Trust me. Lenovo Ideapad, particularly 500 and up, have solid aluminum construction with partial magnesium roll-cage (like Thinkpad). They are some of the most reliable mid-range consumer laptops out there along with probably Asus VivoBook.

In reality HP, especially Pavilion is the most notorious for highest failure rates, followed by Dell (Inspiron, Vostro, XPS) and Acer.

QC and service are a gamble in this industry, even for the most high-end, and also largely varies by region. If those concern you, get whatever expensive warranties you can - ADC, extended, On-site, international - and just hope for the best.

And yes, financial protection such as from credit card companies are downright essential in any case, not just with handling laptop purchase.

Off topic-ish to talk about IdeaPad.
However, I think it's not fair to say one's problem started with buying an IdeaPad. If the IdeaPads were crappy to begin with, is it fair to consumers that Lenovo released the IdeaPads to the market? It's like telling Honda customers it's their faults--if issues arise--for not buying an Acura. Whether it's an IdeaPad or a ThinkPad, Lenovo should ensure that their QC is up to standard, and customers should be treated fairly and get their products serviced in a timely manner.

To be fair, people want things cheap. Cheaper ~ higher chance of getting a lemon, sadly; this issue is not isolated to just Lenovo. At least if buying from reputable places, e.g., Costco, if issues develop, it's easy to return. Try buying with a credit card that have good protection too. 

I hope that Lenovo looks after their notebook customers better than they look after us Lenovo tablets users.its beyond a joke with Lenovo and tablets.if they don't want to take care of us tablet USERS,THEN DONT MAKE THEM ANYMORE.Am I mad,YES I AM.rant over.

I'll wait and see what the Ryzen based T495s model will be. Currently Ryzen Mobile based laptops are known for compromises performance or otherwise. Single channel memory config, CPU side performance, power balance between the CPU and the iGPU, thermal issues, subpar battery life especially when idle, software support and unexpectedly subpar screens plaguing most of them. Pricing though is generally very enticing compared to their Intel counterpart, with AMD looking to step up their driver game for Ryzen Mobile.

If Lenovo manage to to deliver a good power/memory/thermal config and AMD extend the XTU like utility Ryzen master and Wattman to the mobile parts, I can see it being a good lower cost compromise. Good thing this is less so a professional production laptop than a business laptop, so the screen really only needs FHD and a good brightness.

Quote from: Harry the D. on January 27, 2019, 21:02:36
I bought a Lenovo Ideapad laptop in September and within 2 months the hard drive died.  It happens.  I contacted Lenovo for warranty service and was told I would have to ship the device to their service center AT MY OWN EXPENSE!  $50.00 later (packing fee, shipping fee and insurance) I had the laptop on its way to Lenovo's service center.  It arrived there on January 2, according to the delivery certificate I got from the carrier.  Lenovo claimed they didn't get the unit until January 4.  A week later I got an email claiming that they had examined the device and it needed a part that " despite their best efforts was not in stock."  I was also informed that it would be a matter of weeks until the hard drive arrived.  In conclusion, they magically got the part and the unit is now on its way back home.  It only took a whole month.  Incompetent morons.  I'm never buying anything Lenovo branded again.  Their customer service stinks.   >:(

Your problem was you bought a non-ThinkPad Lenovo laptop. Most of the IdeaPads are lower quality than the ThinkPads, and the service usually isn't as good with them either. I have yet to have any issues with any of the ThinkPads I've owned.

I bought a Lenovo Ideapad laptop in September and within 2 months the hard drive died.  It happens.  I contacted Lenovo for warranty service and was told I would have to ship the device to their service center AT MY OWN EXPENSE!  $50.00 later (packing fee, shipping fee and insurance) I had the laptop on its way to Lenovo's service center.  It arrived there on January 2, according to the delivery certificate I got from the carrier.  Lenovo claimed they didn't get the unit until January 4.  A week later I got an email claiming that they had examined the device and it needed a part that " despite their best efforts was not in stock."  I was also informed that it would be a matter of weeks until the hard drive arrived.  In conclusion, they magically got the part and the unit is now on its way back home.  It only took a whole month.  Incompetent morons.  I'm never buying anything Lenovo branded again.  Their customer service stinks.   >:(