The truth is that when it comes to the Lenovo Outlet experience, there are much more negative reports than positive ones.  When researching this, I came across countless threads online that relayed numerous reports of unshipped orders, unresponsive and unhelpful customer service, and altogether major customer dissatisfaction.

Now, in all fairness, there were positive reports as well.  Just about each thread that I came across had at least one report of a purchase that went smoothly, or even better than expected.  For each positive report though, there were about 3 negative ones.  Now we all know that people like to kvetch a lot more than they like to talk about their positive experiences, but there were enough negative reports to make a somewhat skeptical consumer like me think twice about purchasing.

All told, there were some definite positives that people reported, so I will just list the pros and cons as I found them, and let you make your decision from there.

Pros

1. You can get amazing prices.  A lot of the products available at the Lenovo factory outlet were never even used.  Forget refurbished, you can get new computers at much lower prices than you’d be able to find elsewhere.

2. You can end up getting a much better deal than you expected.  Lots of customers have reported getting expensive hardware and software that wasn’t  mentioned in the product specs.  This is because all products sold through Lenovo outlets were custom built for people who either cancelled their orders, or sent the product back unopened (or in the case of Refurbished or Scratch and Dent, opened).  So you just might end up getting some fancy pants software or hardware that you didn’t have to pay for, and weren’t expecting.

Cons

1. The longest and most bizarre order processing you’ll ever experience.  From the time you place your order, it will be several days before the order actually goes through– meaning that they locate the machine and bill you.  Then it will be another week to ten days before your item is shipped.

Do not expect to get a confirmation email, so make sure to print out your order confirmation– or better yet, take a screenshot or make a pdf.

2.  Someone else might get the product you ordered.  There have been quite a few reports of people who have placed an order, only to find that someone else had ordered the same item, and since they were the second person to order it, their order was canceled.  However, they were not notified of the cancellation.

3. Not the greatest customer service.  While some people have reported very helpful customer service reps, there have been many more reports of customer service people who were unhelpful, gave contradicting information, or were downright rude.

4. No exchanges.  If your order arrives and doesn’t work, you will not be able to send it back and get a new one.  The Lenovo return policy for their outlet store is that you can return it, but you cannot exchange it.  Your only options will be to either go through tech support to try and fix it, or to return the product and place a new order.  But they may not have another computer with the same specs available.

Basically, if you do decide to place a Lenovo Outlet order, you should go into it expecting that your computer might take a very long time to arrive, and with the understanding that you might not actually get this computer, but that if you do, you will be getting a really great product at an incredible price.

The Lenovo factory outlet doesn’t have the greatest organization and ordering system in place, and there are all too many reports of people who have never received a confirmation of their order, had their order cancelled without their knowledge, or had their order processed but by the time they got it it was a good three weeks after the order had been placed.  There have also been many cases of customers getting an item with different specifications that described on the site; in most cases the item was superior to the description, but in some it was inferior.

There are some tactics that you can use to make sure that you have the best experience possible, and to make sure that you do indeed get what you order.

1) Keep detailed records of all your transactions, and of what the product’s specifications were described on the site when you placed your order.  Don’t bother saving an html copy of the webpage– you either need to take a screenshot or save a PDF of the page.  You can use Adobe Acrobat, but if you don’t have it there are numerous free PDF Creators available online.

Make sure that the PDF lists all the system specs.  You will want to have the machine type plus the serial number.  In Lenovo Outlets this is commonly written out in the format XXXNNNNNNN.  XXX refers to the first 3 digits of the number of the machine type, and the NNNNNNN refers to the serial number).

You also absolutely MUST take a screenshot or save a PDF of the order confirmation page.  This is the page you will come to immediately after you place your order on which your name and billing address is listed, along with the items you purchased and the price that you paid.  This is an essential step, since the Lenovo Outlet Center does not always send out an order confirmation email, and if they do, that email may only contain the order number, without giving a customer number, no listing any of the specifics of what you actually ordered.

2)  Call the company after 24 hours to make sure that your order has been placed.  If someone else ordered the same item as you right before you did, your order will have been cancelled, but you will not be notified.

3) About shipping– the shipping dates you will be given are completely unreliable.  They may change several times, and you may receive your order before the listed shipping date.  If it is taking a long time, getting on the phone can possibly speed up the process a bit, but it might just give you further aggravation.

4) If upon receiving your Lenovo Outlet order you find that it is not the same item that you ordered and paid for, contact customer service. They will likely ask you to send in proof of your order as well as proof the specifications that were advertised.  You will be able to e-mail them the screenshots or PDFs that you have, and the issue should be resolved within a few business days.

Buying from Lenovo Outlets stores can save you a lot of money and give you a really wonderful machine, but it’s not for the faint of heart, or for those who need their new ThinkPad by Friday.   But if you follow these tips for a better Lenovo Outlet experience you can make sure that you get an incredible deal without losing your money or your mind.

The Leveno ThinkPad is one of the most popular business laptops, and has been for many years.  Formerly made by IBM, the ThinkPad has a reputation for being a top laptop that can meet the needs of a business executive.  The ThinkPad has features such as a long lasting battery that are conducive to travel and business trips, and also have green energy features, appreciated by any environment conscious business executive.

The Leveno IdeaPad is another popular notebook computer, which is more widely used by students than business people.  Also a previous IBM laptop, the IdeaPad has features that any student would appreciate, and is perfect for homework, gaming, photo storage, and watching videos.

Both the ThinkPad and the IdeaPad feature fingerprint readability technology, so that you can log in without a password, and your computer files are always safe from prying eyes.

Any Leveno computer that you order, be it a laptop, personal computer, or workstation, will be custom configured to your needs and specifications.  This includes both hardware and software, so that as soon as your new computer arrives and you open the box, you can get right to work.

Leveno cell phones are also very popular, particularly in China, where all of the new models are initially released.  From designer models to more sturdy GPS phones to those with touchtone screens, every corner of the cell phone market is covered.  For anyone who wants a cell phone that is made by a company that has proven it’s expertise in the technological world, a Leveno phone might be a good choice.

Leveno products can be bought in all sorts of places.  From retail stores where you can walk in and make your selection, to their online store and the factory outlet, you have a wide variety of options in terms of how to make your purchase if you feel that a Leveno laptop or computer is right for you.

The company is based in Beijing, but it’s headquarters are actually located in the US, in Morrisville, North Carolina.