Re: Do you feel degraded by Microsoft's downgrade program?

I just bought a new Lenovo Thinkpad with the XP downgrade option. The
sticker on the bottom says Windows Vista Business.

It took me a week and eight phone calls to support (three different case
numbers) to get someone who could tell me what operating system was in the
recovery partition. One call got me to someone in India who after I
explained the situation, began rambling and when I tried to get him to
stop and listen to me, he hung up on me. Lenovo got a nastygram email on
that one to which they have yet to respond. Their followup customer sat
survey got an earful too. The Lenovo website also gave me a phone number
that got me someone at IBM Canada, who eventually got me to somebody at
IBM in Atlanta. I finally got a satisfactory answer to what should have
been a simple question (and explained somewhere on Lenovo's web site). All
of the contact info I used came directly from links in their emails
regarding my order, or links on the new laptop upon it's arrival.

I also had to burn my own CD's to create recovery media and I hope that it
is XP should I ever need to use it. They offered to sell me the Vista
Recovery CD's for $45 even though they agreed that I was entitled to
Vista, but not the media! Eventually they just sent me the Vista CD's and
via IBM Support they managed to send me two packages of CD's. Even though
I don't plan on using Vista, since I paid for it and am entitled to it, I
want it on CD should I ever be required to provide proof of ownership. Now
the topper - even though I'm using XP, M$ will count my laptop as a Vista
install (so be aware that they inflate their numbers when it comes to the
number of new Vista sales - since they don't keep track of those who
downgrade to XP).

Monday I happened to be home having some plumbing work done (for the
second time in the last two months) and I got a customer sat call from IBM
in Atlanta, and after explaining all of this, the lady on the other end
was terribly apologetic. I told her I hoped that Lenovo would be smart
enough to never drop IBM from supporting Lenovo. She also told me next
time I need to call them to ask right off the bat to speak to a
supervisor.

I remember when I got into this business, and as a youngster, the promise
that computers would make our lives simpler. HAHAHAHAHA! We are slaves to
the machines. I told my plumber that he has have more job security than I
have and can't be outsourced!

Do I feel degraded? Sure.

Violated? Absolutely!

Regards, Jerry

Gerald Kern - MIS Project Leader
Lotus Notes/Domino Administrator
IBM Certified RPG IV Developer
The Toledo Clinic, Inc.
4235 Secor Road
Toledo, OH 43623-4299
Phone 419-479-5535
gkern@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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