Alienware 17 Landed and Then it Flew Back

Edit* May a moderator edit the title and remove the "amp;amp;" .. I have no idea how that got there

I thought I'd share my HORRIBLE experience with the worst computer I've ever owned.

First: I'm so excited and open the computer from the box, turn it on, BAM, Dead Pixels. 3-5 at the top left. Call dell they send a tech out to replace it, I think okay that's fine, I'll deal with that. SCREEN REPLACED

Second: On site tech is over and I explain to him how something odd is happening to my optical drive. Every time I put a CD/DVD/BD in the bay it makes a weird mechanical clunking noise. This occurred before the tech came over. OPTICAL DRIVE DOA.

Third: Same day, LCD had been replaced. Started playing games thinking everything is fine, NOPE. CPU fan dies. Borderlands 2 CPU fan at 106*C. Turn off computer and think him reflag the Bios? Try it and the fan starts to work. WooHoo! Puts the computer the sleep. NO FAN.
CPU FAN DOA.

Fourth: After having the fan problems, I think hmm maybe some windows updates. And a graphics update. MAYBE this will help. Restart, GRAPHICS CARD FAILED. Fails to post. GTX 780M DOA. To confirm this I take the 780M out of the Alienware 17. The graphics card wouldn't function at all no posting on my M17X R4 as well. I should elaborate: These graphics errors also corresponded with BSOD's.

Last but not least: IGPU would not click down so when CPU fan would work it would go full bore and the CPU temps were 39*C ... Whaaaa?

Status: Returned, Reason? Horrible product. COMPONENTS SIMPLY DON'T WORK.

Bright Side: The Alienware 17 is pretty


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

 

Posts like this make me wonder if QC is actually becoming worse... I had hoped that locking down configuration options would yield an immediate improvement.

 

I really can't explain it. All that I can tell is that it could just be suspect of cutting corners...

 

It baffles me why Dell would offer a product that is by most accounts well-built without dedicated QC and enterprise-level support. Well, this might be retribution for those who complain about Alienware's prices. Much cheaper than it was a few years ago and now manufactured in China.

 

Hmm, it's sad to read about bad experiences. Unfortunately, in our imperfect world, they'll always exist... Hopefully they take care of you. :thumbsup:

Fortunately, for Alienware, one bad apple doesn't spoil the bunch.

 

One bad apple doesn't, but several leave a bad taste in your mouth

 

I agree, it's certainly sad that a new machine turns out to be an expensive paperweight. Hopfully, Dell will step up to the plate and do the right thing by you - either a full refund or a brand new replacement. Those would be the only two options that I would personally entertain at this point. J.Dre is correct though..whilst it is unfortunate, no company has a 100% success rate, and there will be people who get 'lemons' - that's just a given fact of life........it's how Dell deal with it now that counts.

Good luck with it....keep us posted.

 

I've set up a return but I've contacted my case manager for what further actions they can do to make it right. They first offered me an exchange of a "similar" system lol.

 

Haggle for some upgrades

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

I'd agree to an extent - you don't wanna burn your bridges, especially if you are outside a normal return window....Dell could insist on putting you through the 'repair' mill.....depot etc......but by all means, scope it out though....

 

I've owned the computer for less then a week. Also parts as stated have already been replaced. They wanted me to depot it but I refused to be in the repair mill .. As stated a new system shouldn't be subdued to that. And yes upgrades will be spoken about to my case manager Monday.

 

In that case.....see what Dell are prepared to offer in terms of (i) an upgraded spec. for a replacement, or (ii) return it for a full refund and be free to re-order or walk away. I guess the latter will depend if you can replicate any 'deal' you might have got on the original purchase....and if you want to have another stab....

You're kind of in the driving seat, as if Dell refuse a replacement with some degree of good will gesture - whatever that may or may not be - just tell 'em they can have it back and you'll take your money elsewhere.....or not, if you decide to re-order.

 

If they are offering a replacement, take it. You'd be a fool not to... Just make sure it's a new system replacement, not some returned or refurbished one. Of course you will have to wait for it to be built, but it will be worth while.

If not, I'd just return it for a refund.

 

As stated they were not offering a new replacement they were offering a "like" system that would take up to ten days to be approved. I refused this and am returning the computer. However, as said I will be contacting my case manager who is willing to work with me on ordering a new one. And yes I'm almost positive I can replicate the deal but it's not about that it's about being compensated for my waste of time.

 

And yes, that's why I returned the item or in the process, as to stay in the drivers seat. so I don't skip out on the 21 day window. Waiting for them to approve a replacement. That may or may not be new, or even the same performance wise. As tech support only approved a "like" system. Seems logical.

Edit* To complete thought, more concisely.

 

Seems perfectly logical to me....

 

Farewell for now then, I'll keep everyone updated on the status!


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

 

Compensation System:/B]
Quantity
Item Number
Description
Unit Price
1
210-AAPS
Alienware 17 Base
$1500.12
1
370-AANN
16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
$0.00
1
580-ABEG
English Keyboard
$0.00
1
490-BBGQ
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M with 4GB GDDR5
$0.00
1
658-BBOD
Broadcom 4352 Driver
$0.00
1
400-AASW
750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s + 64GB mSATA SSD Caching
$0.00
1
619-ACMQ
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, English
$0.00
1
429-AAFS
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BD-ROM, DVDRW, CD-RW)
$0.00
1
555-BBEQ
Broadcom 4352 802.11 ac 2x2 and Bluetooth 4.0
$0.00
1
470-AAKG
US 125V Power Cord
$0.00
1
340-ABEU
Documentation, English
$0.00
1
421-1723
Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement for Alienware
$0.00
1
950-3337
1 Year Limited Warranty
$0.00
1
950-9797
No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
$0.00
1
994-3730
Warranty Support, Initial Year
$0.00
1
954-4168
Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
$0.00
1
954-4191
In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis, Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year
$0.00
1
951-6520
Accidental Damage Service, 1 Year
$99.00
1
461-4604
$200 Dell Promo Gift Card - Arrives in 10-20 days, carries a 90 Day Exp. Terms at Dell.com/giftcard
$0.00
1
338-BCHW
Overclocked 4th Gen Intel(R)Core(TM)i7-4900MQ Processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.0GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
$489.17
1
391-BBEM
17.3 inch (439.42 mm) WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare Display
$146.75
1
451-BBCB
8-cell Lithium Ion (86 wHr) Battery
$0.00
1
450-AAJI
240W AC Adapter
$0.00
1
354-BBBB
Anodized Aluminum
$0.00
1
640-BBLC
Alienware Command Center 3.0
$0.00
1
658-BBNS
System Software for Alienware M17xR1
$0.00
1
340-ADEL
Alienware 17 Anodized Aluminum
$0.00
1
389-BCCZ
Windows 7 Label, OptiPlex, Fixed Precision, Vostro Desktop
$0.00
1
430-XYGR
Power DVD 9.6 BD, 3D,V2
$0.00
1
340-ADEV
Setup Instructions English
$0.00
1
332-1530
Dell.com Order
$0.00
1
332-1530
Dell.com Order
$0.00
1
658-BBNX
Additional Software
$0.00
1
340-ACQQ
Not Included
$0.00
1
630-AAAU
Software: Microsoft Office 2013 Trial
$0.00
1
817-BBBP
None Required
$0.00
1
730-5524
Thank You for Choosing Dell
$0.00
1
461-3259
$200 Dell Promo Gift Card - Arrives in 10-20 days, carries a 90 Day Exp. Terms at Dell.com/giftcard
$0.00
Item Sub Total $2235.04
Item Ship Charge $0.00
Item Tax $149.53
Item Total $2384.57

Original System:
Quantity
Item Number
Description
Unit Price
1
210-AAPS
Alienware 17 Base
$1685.04
1
370-AANN
16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
$0.00
1
580-ABEG
English Keyboard
$0.00
1
490-BBGQ
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M with 4GB GDDR5
$0.00
1
658-BBOD
Broadcom 4352 Driver
$0.00
1
400-AASW
750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s + 64GB mSATA SSD Caching
$0.00
1
619-ACMQ
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, English
$0.00
1
429-AAFS
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BD-ROM, DVDRW, CD-RW)
$0.00
1
555-BBEQ
Broadcom 4352 802.11 ac 2x2 and Bluetooth 4.0
$0.00
1
470-AAKG
US 125V Power Cord
$0.00
1
340-ABEU
Documentation, English
$0.00
1
421-1723
Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement for Alienware
$0.00
1
950-3337
1 Year Limited Warranty
$0.00
1
950-9797
No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
$0.00
1
994-3730
Warranty Support, Initial Year
$0.00
1
954-4168
Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
$0.00
1
954-4191
In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis, Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year
$0.00
1
951-6520
Accidental Damage Service, 1 Year
$99.00
1
640-BBLC
Alienware Command Center 3.0
$0.00
1
658-BBNS
System Software for Alienware M17xR1
$0.00
1
340-ADEV
Setup Instructions English
$0.00
2
332-1530
Dell.com Order
$0.00
1
451-BBCB
8-cell Lithium Ion (86 wHr) Battery
$0.00
1
338-BCHV
4th Generation Intel(R)Core(TM)i7-4800MQ processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w/ Intel(R)Turbo Boost)
$143.88
1
354-BBBB
Anodized Aluminum
$0.00
1
340-ADEL
Alienware 17 Anodized Aluminum
$0.00
1
730-5491
Thank You for Choosing Dell
$0.00
1
430-XYGR
Power DVD 9.6 BD, 3D,V2
$0.00
1
389-BCCZ
Windows 7 Label, OptiPlex, Fixed Precision, Vostro Desktop
$0.00
1
391-BBEM
17.3 inch (439.42 mm) WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare Display
$107.91
1
630-AAAU
Software: Microsoft Office 2013 Trial
$0.00
1
658-BBNX
Additional Software
$0.00
1
817-BBBP
None Required
$0.00
1
450-AAJI
240W AC Adapter
$0.00
1
340-ACQQ
Not Included
$0.00
1
461-3259
$200 Dell Promo Gift Card - Arrives in 10-20 days, carries a 90 Day Exp. Terms at Dell.com/giftcard
$0.00
Item Sub Total $2035.83
Item Ship Charge $0.00
Item Tax $135.58
Item Total $2171.41

 

I've got to wait a few more months, hehe, but meh I'll agree to it.

 

So, you ended up with a cpu upgrade and a $200 GC for your troubles? - am I reading that correctly??

 

Last year when I got my alienware m18xr2, I had it changed 3 times, was going back and forth for about 3 months and in the end I said, enough! All of them have some issue. I asked Alienware technical support if they are willing to send me the parts and I will replace them myself and they agreed.

I can say that from the sales department when I ordered the system, to the last minute until I had the system completely fixed, everyone was so cooperative and did everything possible to make me happy. From that time to now, I have no issues what so ever with the system and I kind of opened several times without any issues.

Unfortunately you will have to work your way around, and once you receive the right system in 100% functioning condition, there should be no issues. Even the current 17 model, I had it opened atleast 2 times in bits and pieces and there are no problems (touch wood).

Best of luck!

 

CPU upgrade for $200. (The asking price was $300, but they shaved off $100) And the coupon came with my other. So my other order was $2174, This one is $200 plus that as you can see. I also was given a free Alienware 17 Backpack.

 

That's great news! - glad that Dell came through for you in the end. :thumbsup:

 

I hope so, I'm a pessimist, so I'm assuming I'll gt another lemon XD. Also refer to the other post with the specs, I posted my previous system.