Brand New Alienware 17 Broken! (Very Angry)

So today was the day I finally received my brand new AW 17! But all was not as it seems! The first problem I noticed was that the keyboard was not working at all... I didn't know what was wrong with it so I used a external keyboard to run the windows welcome setup. After that was finished, I decided to see how the system ran like by trying out the screen on 1080P on YouTube and also trying the speakers out. They were all fine and I was blown away by how nice the screen and speakers were. But after a while the system randomly went blank and kept on beeping non stop every 1-2 seconds until I powered off the system completely...

This was when I knew something was definitely wrong with the system as it was brand new. So I looked on YouTube to see how to open up the AW 17 so I can see if everything was okay and to my surprise there were a lot of problems inside the system! Firstly the keyboard error was due to the keyboard ribbon, pins and the black piece to connect it was all bent and snapped off! Also some of the screws seemed like they weren't meant to be in there place as for example one screw on the battery unit of my system was screwed on ridiculously tight and the other one was just fine! As well as that I found a random screw hidden beneath the optical bay not screwed on to anything! (long screw).

I have never had any issues with Alienware or Dell as I have previously brought a M15x and my brother and sister also had a Dell XPS M1530 and had no problems at all! I am really frustrated as this is the first product from Dell that I have had which is riddled with problems such as poor manufacturing. I demand either a full refund or brand new system replacement! If any Alienware reps could kindly help me on how to get a new system or refund please message me.

 

That would be really disappointing. Where are you located? The Dell / Alienware website will have a Support tab that will allow to contact them regarding warranty repair / replacement.


If you didn't buy from Dell then contact whoever sold it too you.

 

I am from the UK and this was brought brand new off Dell with a year warranty. I don't want them to repair my laptop as I need a brand new replacement as this one is just riddled with issues. It's nice to know that my £1200 was spent on a faulty laptop that was made by clueless workers...

 

It looks like they sent you a refurbished system. I'd send it back immediately.

 

Wow, so all that time when I was checking on how my system was doing from the building to the shipping it was all just a lie... They thought it would be funny to send me a refurbished machine. I am beyond mad right now

 

If it was a brand new system, it was handled horribly and basically broken in transit or in production, which is ridiculous. Either way, you should have a return period.

 

Yeah it's crazy all these stories I have heard such as there "death" repair factories. Do you think they will try and get a dell technician to come and repair my laptop rather than actually giving me a "brand new" laptop? Cause if that's what they will try and do I will give them hell as I paid a lot of money expecting an issue free machine. I don't want a dumb technician to probably ruin it even more than it already is.

 

I'm not sure. The policy in Europe is different. Are you still within the return period? If so, just return it.

 

How long is the return policy period? I ordered on the 19th of August (14 days ago).

 

Then you have time. It is 30 days from the day it was shipped. Call, tell them the system is broken and you would like to return or exchange it for a new system.

 

I have to say that this is exceptional. I have had 4 Alienware machines and all have been excellent and when I have had an issue they have promptly fixed it. Give them a call and give them a chance to fix it for you.

 

As J.Dre said just call them up and pretty much demand a return or replacement as this is completely unacceptable. It really makes me wonder who is doing the quality control in the wear house when system show up like this. My 17 showed up and although it ran just fine, someone had overtightened one of the screws for the 780 and snapped the screw on the heat sink. They sent me a new heat sink and all was good but either way it shouldn't have happened. Also have a friend that has the same system and his lasted 4 days before something shorted out and fried the machine, scorched the board and all. Alienware apologized profusely and sent him a new machine with a much better CPU.

Basically keep calm, phone them and explain the issue, ask for a replacement system and ask for compensation, they are pretty good at giving you free upgrades in these situations. Above all , REMAIN CALM, don't just flip out when they answer the phone as that won't get you anywhere. If they refuse to help ( don't know why they would ) then ask for a return and refund.

 

You should be able to return it in the UK, we have the distance selling regulations etc. I would get a refund and order a new one. I personally wouldnt go for repairs as it should have been new and perfect since it is supposed to be brand new. Plus fixing it could cause more problems for all we know.

I would avoid a repair, maybe get an exchange and upgrade if possible. Just a bit unlucky that the quality control was not that good. But my 2 Alienwares have been great quality (minus a repaste).

Good luck, im sure you can defintely get a refund.

 

That's shocking QC.
Hope it all works out for you and you get new asap.

 

This.

Above all else, be calm and cool despite you being upset and angry that it turned up broke. Alienware's customer service has been nothing but excellent to me in the UK, although I'd also put this down to me treating the person at the other end of the phone with respect, as it's also out of their control about what happened. This eventually got me a laptop replacement (From the M17x R4 to the M17) with an upgrade on nearly every component.

Do you have Dell's number?

 

I just called them and they were excellent!

 

Thanks everyone for your help and advice! I just rang them and dells customer service was exceptional and my representative was so nice and kind to me! He said on Thursday someone will come and collect my system and I will get a brand new one despatched to me as well! He said he will contact me within 48 hours. I am hoping this replacement will be the end of all the issues!

Before I finally got through to my representative the people at tech support were clueless and just said we can send someone to repair it for you and I was like "No, I paid £1300 for a brand new system. What makes you think I want to pay £1300 for someone to come and possibly damage my laptop even more?" they then finally put me through to the correct place where I wanted to be!

 

I hope it works out for you. Keep us all informed as how it goes.

 

Glad to hear they are taking care of you! Hope it all works out for you, and here is hoping for upgrades

 

They haven't named the spec of the laptop yet as they have just received both photo and video evidence of my broken laptop. I am hoping they spec me one with a i7 4900MQ or a 4910MQ

 

Honestly I wouldn't be afraid to ask for an upgrade or two due to the inconvenience. My buddy who's laptop fried got his original with a 4700mq and Alienware gave him a 4900mq as compensation, although they said they were out of stock on the 4700's so it was the 4900 or wait for stock haha......hard choice.

 

I'd hope for the 4910 since its newer, but I have the 4900mq and its pretty good, just get some decent paste on it.

 

Okay, so no one came to collect my laptop today but my representative rang me explaining why. I think I could be getting a 4900MQ or a 4910MQ as I emailed him mentioning about a free upgrade for the inconvenience!

He told the sales department about my issue and told them if I could get a higher end processor and they said no at first. But then he later told them that I had a faulty system and that they are now reconsidering and will have the answer definately by tomorrow. He also said he will make sure that I will get the best upgrade possible as he told me he knew some friends in the department! Talk about dedicated customer support or what!

 

They really do have the best customer support

It makes me wonder who people get transferred to when they come here with customer support horror stories....my money is on either they flipped out at the rep, who in turn had no incentive to help the customer at all , or they ended up in Dell support.

Either way , hope you get some sweet upgrades

 

Yeah, I think you are right. If you treat people with respect then in turn you will get the same treatment back. I also hope I get some upgrades hopefully haha. Also I love Moogles off Final Fantasy! They are the cutest!

 

Right, my representative rang me today saying that if I wanted the 4910MQ I would have to pay an extra £300 which I was not willing to do unfortunately. So I said I'll just have a brand new replacement of the exact specification as my broken laptop.

He said he will ring me Monday and that someone will come and collect it Tuesday and that the brand new one should be all confirmed on the same day. I am kind of disappointed that I couldn't get a free upgrade seeing that I am having all these issues oh well.

 

That's wierd. My brand new alienware died 2 days after I got it . They tried to get me to send it to be repaired but I refused and said I wanted a new replacement . They sent me a new one exactly the same then I put my old in the box that the new one came in and sent it back. Kind of wierd they would send someone out to actually pick up your old one first.

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If it makes you feel any better I didn't get any upgrades either. But at least I got to hold on to my old system until I received my new one.

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When both mine had to be replaced they built and shipped a new one before I had to send the old one back. It seems that it can vary depending on where you are and the circumstances around the exchange.

That is surprising, I have heard of them offering upgrades to people due to the hassle of receiving a DOA system. As much as it sucks at least your getting a new one though. Here is to a speedy build and ship time

 

Just an update guys! My brand new Alienware 17 arrived on Monday and it is in perfect working order with everything intact and all the screws are also meant to be where they are! My system is running perfectly smooth with no issues at all and they even put the RAM under the cover slots this time round rather than under the keyboard which made it hard for me to install my 16GB RAM. Thank you guys for your help and information!

 

It always helps if the machine is built properly ^-^ Glad it's all working, have you done any benchmarks or looked at any temperatures just to triple check?