Lenovo (and UPS) Are… Making Me Nervous

 Lenovo is making me very nervous and so is UPS.

For all the research I did while trying to decide which laptop to choose (thanks again, fam!)...

... I did none on shipping and service. I should have. I really, really should have.

You all probably have read about how excited, grateful, and blessed I felt when my family offered to replace my dying laptop. I chose the Lenovo Yoga 9i (and we will discuss the name situation later...). As soon as I made the order and hit Enter, I had that familiar anxiety. Did I choose the right laptop? Is it really a good laptop? Should I go and read some more reviews? Is it too late to cancel?

I didn't cancel. Instead, I started watching UPS tracking like it was life. After a few days, I noticed that there barely was any tracking. The package went from Mainland China to Korea and... just sat there. 

At this point - because I like feeding my anxiety and not starving it - I started searching online for problems with Lenovo and UPS. I expected to see a few examples and gripes because that would be normal for anything, right? No, no, no. People, there are forums and communities full of this as a specific topic of discussion! What?

Now I am seriously worried and let my anxiety go on a binge. I am mainly worrying about what I have done with so much of my family's money. By the end of the day, I think I broke out in hives - or I'm allergic to the new fabric softener I'm using...

For the next 6 days, the package toured every part of Mainland China before it finally made it to Korea. Then it sat some more. I was originally told it would be delivered on the 23rd. That wasn't going to happen with it sitting in Korea on the 22nd. I called UPS first (a lady there promised to look into things and call me back - btw, she did not).  Then I called to complain to Lenovo and they promised to look into it. They did and UPS gave them some spiel involving an irritating but reasonable explanation. They assured Lenovo (if I can trust what Lenovo said) that it should be here by the 25th. 

On the 25th, the package was not being delivered. It wasn't even on its way out of Korea. I contacted Lenovo again - via chat. I was told that they would contact UPS. They did and then they assured me that I should have the package on or before the 30th. And that's where I am as I type this.

Okay. I had to make myself just breathe. A delivery on the 30th would be great - if I can rely on that. But I have treatments and other appointments coming up. Since I need to be here to sign for the package, that could be a problem. I'm not skipping stuff for my health just because UPS can't get it together.

- A bit of an update - I checked tracking as I was writing this post and, finally, the package has departed Korea for Anchorage.

I wanted to see if the Twitter UPS contact could make sense of that:

Huh?

a bot named Vanessa?

Keep in mind that I really like all the UPS drivers I deal with. They are all pretty awesome. Everyone in my building has some kind of driving limitation so we get a lot of visits from the guys in brown. But this is not about the drivers. This is all about getting the package to the drivers. 

scary truth!

~sigh~

So now I am sitting here, already having some kind of random virus, and worrying about whether I made a mistake in choosing a Lenovo. I had to make myself stop looking into their customer service because there are just too many horror stories out there.

Let me not forget to tell you how confusing I find all the Lenovo Yoga names. When I look up "Yoga 9i", I might get the 2-in-1 (that I'm getting), a slim model, a dual-screen model, or... I can't remember the other one. 

Also, the whole "brands within the brand" is super-weird to me. This is what you get to choose from among the laptops on the Lenovo site:

Shouldn't they all just be Lenovos? By the way, I don't see the Flex model on this list.  What's that about?

Just about every time I searched for "Yoga", I got hits on different types - Slim, Book, etc. And, I loved the idea of the dual-screened Yoga Book (but not the size, price, or reviews when compared to the Yoga 9i (gen 8). I learned to always check for reviews on the one I'm getting by using the "9i gen 8" to the search. (This site explains some of the differences to me.)

Anyway, that finishes my Lenovo-UPS rant. For now.  

I will be back to finish this saga when (if) it ends. In the meantime, be careful shopping Lenovo online. I am reading lots of comments that say it's better to order in a store or via Amazon.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: By the way, it seems that the best way to get in touch with UPS for help is via their Twitter (through messaging) - unless your shipment is coming from outside the U.S., then you have to make calls and pray.

**Coming Review** Lenovo Yoga 9i 14" 8th Gen (and discounts!)

 (Go to the bottom of this post to learn more about discounts via LifeMart. I'd never heard of it until recently, but... it's a money-saver.)

The Lenovo saga continues.

Because I have an amazing family and because my current laptop keeps dying on me, I have a Yoga 9i coming.

When I was trying out the Flex 7i (refurbs), I did dream of the Yoga laptop. There was no way I could swing it. It's too pricey for me and I thought of it purely as a dream machine. When I posted online about a super-slick dual-screen laptop I saw, my family was like, "Do you want that?"

Uh, yes. Duh. Right? 

But wanting and needing are not the same. And I told them that I would much prefer the 2-in-1 style that I've gotten used to. I mean, dual-screen laptops are very James Bond-ish but my life is not. 

For me, I need something I can use during long appointments at the clinic and for those days when I am stuck in bed feeling like crap. And the 2-in-1 style suits that. I can use it as a notebook when I'm in bed or I can tent it to fit the tiny tables attached to the infusion chairs, and I can use it in almost any part of my apartment. My laptop is my life. I use it to track reminders and calendar notes and, yes, I blog with it.

Blogging is the one thing I do that keeps my mood up and gets me through my sick days. So, would I like to have that fancy dual-screen setup? I'd have loved to have it when I was busy working and dealing with a normal life - and could buy it for myself. But, for now, I have to be realistic.

What I asked for: the Yoga 7i. What I'm getting: the 9i with more RAM and more storage. How blessed am I? 

As I wait for the laptop - and, as I write this, it will be 5 weeks of waiting! - I couldn't help but read some more reviews. And this is where I got frustrated.

When searching for reviews of "Lenovo Yoga 9i", I had to weed through reviews that had nothing to do with the Yoga 9i 2-in-1. There were reviews for the dual-screen Yoga; the slim Yoga; and, Yoga of earlier generations. I mistyped a couple of times and got results for Yoda and for (Hindu) Yoga.

Finally, I found several reviews that applied. Okay. New frustration and a new rant:

Why do so many reviewers try to compare Windows to Mac? Almost every review I saw tried comparing the Yoga to the Macbook. Why? I am not a Mac user. Mac and Windows are two different systems. It's as if I was looking for reviews of hiking trails (that will never happen!) and got comparisons of that with frontage roads.

If reviewers are going to do comparisons, they should stick to comparing Windows machines against Windows machines. Since I was looking at 2-in-1 setups, maybe even just compare those types of setups.

One of my brothers is a Mac-head (?) and I respect that. However, I have always been a Windows user. I'm not interested in switching operating systems. I don't care how fast, pretty, smooth, all-wonderful, blah-blah-blah the Mac is. I just don't care.

Okay. Rant over.

From reading several reviews and watching a ton of videos, I learned that the Yoga 9i is/has...:

• The best keyboard ever (or else it's not the greatest)
• A super display - even with just the 2k version (or, nope, get the 4k!)
• An amazing speaker system (but maybe kind of "tinny")
• A genius-designed speaker setup (but still doesn't sound quite as good as the Mac.
• A beautiful-looking laptop (but not as beautiful or thin or light-weight as the Mac)
• Great hinges that are sturdy and just stiff enough (or might break if you look at them)
• (Unlike the great and wonderful Mac) a stylus. (But the Mac is still a superior machine.)
• 2 nice color choices (but not as many color choices as the Mac has)
• "Benchmarks" are better than most laptops (even the Mac in some areas! But we won't focus too much on that...)
• Is a wonderful machine that is perfect for most users (you know, the ones that don't have a Mac.)
• A good touchscreen (but a bit too "slick".) And a stylus that writes as smoothly as a regular pen. Of course, until Mac comes out with these features, they are not all that important! LOL.

Windows or Mac?

Overall, I think this is going to be the perfect machine for me. The only things I can tell for now that I might not love:

• There are not a lot of ports. I never paid much attention until now but my Dell has enough ports that I can plug in my wireless mouse and my printer at the same time, and charge some other devices. Though to be fair, there are a couple of ports (or whatever) on the Dell that I have never used. I have no need for HDMI or card readers. I barely know what they are.
• Lenovo's support. I tried my hardest to find the model I wanted on Amazon. Especially because the family is paying for the machine, I could afford to get one of those amazing 4-year Asurion warranties. With Lenovo, I got the 1-year Accidental Damage coverage and the basic 1-year courier or carry-in warranty.
• I have no idea how good or bad Lenovo support is. I do know that I've heard some "iffy" things.

That's about it though for any negatives. Right now.

Some of the negatives that reviewers pointed out don't bother me. A lot of pros and cons about any laptop depends on the user preferences. For instance, some reviewers weren't in love with the pen/stylus but that's not unusual. I love the stylus for my Dell but one of my nieces tried it out once and declared that it was "kind of weird". She's a Windows user but has never used a stylus. It can be weird until you t used to it.

A couple of reviewers liked the graphics for everyday use but don't think they are great for gamers. So what? The most gaming I do is a bit of Solitaire and Farmville. What I do like the graphics for is watching Netflix or YouTube. I'm not over here freaking out on Fortnight (or whatever it's called).

A lot of reviews kvetched about no "on-board" storage for the pen. (One guy actually used the term "on-board" like he's a Navy specialist.) Maybe if my Dell had "on-board" storage for the pen I'd feel let down but... I know how to carry my pen in my case or purse or whatever without losing it. And I lose my glasses while they are on my head! People, just tuck your pen in your shirt or purse or something. (By the way, the sides of the Dell are magnetized to hold the pen but... weak magnets!)

By the way, I didn't realize this until after the laptop was on order but it comes with a sleeve. Not that exciting for me but, hey you pen-losers, there is a spot for the pen on the sleeve. So there you go.

When the ordering was all done and I was thanking my family for the laptop, my Mac-using brother said that I could have spent a bit more and gotten the James Bond dual-screen one - or maybe even a Mac, I just laughed. I'm happy-to-pieces with this Yoga. Let's not forget that I could be rocking a refurbed $300 machine. Instead, I have something that I absolutely don't even deserve. So I have zero complaints. Even the Mac-loving brother admits that, if he did use Windows, he'd choose a Lenovo.

Since my family sprung for this lovely machine, I truly realize that, with gifts. it really is the thought. Just the idea that I am so loved in this crazy clan of ours is my biggest "forever-gift". My family is always there for emotional support and they put up with my depression and anxiety without conditions. If that is all they ever did for me, that would be more than enough.

So.

When I get the new laptop, you know that I will review the crap out of it!

Peace

--Free

DISCOUNTS

I don't want to forget to mention that there were coupons involved in this purchase. I wanted to save my family every nickel I could. 

When you get ready to buy anything - travel, products, services - be sure to know that my Medicare (UHC) gives access to LifeMart. It's available in several ways, apparently. Do some searching and ask around. Perhaps you have a credit card or insurance or something that will grant free access to LifeMart?

Via Lifemart, I got a coupon there that saved around $250. Then the salesman found another coupon that saved around $45. Every bit adds up. So, please, please, please, check for any coupons you can find. When you can, ask the salesman for any other savings that may be available.

Teachers, students, and seniors can get discounts for many purchases - as can former and current military personnel.

All told the coupons and benefits saved us around $322. That's dang near the price of the refurbed laptop I tried out.

Shop around and shop wisely!