy.
Am I the only one here that think that there is a problem with this? Especially since I already placed my order in good faith and even when they tell me it's not available anymore it's still listed as available on the website? What can I do about this?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Alain Hogue
Montreal, Qc
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Current Laptop: Thinkpad A31p, Pentium 4 - 2Ghz, 100GB HD, 2GB RAM, 1600x1200, Win XP SP3
Thanks for purchasing the W700....I do not think you will be disappointed.
To answer your question, there is a difference between the two versions of the Port Rep.
From the product description, there is the following line:
Supports ThinkPad 170-watt and 230-watt AC adapters
This version of the Port Rep will also support the new 230-watt power supply for the next generation of W700. Since this Port Rep supports two different power supplies for two different generations of W700, you would use the AC adapter that came with your system.
One reason being....you would not want to dock your 170-watt W700 to a 230-watt power supplied Port Rep...it was not designed for that amount of current.
I'm not sure why the older Port Rep would still be available for purchase if you received an email stating it was End of Life. Sounds to me like the sales website needs to be updated. If you could, send me a PM with the contents of the email you received and I can make some inquiries.
11-11-200907:31 AM- last edited on11-11-200907:33 AM
I'm sorry, that answer makes no sense.
There may be good reasons why you don't want to connect a current W700 to a new-style docking station, but it having a larger power supply is not one of them. Power supplies don't force high current through devices that aren't expecting it, it's the device that attempts to draw as much current as it needs from the power supply. Note this assumes there are no differences in Voltage between the old and new supplies.
Sounds like the next-generation W700 will be even more of a beast than the current one. Interesting...
Sorry...I am not an Electrical Engineer.....and I don't play one on TV....
By using your example, you also would not want a 230-watt system attempting to draw power from a 170-watt AC adapter. The system would not get the power it needs and the AC adapter would probably get very hot.
In any case, the moral of the story is.....don't mix and match the wrong AC adapter with the wrong system.
I had placed an order for a W700 last week with the Mini Dock 1.0 and the projected completion date was 11/23/09.
I spoke with my sales rep today and explained my concern with the Mini Dock being EOL (End of Life).
He checked with his contact and didn't know if that would cause an order to be cancelled but he suggested I reorder the W700 but without the Mini Dock. So I did and the new completion date is projected to be 11/19/09 (4 calendar days earlier than the original order) even though this order was placed a week later that the original one.
Interestingly the Mini Dock 1.0 is still for sale on the Lenovo Sales web site for the same asking price as when included with a system order. So I created a quote (which are good for 30 days) so when the W700 actually ships I'll convert that quote into an order. Assuming they are still available. There are currently a ton of new 43R8782 Mini Dock 1.0's still available in the $200 dollar range from the usual eTailers so it doesn't appear there will be a shortage at least near term.
Thanks all for your comments. Monday morning I called sales to see what was happening. They told me the product was no longer available and I should go ahead and just buy the new 2.0 model. They also told me that the 1.0 should not be available of the website anymore even if it was still there when I called. Then I said that they must fullfill their side of the bargain and I will not accept anything less that either the original model or the new model with the power supply included. I also mentioned that this was looking alot like "bait and switch" and as so it was no permitted under Quebec Laws. They told me they would have someone calling me back within 24-48 hours.
The next day someone called me and he was very understanding. We agreed that I would purchase the new Mini Dock 2.0 WITH the power supply and then when I will receive it he will credit me the cost of the power supply. He also mentionned that the new docking station was better than the original one and I had the better part of the deal.
I am very happy with the resolution of my problem and I found the service I received very professional. I will let you known when I receive my docking station and a credit is issued.
Just a quick note to let you known that I have received superb service from all Lenovo peoples. They were very helpful and understanding, and it did took a little bit of time, but this issue was resolved at my satisfaction.
I just ordered a week ago a new Thinkpad W700 with the W700 Mini Dock 1.0 (43R8782) and I am still waiting anxiously to receive it. Today I have received an email from Lenovo telling me my order was modified and the Mini Dock was cancelled because of EOL (End Of Line?).
I went back to the Lenovo Web site and I found the same Mini Dock still listed and available for ordering. I also found a new Mini Dock 2.0 (57Y4345) for the same price but the 170W power supply (41R4421) is not included. The power supply cost an additional 100$. Of course there is NO difference between the old model and the new one beside the fact that the power supply is not included anymore.
Now I do understand Lenovo need to make some money somewhere, but isn't against the law to do something like this? I do think here in Quebec there is something called false representation or taking advantages of the customer? If the new docking station was alot cheaper I would probably bite the bullet and just order it, but this is crazy.
Am I the only one here that think that there is a problem with this? Especially since I already placed my order in good faith and even when they tell me it's not available anymore it's still listed as available on the website? What can I do about this?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Alain Hogue
Montreal, Qc
------------------------
Current Laptop: Thinkpad A31p, Pentium 4 - 2Ghz, 100GB HD, 2GB RAM, 1600x1200, Win XP SP3
Hi ahogue,
What are your system specifications for your new W700?
Thank You,
ThinkPad W700 Mobile WorkStation Tour ,17" WUXGA 400NIT,Windows 7 Ultimate x64,Intel Core 2 Quad Core Extreme Processor QX9300 (2.53GHz 12MBL2) Have a Look ,NIVDA QuadroFX 3700M 128-CUDA 1GB,8 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)
