Brand New R3 out of the box CRASHES!!!

Ok so I finally get my R3 yesterday, take out of the box and extremely excited only to see a white screen and 8 beeps that repeat in a cycle once turning it on. Called Alienware and told me that its the motherboard. Seriously!!!! It just came from the factory. Do they not test these things? So I have to wait 2 -3 days for an in home repair where they are replacing the motherboard, GPU, GPU fan, and keyboard holder? I can get a replacement the guy said but thats another 2-3 weeks of waiting. Should I just go with the in home repair or get a new made from the factory? Has anyone had the in home repair?

My setup, if it ever works is, the i7 2820QM , 16 GB ram, Radeon 6970m, intel ultimate wireless, Windows 7 Ultimate, Blu ray, 1080p screen, 1.5 TB Raid 0 hard drives

 

That stinks man, but that's the world of electronics for ya. I would bite the bullet and have them send you a new unit entirely, but in the end that's up to you if you want to wait. You're in the 21 day return window, doesn't make sense to have a brand new lappy cracked opened and dissected by a tech who most likely perform sub-par work.

 

I'd get a new one for sure and some compensation. Maybe a free backpack, mouse, or some discount.

 

agre with above 2, you should go for a new one 1, but make sure that they will give you something, like a 200 gift card

 

Get a replacement. Period.

 

Easy - Tell the rep to process a new order from the factory. They can dispatch out the parts if they want and attempt to repair but bottom line is that you want a new system. If they opt to repair, when the replacement *new* system arrives, yours can be shipped back.

Do not accept a service call of this magnitude on a new arrival system. Not worth the hassle. they can easily expedite the new order and get it to you in 2 weeks or less.

 

Yea I'm calling in the morning and explaining whats going on and see if they can put me ahead of the line for getting my replacement built and having them overnight it. Maybe see if they can throw in some accessories but I really just want it built fast and shipped fast. Im a Marine about to go to Okinawa, Japan for 2 years away from my wife and I need this laptop to keep my mind off missing her.

 

My replacement took a LONG time to get to me. I first called in on 3/7, so the order was placed 3/8. It ended up being cancelled cuz of parts shortage. I had to call them back to see what was up, and they had to reorder the replacement for me. SSOOOOOOOO stupid. If I hadn't called in about it, who knows if I would've ever been notified of the cancellation...

So anyways, the re-ordered replacement didn't arrive until 4/20. BS, right? Over a month wait time for something that came even more damaged than the original laptop. Hence all of my complaints.

Oh, and btw, each of the replacements were supposed to be expedited orders, with NBD shipping. So basically I got lied to. They only put priority on new orders (aka new customers), rather than those of us who were part of the Intel fiasco, or who are ordering replacements, cuz they know we're gonna wait and not cancel (cuz some of us either cannot cancel or "cannot get refunds").

 

Sorry to hear of your problem. Blame it on the shipper... Of course it was tested before shipping. It only takes one toss to unseat a cable and short something out...

 

You mean like their sub-par factory work?

 

I would like to put in my input as well.
Look, the in home service is not a guy who actually knows what he is doing. It is a person employed by a tech company which has a contract with Dell. I had a guy who serviced my computer where I live and it was the first time he has ever seen an M17x.
He didn't know how to open the case.

Anyway, every time I had a home service with something being replaced, straight away something else broke down. I had the DVD drive replaced, and the fan and hard-drive broke down. I had them replaced and the motherboard broke down. Then I had the motherboard replaced and the other fan broke down. Now i'm waiting for a replacement fan and hinge panel, since it also stopped working and was made sure that the next time anything happens I will receive a whole system replacement (I guess they realized all the parts they sent me are worth almost the worth of the computer).

In conclusion, kindly ask for a new system replacement rather than a home service. You are entitled to it under the 21 days policy. If they manage to pass through the 21 days without promising you a replacement, they will no longer be required to do so unless it is mechanically needed.

You can also demand compensation for the inconvenience, if they say no, because you have a choice for a home service, just say ok. And call them again after the order is processed within dell, tell them you did not realize it was going to take so long and demand compensation for the long wait, since the first system was broken and you depend on it for your work/school. They will shut you up with free stuff.

 

I'm sorry to tell you guys this, but the "free" stuff they'll give you isn't free. Nothing is free, all you get from this "free" stuff is that the Dell pc you just bought is 50$ higher in price, to cover the loss they get from giving away "free" stuff.
Just be glad that Dell recognize their faulty machine, and agrees to give you a brand new system - that, I think, is awesome!

 

Yeah, thats how I got myself 2 solid state devices 256 gb each and a headset. And a new machine after all that. tell me it isnt free

Don't listen to em buddy, you got all your chances to ask for compensation. you gotta ask it from a tech, he will call his manager, they'll send you something. they ALWAYS do if you ask correctly.

 

Supposed to get a call from the aafes dept at dell tomorrow for all my adventures with the R3s. I'll keep y'all posted on compensations and whatnot in my replacement thread.