Can't get a Alienware 17 with a blu-ray drive?

I just got done talking to a rep via chat and I tried to get a system configured based upon the $1999 Alienware 17 but the rep told me that they could not install a blu-ray drive in it. However, she did offer the 14 inch model that had a blu-ray drive. After I questioned her about that, as there have been many sent out to sites for review and others on this board have seemed to purchase them with a blu-ray drive she told me that the blu-ray drive was not a popular option and that I could not get a 17 inch system with one installed, and that they sell 'packages' and basically that they don't do custom configurations.

Has anyone else had this issue recently?

 

You can buy an optical one online and install yourself, runs a little over 100 bucks, easy install...
Kind of sucks the way they limit your configurations...

 

That is interesting, when I looked in the outlet yesterday almost every one of the new generations came with a blu-ray drive.

 

This is true, about the configurator on the website. It does seem like it does not let you add that. No info on why they removed the option. But still it is a regular slot load Blu Ray, so any other one should work just fine. The ODD bay is easily reachable and you should have no issues installing it.

 

There is no reason what-so-ever why a blu-ray drive can not be added to this system through calling in, or through the chat system. It is a insult to be able to configure a 14 inch laptop with one and not a 17 inch model. Especially when you consider that many of your competitors have 17 inch systems with blu-ray drives, and less than 3 weeks ago you could get the Alienware 17 with a blu-ray drive.

 

It may be due to availability, that's usually why they remove components from the website. I understand that the lack of that piece may cause issues to customers but unfortunately neither I or the rep on the phone can override that (they are attached to the possible configs). The issue has been already escalated. Hopefully we will get info on this soon.

 

It is not a lack of availability, it is a lack of customization on the laptops. As I said previously I could currently order a 14 or a 18 inch laptop with the blu-ray drive but not the 17 inch model, but even there for some stupid reason they are not letting people properly customize the laptops, you can only get those drives or other options on certain 'packages'

I just checked the website and talked to another rep and there is now a different 'package' for the 17 that does include the blu-ray drive, yet again they will not let me customize the parts that it comes with. When I can go to a place like Xoticpc.com, or any number of places like them, and get a customized system. I used to be able to go to Dell.com or Alienware and get a pc or laptop customized with any of the options that were available for that system, if I couldn't get it on the website then I could call in and they would customize the system for me over the phone, and that was one of the things that made Dell great. This moving to 'packaged' computers is a insult to your customers that have grown to like your products over the years even if they had to pay a premium to get the customizable computers from Dell. Now your just asking for the premium price without the benefit of being able to get the customization.

 

Sorry ranmas, but your coming off as super rude, please remember alienware reps are here to help us and no need to flame them for something they have no control over.

Laptop configurations are not specced by aw reps here, so quit whining. If you can get everything else except blu ray, just buy the damn laptop and buy a bluray drive from eBay. Might even turn out cheaper for you.

 

If and when you buy the company or become CEO you can decide what is sold until then we have to work with what is offered and the Rep's are in the same boat as we.
It is what it is.

 

We recently changed to that way of configuring the systems, even in the US. It helps to deliver the PC's quicker but I must say that I also liked it the way it was before. If you believe the marketing team should reconsider you can always submit your thoughts to Ideastorm.com.

As the other guys stated, I wish I could do more about the situation but other than asking what's happening there isn't much we can do.

 

Be that as it may, if people do not complain when they don't like something, and just take it as it is things will not change. However, if they hear enough complaints from enough people things might change. So really it is better to at least try and fail than to not try at all. Also generally if you complain, or say tell people what you want enough times in cases like this you can generally get it so long as it is a fairly reasonable request. It is probably pretty obvious, but I don't think that customizing a laptop or a desktop pc is unreasonable.

Lol, yeah if I had the money to buy the company this wouldn't be an issue, but because I'm only a customer I do what I feel I have to in order to get some change done. After all most changes you see in laws did not come about because those in power thought oh it would be nice if we did this for the people. No they generally come about with protests, and unfortunately in a lot of cases bloodshed. That however, is way off topic. Maybe I should hunt up the phone number of upper management and voice my issues with them as well.

No, thats perfectly alright. Like I said in another post when a customer does not like the service they usually will try and complain/convince them to get the service done how they want it, its all part of the haggling process. Last time I had a dell built I had to complain to a couple people before the went ahead and built a computer the way I wanted it. However, this time I've not gotten anywhere with that so its time to move on up the food chain and try and get a system ordered that way.

 

Well its already said, goto ideastorm and post it there, but seeing as 99% of consumers don't care to even go and promote, your chances are slim.

 

Even my system came with a dvd-rom and I wanted so bad a bluray. But in the end I made use of that slot since it is a SATA 3 slot and added my 3rd SSD in there. Went to a shop and paid $89 for an external bluray writer. Matter solved... Now I have 3 ssd in raid 0 and a mSATA 240GB SSD as operating system.

 

I agree with juliant... What about getting an extra internal HDD so you can have tons of useful storage space, or SSD RAID0 and one of these, then you can have the best of both worlds with no need to sacrifice anything.

 

I did one better. Even though I currently have a uj235a in my aw18, I bought a Sony external powered DVD burner for $25. Took out the DVD burner and chucked in bd-re drive from my old dead m1730 (uj120?), Now I have an external bluray burner which has its own power supply. Not a single error so far burning any kind of media, even crappy verbatim comes out fine. Being powered, I can connect it to anything with anaemic USB ports as well and don't have to worry about errors and ruined expensive bluray media.

Secondly on topic of 3rd hdd, why not add a 2tb hdd in there, easy to do, especially with aw18.

Yes guys, I remember, I still have the idea of 3x 9.5mm drives in aw18, in my head. But i am still waiting for parts to arrive, the joys of living down under, have to pay more and wait longer for pretty much anything it related

 

Or fit one yourself, there's a few options.