Letters Skipping/touchpad Lagging

hi all
i have a lenovo ideapad 700.
ever since i got it it has had an issue with letters skipping (not registering keystrokes).
from testing it out, it appears it has some type of system issue that ticks every 2-3 seconds and if you happen to be hitting a key at that very moment, the letter wont show up. from normal typing it appears that you will skip about 1-2% of the letters.
i wasnt aware of the associated touchpad issue because i dont use the touchpad much if t all, but apparently the same tick causes the touchpad to pause.
so, researching and then testing out what others have done, if i disconnect the battery, the problem goes away 100%. runs perfect, no skipping letters. once the battery is reconnected, the problem comes back.

i sent the unit in for repair and they replaced the keyboard after i told them multiple times it was not a keyboard issue.

i talked to customer relations and they set up an onsite repair. guy gets here to rplace the board (lenovo just throwing parts at the issue imo) and they sent the wrong board (lol) and they sent another keyboard (lol). while he had it open, he disconnected the battery and saw how it worked fine with no battery. so he told me he would tell lenovo to send a new battery.
lenovo sent a new battery. looks like same model/manufacturer from the sticker, but im guessing the manufacturers put on lenovo labels and it could be from a different manufacturer. i tried the new battery and it did not fix the problem.
the lenovo associated repair tech is coming here tuesday to replace the system board. i doubt it will do anything.

i was wondering if any of you had any experience with similar and/or have some ideas of what could be wrong. i dont know much so all i can tell is that either something internal to the battery is causing an issue, or something in the battery circuit is causing it when the battery gets connected.

lenovo keeps talking about updatng the bios. i did that already and they are talking about how they suggested a bios update to their engineers to solve this problem.
customer relations woman promised me she would make sure this got fixed, but i think she was reading from a script. she also told me the local tech was a lenovo employee and i found that very hard to believe, and surprise surprise, he wasnt a lenovo employee. i wasnt expecting him to be, but i also wasnt expecting her to lie to me...

thanks in advance for any input on this

 

How long ago did you purchase it, and was it new or refurbished?

EDIT: Just read further above. You are entitled to a complete new replacement. Always better if it is less than 1 year old.

 

got it new in december/january, it has been doing this since i got it.
i thought i was just a bad typer the whole time until a couple months ago when my wife complained about the skipping. then i looked into it and found others with same exact problem.

 

You should have requested a new replacement at the beginning. The consumer laws are clear - it must be in working order at the start.

 

problem with like for like replacement is that i suspect a large percentage (all??) of these laptops have the same issue. if anything i would switch to a comparable/better model as a replacement which is my next step after this repair tuesday doesnt work.
i may also call the retail store and see what they can do in a worst case scenario.

 

of course, except:

im not looking for suggestions on how to replace the thing or what i should have done, im looking for input from people who may have had similar issues with same model or other laptops.

 

If you try to fix it yourself that involves anything other than OS changes, you break your warranty. If they haven't fixed it already Lenovo should simply give you a new replacement in a sealed box.
You wouldn't try to fix a new TV, washing machine, microwave or fridge freezer, so you shouldn't do the same with a new PC.
Lenovo are talking rubbish about the BIOS on a new system.
But good luck!

 

I'm not trying to fix it myself, im looking for solutions I can suggest to lenovo since they have no clue

 

As they have NOT fixed it after initial attempts, you should calmly and assertively ask for your legal right - a brand new replacement.
You don't work for or get paid by Lenovo as an IT technician so you're ill-advised trying to be one.
Any Trading Standards officer or consumer rights specialist would tell you not to do what you are doing.

 

Ok thanks

 

Max's advice aside, if anybody has experience with the issue I am seeing, I would like to hear how/if it was fixed for you
Thanks in advance

 

Not likely. If there were a large number having this exact same problem, it would have been easy for Lenovo to find and even duplicate the problem, then develop a patch/fix by now.

I agree with Max. You have been patient enough and it is time you request a totally new replacement. This may require having a tech come out several more times before they finally are convinced themselves it is to their benefit to just replace it. After all they sure don't want you telling all your friends, family, and coworkers what brand NOT to buy!

So keep calling and reporting the problem still exists. Stay on record that this is an on-going problem. Make sure you keep a record of the service call ticket numbers, and try to keep those open rather than having them open new ones.

Did you buy on-line directly from Lenovo or through a local store or on-line retailer? If through a local store or on-line retailer, try to enlist them on your behalf. If they refuse make sure you make them aware you are very unhappy they are unwilling to help their customers with they products they sell.

Lastly, make regular backups of your data.

It could have been a lie, but more likely just confusion, or something said to avoid confusion. It is common for companies to hire via contracts, independent consultants who are authorized to make repairs. They are not in the true sense, Lenovo employees, but they do work for Lenovo.

And this practice makes sense. Companies just cannot afford to have genuine employees in every city around the world. I note appliance makers do this all the time. They contract with a local appliance repair service to do their authorized repairs. Same with TVs and monitors, printers, and more.

As a former IT consultant myself (though not for Lenovo) I can tell you it does not mean the tech is not qualified. In fact, I would like to think many of us are even more qualified in many cases, and certainly just as, if not more sincere and dedicated.

So I would not worry about that aspect. If it was Lenovo who sent them, the tech was hired by Lenovo to represent them. And you are still on record as having them out.

 

I wasnt expecting the tech to be lenovo, but she said they were. I even told her I found it hard to believe they had local lenovo employees all over the country but she assured me they did.

I'm not sure if the issue is not widespread. I went a couple months just assuming I typed bad. The skip occurs only 1-2% of the time, so it's not always a glaring issue. People could easily have this problem and assume they themselves were at fault and ignore it and thus not report it to lenovo,or they could not even realize there was a problem at all.

As far as returning the unit, right, I understand my options, but I didn't come here asking if I should return the unit or not.

 

@Digerati 's advice is excellent.
I know of hardly any product manufacturer that directly employs service engineers. Mostly they are contracted by the manufacturer via a facilities management outfit or company in multiple locations. Officially though they do legally 'represent' the manufacturer.
The law varies from country to country. But in all 28 member states of the EU there is a three stage rights process:
1. Right to reject the goods within 30 days of purchase or delivery (whichever is later) for any kind of fault, even a cosmetic blemish. Full refund.
2. In the following 30 days a right to a replacement or a repair.
3. If accepting a repair, then right to full replacement is automatic after just 1 failed repair.
In the EU all of the above is the sole responsibility of the SELLER whether sold directly by the manufacturer or some other trader.

Lenovo is a major PC systems manufacturer - it wont have 1000s of the exact same system showing a uniform fault that it hasn't seen already.

 

Can we please stop talking about why/how I can/should return this laptop? Its irrelevant to the reason I started this thread.
Thanks!

 

You can ignore advice here as it is a just voluntary forum of helpful knowledgable people. But no one here can help you fix a physical product that's slipped through quality control on the production line.

 

If that's the case, then I agree and I too would find it hard to believe she was being truthful - unless you live in or near a big city.

I already typed the below before you made your last post asking us to stop so I am not deleting it. But note we would be remiss, as advisers, if we didn't address this because too often, users understandably do not want to mess with all the hassles of dealing with warranty returns, so they either (1) dink with the systems and void the warranty, or (2) put off or ignore the problem and suddenly, the warranty period has expired. In either case, they are stuck with something they spent good money on that does not work correctly. And we don't want that to happen to you.

Eventually, like you, most people would pick up on the fact they really did hit the key properly but the keystroke did not register. Especially if they never had this problem before.

I have experienced this problem before too. I'm a pretty good typist but I know my fingers seem to have minds of their own at times so at first, I thought it was just me. One time, I noticed it suddenly started to happen, but only at one site I visited regularly. It ended up being a problem at the site but that was not discovered until I reported it and then suddenly, others chimed in saying it happened to them too, but they also thought it was just them.

Another time was when the batteries of my wireless keyboard died. I knew they were going because a red LED was on. But I ignored the LED because the keyboard was still working. But after several days, I started to get missing keystrokes. Replacing the batteries fixed that. Of course neither case would apply to you, I am just saying it is something people eventually notice - especially if they use spell checkers.

Depending on which report you read, Lenovo and HP are 1 and 2, or 2 and 1 in leading the world in computer sells. If this were a widespred issue, the forums would be awash in owners of that model complaining about this problem. But a quick Google search of lenovo ideapad 700 missing letters shows just one thread on Lenovo's site. Since you are not happy with the suggestions you are getting here, I suggest you read through the thread in that link.

 

I can for sure. But I don't want this thread to die because people with information I am actually interested in think that I'm no longer looking for that info because a couple people said to return the unit and that's the solution.

If Bill Gates came on here and said return the unit, I would say the same thing. So it's not that I don't appreciate the advice or respect anybody. I'm trying to stay on topic

 

Digerati, it's not that I don't think the suggestions are any good, they're just irrelevant. If I was asking should I return this unit or not and you guys said return it, then that would be relevant.

 

No one with experience or common sense would advise you to try and 'fix' a faulty system recently bought.
Manufacturers love consumers who allow themselves to get taken for a ride.
The suggestions made to you are the only relevant ones however much you stick your head in the sand.

 

Cool story bro.

To everybody else, so its clear, things im interested in: peoples experience with issues I described.

Things im not interested in: advice on whether I should return the unit or not.

 

You're unlikely to find anyone on this forum who knows as much about Hardware as Digerati so look a gift horse in the mouth if you like, or you can post on many other online forums like this.

 

Degrati, I am well aware of that thread, but thanks. Maybe it isn't as widespread as I thought it could be. Oh well. I will keep an eye out here for anybody that has some experience with it just in case. Thanks for your help.

 

Cool story bro.

 

The ONLY reason returning the unit is an issue is because it is still under warranty. Manufacturers have an obligation to fulfill their obligations to the consumer. You never see a manufacturer reach out to their customers to ask if all is okay before the warranty runs out. If we consumers let them off the hook, they win.

I guess while on my high horse, I will add that Lenovo in particular needs to be held accountable. For one, because they are one of the two largest personal computer makers in the world, consumers must not let them get too big for their britches. For another, Lenovo has a long history of malicious behavior towards their customers. Not about warranty support, but Lenovo repeatedly pre-installed malicious spyware on their computers. So they need to know we are still watching.

Did you try an external USB keyboard? If the problem happens with the USB keyboard, the problem is in the computer. If the external keyboard works fine, the problem is probably with the notebook's keyboard.

 

Plodr, I didn't 'wait'. The ball got rolling in early April.
Once I realized there was a problem, I sent it for repair. It came back not fixed. I then got in touch with customer relations telling them I want to replace the unit because my research showed they are incapable of fixing the issue at that point and they already tried to fix it and failed. She offered to send a tech to my home to repair unit. When he got there, they had sent the wrong part so he couldn't try to fix it. He ordered the right parts and that's where I'm at now. I was under the impression the tech was coming to troubleshoot. Turns out he was coming just to install random parts lenovo told him to install. If I knew that I wouldnt have bothered and just went with the replacement. As it stands, he will be here tuesday. If the new board doesn't do it im going to replace the unit.
In the meantime I cane here to see if anybody had any experience with this issue. I was expecting answers like 'typically that problem is caused by a faulty battery cell' or whatever. Not 'omg return the laptop! !1!' or 'I had that problem and I sent it for repair'. While they make for nice chit chat I guess, they don't help me in any way.

 

Ha, of course. When you call tech support they go through their script of 'solutions'. Battery drain, reset bios, factory reset.

 

Digerati, haven't tried an external keyboard, but they replaced the keyboard during the first repair. If I get my hands on one I will try it.

When I contacted support the first time, the girl was like turn on the on screen keyboard. I was like, why? But I do it. She says 'touch the keyboard, does it work? ' I tell her I don't have a touch screen. She says yes you do. I say no I don't, but maybe I'm wrong. She says try to touch the screen. So I touch it and nothing happens. Then she's like, oh, never mind you don't have a touch screen. So then she tells me to use the touch pad with the on screen keyboard. I did and it worked. But I knew it would work. The regular keyboard works. It just skips randomly 1-2% of the time and there's no way I can replicate typing on the on screen keyboard like I can with physical keyboard. So I think she ignored me and just filed it as a bad keyboard even though I made it extremely clear the keyboard was not the issue.

 

You would think lenovo would try an external keyboard to check if it's actually a keyboard problem instead of blindly replacing stuff.

 

Not sure what we are supposed to be doing now then. It seems "hurry up and wait" is the order of the day.

An external keyboard is not a conclusive test. It can just help narrow down the problem.

The symptoms you initially described point to the keyboard (regardless brand or model). And the tech probably assumed the troubleshooting was already done over the phone. If I got a call saying I needed to go here and replace the keyboard, I would have done just that.

If I got a call saying I needed to go here and troubleshoot the computer, I would have done that. But understand when it comes to electronics repair, troubleshooting typically takes up 90% of labor time and costs and replacing the parts just 10%.

 

Digerati, im not blaming the tech guy for anything. He was coming to replace the keyboard (that was already replaced by lenovo) and install a motherboard.
I was under the impression he was coming to figure out what the problem was. Not his fault. I was just saying if I knew he was coming just to install some stuff that lenovo was guessing about and then leave, I wouldn't have bothered. Especially if I knew one of the parts was another keyboard...

 

Well, like I said, was interested in hearing from others who may have had this issue and what the root cause was, if any.

Yeah, external may not be definitive, but it provides useful data.

 

Motherboard? That is the first we heard of this. Did he, or was that the wrong part too?

 

Sorry, I mentioned 'board' in op, could have specified motherboard I guess if thought it mattered.
But no, he came to replace the motherboard (system board, same thing??) but it was the wrong board.

 

Sorry, my mistake, not yours. Yes, you did say "board" clearly indicating motherboard. I'm currently involved in a dozen or so threads on several sites - my chronic condition of GCF (geriatric cranial flatulence) - set in and I forget you mentioned that. And in my haste to verify one way or another, I searched on "mother" and not "board" so your first mother was in your post #33.

At this point, it seems Lenovo is trying to take care of you. We'll see on Tuesday. Keep us posted.

 

Hey no worries. I wasnt being a wise guy, I dont know how many 'boards' there are and if system board = motherboard.

Yes, it does seem like it. I'm done with it though if this doesn't work.

 

Actually you did. Read your posts you say the problem existed at the start in Dec/January.

 

I didn't wait. The moment I realized it was a system issue I set up the repair. I already said I thought it was my typing that was the problem. You want me to call lenovo and tell them I'm a bad typer so they need to fix my computer?!? Lol.

 

Whatever, you either need to give Lenovo ONE last chance to repair it or just tell them you want a new system.

 

Right. It skipped since I got it. But I attributed the skipping to my typing, not to a defect. You can quote whatever you like. I'm not calling lenovo telling them my computer is broke when I believe my typing is to blame.

Yeah, that's what I said, if this 'fix' doesn't work in done with it.

 

I don't really care to be honest. On the basis of what you have posted the answer at the very beginning was the same - if Lenovo can't repair it successfully and quickly, get a new replacement. You had that answer 5 long hours ago.

 

Yes, system board = motherboard = mainboard. But "board" is often used and understood to mean the motherboard.

In this case, I don't see the repair guy coming out with the wrong parts as counting as a failed attempt to repair the problem, or as a delay tactic on the part of Lenovo. I just see it as an unfortunate, but innocent misunderstanding.

If Tuesday's replacement of a new keyboard and new motherboard don't fix this (and there's really nothing else it could be), then a new notebook is in order. So again, wait and see.

 

The question was never 'should I replace this laptop' or 'how many tries should they get before I replace this laptop'. You gave an answer to a question that was never asked. I had that answer long before 5 hours ago.

 

It's your money, your system so you should just do what you like. The answer that you should get a replacement was actually now 7 hours ago. You were advised multiple times not to try and fix the badly produced system problems yourself by asking here.

 

You're wrong. Just let it go and stop embarrassing yourself.

 

That's fine. The posts are here to read. You have someone coming on behalf of Lenovo next week I think, to put a new MB and Keyboard on a system 5 months old. If it works fine after, that's great. If it doesn't you might get a new replacement. Three different people here with a lot of experience have suggested either you just get a replacement now or allow one last repair. The embarrassment is that it is happening 5 months late and you are arguing the toss over 8 hours.

 

Cmon bro. Just let it go. I know you can do it.

 

I hope you can too so good luck with it.