Advice needed on M17x R1

So I bought the extended warranty, and still have over a year left on my laptop.

I bought it on 1/26/2010, so almost two years old.

Here is what has been replaced already:

The entire laptop when I first got it. Never worked, so had a replacement sent less than a week after receiving it.

Then:
Both Video cards - Twice, a third time will happen Thursday 9/8
DVD-RW drive - once
Both hard drives - Once
CPU - Thursday 9/8
Memory - Once
All the fans - Thursday 9/8

Frankly I am sick and tired of having parts replaced. I don't even travel with it anymore because it is just so fragile. But for the last 12 months it has sat on a desk as a desktop replacement and still breaks all the time.

How do you all keep your working, or did I just get a bad bunch of parts? I do not overclock, I play silly games with WOW being the most graphics intensive of the bunch. For the most part support and the guy, who I know by first name now, who comes and replaces my computer parts are easy to deal with and cool.

Currently the computer likes to just shut off in the middle of typing documents, or doing anything really. No warning, it just shuts off. So I think it must be a heat issue, I look into that, and not really but one video card is 20 degrees hotter than the other. So I clean all the screens and do my best to keep it clear, again it just sits on my desk it does not move. But it still just shuts off. I always use power and never run it on battery, so it is not a battery issue. So I call support, I think I know some of them by name now, and they tell me they are going to replace:

CPU
Video Cards (x2)
All the fans

Before they want to do this, he asks if I want to pay to upgrade my laptop??? Really, I should pay more for this?? I still have 2 years on my warranty. <sigh>

So what are my options, anyone have any suggestions? It seems like some of you have great systems that you love. Frankly between getting the drivers correct so it does not crash and the silly video cards frying themselves I don't know what to do with the system?

 

Let me start by saying:
DO NOT PAY TO UPGRADE, THEY ARE TAKING YOU FOR A MILK COW.
This is hilarious and I don't know how they had the guts to even propose that while you're under warranty. After so many replaced parts they should've replaced your system or at least refund you in the extreme case. Read the warranty policy and talk to them again.

Personally since I had my M17x I never had any hardware problem, but I have to admit that I baby all my systems and that's what makes it so hard to even consider selling them.
I told myself after buying the M17x R2 I'll sell the M17x but it didn't happen, it's rock solid and It's running like a champ on a daily basis.

BTW, what are your specs?

 

i only have had two hardware issues,

1) the touchpad not working after a night of resting.

2) the dvd drive not recording dual layers dvd, it always fail trying to record the second layer.

Well the first issue I replaced it by myself, the palrest cost me 15 dollars, so thats ok. And I will replace the dvd slot load any time soon.

I am not under warranty at this moment but I really don't want any technician touch this laptop, I trust more in my repair skills than their skills. So that is why I am not buying more warranty.

 

Specs:
Processor, Q9000, 2.0, 6MB, Core Penryn, E0 | Dvd+/-Rw, 8X,| Dual In-Line Memory Module, 2GB1067MHZ, 256X64, 8K, 200 | SLI NVidia (I forget the card type 420 maybe?) | 2 HDD.

So not the power house system, a middle of the road system. <shrug> Anyway Doug the tech is coming over at 1pm today to replace most of the laptop. If any problem crops up after this, I am going to just demand a replacement. I scanned the list, and everyone seems to have mixed results. Some never have problems, and some have tons of problems. I am pretty technical, but I am in management now, so I paid more for this laptop so I would not have to do any repairs, ect.. on my own.

Thanks for the information.

 

How can you not know what video cards you have ?? .. Only two options by the way, GTX 260M or GTX 280M.

 

Or ATi mobility 4870

Good luck with the tech visit.

 

The GTX 260M in SLI are the ones I have. I knew there was only two types and I forgot which ones. I am at work, so could not look at the laptop to see.

And like I said, it really has become my secondary computer, as it seems so fragile.

By the way, they replaced all the above, and the temps are down, and it seems to be quieter and working better. So we shall see.

 

There are three official supported cards:
nVIDIA: 260M and 280M
ATi/AMD: mobility 4870

Good to hear, wish you luck. Actually it's not fragile at all, just replace the thermal paste and clean the heatsinks and fans from time to time, don't block the airflow etc.

 

So I am back to this computer not working again.

I went to do a back-up and discovered that the DVD-RW is not working again.

I called support on Saturday, first he wanted me to ship it back to a factory for servicing, to which I just said "No" too.

Then he wanted to send someone out to replace the drive..again.

I asked him if everyone had the same level of replacements and issues that I have had. I have had almost every part replaced, and a bunch of the parts twice.

So he finally said he would look to see if they could replace my entire computer. But he had to do a request, as he said there were different serice areas, or some such..I didn't really understand that.

He emailed me yesterday, and then called and told me I had been approved for a replacement computer. So that makes me happy, and a little wary..

He is supposed to send me specs today for what the new laptop will be.

I guess my question to everyone is, I have the GTX 260's in SLI. If he offers one video card instead of the SLI, should I be willing to take it? I am not going to try to get anything 'extra' out of Dell, I just want to get as good a system as I bought(which since it is 2 years old shouldn't be hard). And if that means going with just a single video card will give me better/same performance, that's fine.

I am sure they will not have any of the M17x R1's laying around, and he has already said he will need to upgrade most of my parts...

Anyway, you guys are always helpful and have great thoughts, so let me know what you think.

Thanks.

 

If they are going to offer you a new computer, it will probably be an M17x R3, which only comes with one video card. The M18x is really the true replacement for the R1/R2 series M17x's - I'd insist on one of those.

 

i was getting a replacement for my m17 r2, because i went through 5 sets of 5870's... they wanted to give me a m17r3, but i made a point of wanting sli or crossfire still, and i got a done m18 with 6970's, no questions asked...

 

yes don’t settle with what they first offer you. When I demanded a replacement for my M15x (pre dell) they first offered me a new dell m15x with an i3 and 2gb ram and a 260gt (i think can’t remember) and when I asked for an i7 8gb and a 5850m they didn’t bat and eye just ordered it was great so defiantly don’t just take what they first offer you unless its actually good

 

Well no new computer, really the same one I have with 8MB of RAM.

Same video cards, same everything. I tried to get them to budge, but it was kind of a take it or leave it kind of thing I got.

So I am getting a refurbished laptop, same everything I currently have except for maxing out the RAM, which if bought from them would be almost 250.00 dollars.

Not sure why it looks like I got the short end of the stick here, but I did get something out of it, so I am not complaining too much.

But if the 'new' one is scratched up or anything, I am not going to accept it. My current one is spotless, so I expect the same back.

Thanks for all the comments.

 

Damn, don't know what to say. I had bought originally an 17xr1 when it first came out. I was having a stuttering issue (i think it has been documented online), and ed for months, and they decided to replace the machine (at that time they didnt had r2s yet). Whne it arrived it had 2x the ram and a blue ray upgrade... so i was happy, even though it still stuttered (its a design flaw).
When the r2 came out, then I complained again, cause after several years, the stutering was still going on.... so they upgraded me to an r2, with 5870's xfire.
I know I could complain about the r2 to get an r3 or perhaps an m18x... but to be honest, I DO REALLY LIKE THIS LAPTOP... so i did not try again.. but there are documented flaws with r2s as well (like the keyboard not registering certain keys combos).
Anyways, I can't believe they are really forcing you on an r1. If I were you, I woul wait to get it, and then call back and asked them how to fix the stutering issue (it cant be fixed)... and perhaps a few call laters you might be upgraded.

 

Well got the refurbished computer today. And I just noticed that while there is 8 gigs of Ram (double what I had).

They took my quad core processor and took me down to a Duo core processor.

So I went from a Q9000 to a T9600.

I emailed the service rep and called, and they said they will replace the T9600 with a quad core.

So now I have a new laptop that is slower, and have to wait for a replacement to get here.

I am so unhappy with my purchase it is not even funny. It seems like every time I deal with them they try to screw me.

I only wanted a working laptop, and they can not even do that right.

This 'new' one arrived with an old bios that would not detect the battery and drivers that would not allow the wireless card to work.

After 1 1/2 hours they got that all working.

But man, I can only hope that most of the customers do not have to go through this.

But here is my question. Can you replace the T9600 with a Q9000 on the same motherboard, or are they going to have to replace the motherboard as well?

Thanks for listening to my rant.

 

It's compatible no motherboard swap needed

 

Thanks, they are sending a tech out to replace by the end of the week.

I hope it goes smoothly.. I am just ticked at all the hoops I am jumping through for essentially the same exact laptop, except this one 'should' work better..

 

I'm surprised they even had a R1 to give you.

 

Just my luck. Must be everyone else here who got a better one. They have all of theirs to give me..<sigh>

 

You should tell them a refurbished system is unacceptable you want a new one. How was the one they sent you any scratches dents or dings does it have a refurbished sticker on the bottom?

 

In all fairness it is very nice. It looks like new, and there are no scratches or dings.

It has everything, and as long as when they put in the new processor there are no scratches or dings, etc.. added, I will be happy.

I just wish they could get it right on the first take.

I tried to get them to upgrade me, and they basically told me to take this or leave it.

<shrug> Maybe they figure my warranty runs out this year(in December) and they just want to see if they can keep it working past then.

Thanks for all the help and insight.

 

Well if your happy thats all that matters Let's just hope the tech doesn't screw it up when he swaps CPUs. Watch him like a hawk

 

It seems, from the results in the M1730 Replacements Thread, that SLi systems are generally being replaced with SLi systems of a newer generation. In their case, usually an M17X-R2 or an M18X.

I generally agree with what's being said in this thread; don't settle for a single GPU machine, even if they make it sound reasonable. Problem is that once you've consented to being a single GPU owner, your future warranty and system replacement options will be generally limited to single-GPU systems. I would say that at the very least, you should always stick to the multi-GPU configuration as a minimum requirement for a replacement.

Given your experience, the replacement sounds good, save for the CPU, which they're dealing with as we speak. Leaving us with just this. . .

Excellent piece of advice.

It's a good system if and when it's running right. All the best with the replacement.

 

Well now I am pissed. My 'replacement' refurbished PC has a defective USB port.

I asked them just to replace this as, the system is not working and it is a replacement for a system that was not working.

They told me No. And even talking to the manager I got no where, except she really wanted me to say I was not going to cooperate so she could escalate, and void the warranty or some such.

I asked for a contact to send my story to. Apparently there is no one that I am allowed to talk to above her. I asked for a name, email address, or phone number to call. She informed me she was the only person I was allowed to talk to. Her boss does not talk to riff raff(my word) like me.

So I accepted the mother board replacement, and will take a second day off work to be here to get the replacement parts...

But is there any place I can call or email to write about my plight?

I had a tech here yesterday, 2/10, and now will have a tech this coming week to fix my 'new' replacement for my old non-working laptop.

I can not express how I loath this company and I will never buy a product from them again. But I am not getting taken advantage of, so I will get a laptop that actually works from these people if it is the last thing I do.

Thanks for reading my rant, and any suggestions or contact information would be appreciated.

 

strange i got a m1730 as replacement for my m1710 and afterward they replaced my m1730 with a m17x-r2, no questions asked, no rudeness. Just polite excellent service as one would expect ...

What country are you residing in??

unfortunatly my warranty on my m17x will expire next week and i have no funds to extend it ...

 

I live in the exotic state of Ohio, in the USA. So nothing to do with the country. I think they do not want to spend the money on replacing this laptop.

Not sure why they are being so horrible to me. <shrug> Maybe I have been too nice all the way along, and I am getting my just desserts.

Anyway, if someone has any place to contact them, I would be thankful.

This warranty goes until Jan 2013, so I actually have 11 months left, so stalling is not a reason for them doing this...

Thanks.

 

So I found this thread, and have not read it all. But is this the best way to go?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/449524-dell-alienware-aw-legacy-replacement-systems-warranty-repair-issues.html

It looks like there has been some success going this route, but I don't want to be too big a jerk about the lack of support I feel I have gotten.

Thanks for any advice.

 

try every possible route, you are the customer who feels neglected.
YOU payed +- $3000 for this thing that is not up to standard.
my two cents

 

So they came out and replaced the motherboard, my wife had today off, so it only made her a little mad to sit around and wait for Dell to come and fix the computer again.

So I sit down and hook everything up, all the USB ports work, and everything looks good.

But I plug the network cable in and it does not click..Just sits in the port, waiting to be bumped so it falls out.

I tried three different cables, all the same. It's something wrong with the MB installation.

Call Alienware, they want me to send the laptop in.. Not gonna happen, I paid for the warranty so I would not have to send it in.

Now they are sending out another MB to replace this one..Great...

So I am on hold to talk with a supervisor again...

Alienware sucks, and I am never buying from them again. They are over priced pieces of trash.

I am telling everyone who will listen that these idiots should go out of business.

I am going to send an email to the customer resolution line, but do not expect anything to be fixed by them.

 

Just curious do you have the Complete Care Warranty also. I'm just surprised that sent you a refurbished one.

 

Yes I do...They did not give me an option on the new vs refurbished thing. And now they refuse to do anything but replace parts.

I have ordered a new laptop and will sell this piece of junk.

 

So... The saga continues. I now consider Alienware a horrible company and will never spend a dollar on any of their products.

I scheduled a day off work, a month ago to get the MB replaced again on my 'new' laptop.

The day before they called and confirmed, told me I had to be home from 9am - 4 pm as they could show up anytime.

They called at 9am, said someone would be calling in the next 2 hours to let me know when he would be there.

I got a call at noon, telling me that I had scheduled the repair too far into the future, so they had sent the part back. I would have to reschedule.

WHAT!?!?

So I called Dell, they called the repair company and confirmed that indeed that is what happened, and I was out of luck.

I finally resigned, and told them I would send the laptop into their repair center. I got the box in the mail, and I returned it. The packaging materials were not really big enough for the 17" laptop, and I called and explained, but they told me to ship anyway. Okay... Their dime..

So I got the laptop back on Wed. It looked great, including the cracked case on the lid. ?!?!?

They barely had any packaging material on the damn thing, and the power cord was just floating around in the box.

So I called, and they wanted to send a tech out to repair, and blamed it on the shipper. I blamed it on the poor packing they did on the laptop.

But I refused the tech, as I am not taking a day off work again to maybe have them cancel, and I work at a large hospital, so the tech can not come to me, and my wife is a teacher, so she can not have a tech show up at her place of employment.

I am just so pissed. I payed good money for this warranty, and have tried to get someone at Dell to talk with me, but no one will listen, and they are all only willing to keep fixing this one. Which they never seem able to return to me at least as good as it was when I give it to them.

Does anyone have any email address or someone I could call and just let them look at my case?

The only laugh I got was when the tech asked me what the primary use was for my laptop, I told him a big paperweight.

<sigh> So anyone got any suggestions?

I am waiting for a box to ship my laptop back to the depot to get it fixed...

In other news, the Acer laptop I bought to replace this one rocks, and I would recommend it to anyone.. The Alienware, never will I recommend them to anyone.