Lenovo USB Port Problems

[elpolloestupendo]

So my Lenovo T500 laptop stopped booting up a couple weeks ago (couldn't even get into the BIOS). It's only six months old and still under warranty, so I sent it in. Got a call back the next day telling me that there was damage to the USB port, and a repair would cost $750. I did not take this news well.

Anyway, I eventually figured out what happened (after a lot of argument and having pictures of the damage emailed to me). The plastic bit in the USB port had come unglued or something (it was stuck in a memory stick which I'd used many times before and with many other computers). I didn't notice at the time, and later I tried to plug something else into the same port. With the plastic bit not there to guide the connector, I bent/broke the pins, which apparently killed the whole system board.

The case is now on the third level (or whatever) of warranty support. I think it's pretty clear what happened and that it happened because the plastic bit wasn't properly secured, and hopefully the next person I talk to will see it my way.

Has anyone else ever had a USB port break like that on them?

 

[Megazell]

No.

I've been 100% USB for some time now. No CDs/DVDs/Floppy drives in any of my rigs at home.
I install everything via USB.

I'm a neatfreak and extremely careful with my tech though.

 

[SOSTrooper]

None here either, I baby all my tech stuff.

It's sorta ridiculous on how much they're charging to fix your laptop. It's nearly 80% of what you probably paid in the first place. I hope the situation will go well for you.

 

[mogamer]

I had to disconnect a USB connection from my MB because my son pulled out the plastic inside to it when he pulled out a cable from his MP3 player. The computer would shut down on my wife, so I looked it over and saw what the problem was and disconnected the cable. I'm sure in a laptop the USB connection is directly attached on the MB. Thus the high cost of replacement. They're have to replace the whole MB. Take it a local shop and see if they can bypass the connection on the MB. The OEM won't do a jerry-rigged tricked like that. Otherwise, you pretty much ed.

 

[elpolloestupendo]

That's an interesting thought, and definitely something I'll have to check out if Lenovo keeps on ignoring me. I'm just hoping they realize that the plastic piece shouldn't come out with normal use. Otherwise, yup, I'm pretty much ed.

 

[elpolloestupendo]

Victory! I PM'd a guy at the Lenovo forums who's always helping people (Mark_Lenovo) and he said that it will be taken care of. So if anybody ever runs into the same problem, just keep moving things up the chain and/or find an admin to talk to at the Lenovo forums.