Laptop replacement under warranty

So with news of the new Alienware models, I decided to bite the bullet and ask for a replacement for my r3. (currently having blackscreen issues in games, which has been getting worse; previously had 4 motherboard replacements, 2 new GPUs, 2 new sets of speakers and 2 new heatsinks for a variety of issues)

So I think I'll be approved for a replacement. I know I'm not going to get an r5 (or whatever you want to call the new ones), but does anyone have an idea as to what kind of specs a replacement might have? I know it'll be a refurb, I'm just hoping they don't have any more r3s left over!

Additional details - the laptop originally shipped with a 460m, but with two GPU failures they bumped it to a 6970m, which I currently have. Will this affect anything?

 

With all of those issues i think you could complain enough to get the 2013 model.

Tell them you've had enough and don't want a used one when you paid for a brand new one that never worked properly and that you want a new one that works properly.

After 3 mobos it shoulda been a lemon anyways.

 

That's a good idea, it would really be awesome to get an aluminum exterior... (and 700 series nVidia cards)

I'll ask when the support rep calls back tomorrow!

 

Unless you purchased directly from the outlet, there's no reason why they should replace your current unit with a refurbished one. Argue the fact you purchased a new unit and don't want to settle for any less.

that's a ton of issues!

I Hope you get something you're happy with

 

Makes sense, don't know how much the Support guys will agree with you though... Well, at the very least it will be faster and likely more reliable than the one I have now!

 

When they replaced mine 2 weeks ago the rep actually felt bad for me because the new models were coming out so soon. He would have replaced my R4 with an R5 if he could but he couldn't do it at the time. I don't see why they wouldn't give you an R5, Alienware is pretty good like that.

 

Yeah, I got this one to replace my R3 around 2 weeks after the R4 came out. They checked the outlet for a 'same or better' config then said I would get a new one. Note though in all dell's warranty T's & C's they state factory refurbished parts may be supplied. All the machines in the outlet are already refurbs.

Good luck!

 

Like I said, I'll be asking for one - though it might be a bit early. I'm very fine with waiting an extra week or three for a 50% performance gain, plus aluminum!

Right, so they do have the ability to give me a refurb.. Here's hoping they can't find a same or better refurbished machine! (All depends on one's definition of "same or better", I guess)

 

Sure does. I saw one guy get an mx18 to replace his aging R2 since he had a dual GPU machine from new. The R4 with a single GPU is way more powerful than that old R2 but he pulled it off!!

 

Damn, he was supposed to call me back at 7pm tonight... (Now 840)

Guess I get to call them again.

 

Called back last night (Thursday), said they'd call sometime Friday evening. Guess not.

Well, at least this gives me something to bargain with...

 

Well, calling back for the 4th time, I was told that a replacement system has been approved, and that "they will call me back with a replacement system once they find a match".

Any idea how long this might take? (tips on bargaining for a new system would also be appreciated, as I really don't want to have to deal with refurb parts again - they sent me a motherboard with a fried clock chip one time )

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/721993-really-come-alienware-2.html

 

Same or better specs.
What happens is that if we have no matches available we will have to look for other options (new system for example). After 60 days having the computer it's no longer considered a brand new one so we look into our Outlet Inventory. However we always try to go on a case by case basis so this may not apply on specific cases.

 

So I just got off the phone with a support rep, who confirmed a replacement system for me, but said that it would be a new m17x r4. Which confuses me on two levels - first that they are still making r4s, and also didn't the r4s stop being configurable with the 1920x1080 screens a month ago due to lack of stock?



Guess I'll see when they email me the system configuration.

 

That is strange, you would not think they are going to start up a whole production line for you, maybe the guy just got ot wrong and was still able to order an R4 but it will change further down the path . The 1080 screen issue could have been simply getting rid of a lot of old stock in the run up to new models, rather than a shortage of 1080 panels so that may not be a problem.

Intrigued....

 

Please continue to keep us posted, I am interested in how they deal with faulty laptops, just in case.

 

Well, they emailed me with an order number today - new 17, 1920x1080 display, 8GB ram, 750 spinner, etc- but a 4700MQ and 765m

Guess I get to argue on that - the equivalent to a 2720qm, counterintuitively, is a 4800MQ, and a 765m gets killed by a 6970m all too often. Especially in GPGPU, which is a large part of what I do... But at least it's new!

It also says that it is "In Production" already. THAT was fast! (And makes me hope I can convince them to change it a bit)

EDIT: just saw the signature of the tech I've been working with. Sun-Thrs, 9am-6pm CST... Great.

 

You're mad that you're getting a new R5 replacement for your old R3? And the 4700MQ is better than the 2720QM. Also quick look at the 765m vs gain your old 6970m shows its more powerful. Isn't Dell only obligated to replace with same or better? I really don't see how that isn't a lot better. Dude I'd be happy! You gained we features and more future upgrade possibilities.

 

Believe me, I know that the r5 is a huge upgrade. But when you say that both parts are unequivocally better, look at smallLux or a similar gpu benchmark - that's what my workload is like, and that's what nVidia is bad at.

And I am very happy

 

I think I know what you are saying . For some of the hardcore stuff people do, the NV cards perform far less well (something to do with CUDA?) than AMD - as I hear it

Easy for the gamer to choose on available data

 

It's not CUDA that's the issue (in fact CUDA is significantly easier to program, but it's nVidia only), it's that nVidia designs their cards to be good at gaming and only gaming. Which means no integer performance. And then they cut fp64 performance for the consumer grade cards, as well. AMD has a much more egalitarian approach - even though integer ops aren't as common in games, they keep the hardware for it, and they don't neuter their fp64 nearly as much. Neither of these things would be seen in games - but both are readily apparent when running software that stresses it.

 

Thanks for the info - consider myself edumacated

It all goes to what I think; AMD is the true enthuaist choice but for your 'normal' run of the mill gamer I say go NV - well I did until their last driver appears to be burning cards

 

@Dust Star

Could you plz tell me what warranty you had with your m17x r3? Was it in USA?

Also plz give a summary of how you got a brand new replacement. I.e. What did you say to Dell to get them to replace you with a new system?

 

The name's Dusk, by the way

I bought it with a 3 year accidental protection warranty in August of 2011, and yes in the US. Nice thing about the US is that you get next-day in home service, which seriously can not be overstated.

As for getting a brand new replacement, I had a TON of issues over the last year or so. You can see the summary up above - and that's just the hardware issues! (Software were kinda my fault) So when I had my most recent issue, I asked if I could have a replacement system instead - and as I had had far more than the required 3 technician visits, they agreed to give me one. I was expecting a refurbished r4, to be honest - but I'm not going to complain about getting an r5 (other than some of the components)

Basically, you don't want to have to get a replacement laptop. If you never have an issue, you have won in my book - even if I end up with a newer system. But if you do have issues, Alienware has the best warranty of any laptop manufacturer out there, full stop.

 

Having worked in the US purchasing Dell and now back in the UK I can say that the processes for service/support/replacement are identical. If anything I find the UK (India) help desk easier to deal with

There is NO contractual obligation for dell to provide new equipment or parts under warranty. They often replace after a series of problems rather than keep throwing money (for them) at it. If a refurb is not available then you win with a brand new piece of kit. It's what has kept me a loyal dell (business) customer for 10 years+ now

 

Called back today about the difference between a 6970m and a 765m, (as they hadn't responded via email yet) and was told the reason the config had a 765m was that they had based it on my original configuration of the m17x r3 with a 460m. So hopefully they'll reconfigure it based on my 6970m now! And take the current machine out of production.

 

What if I have a BIOS password but I cannot enter it because the keyboard is not working properly? I still have a warranty (i used the laptop for 4months) however they imposed that I must pay for the motherboard replacement for $225 dollars, because I put a BIOS password. What should I do? Is removing the CMOS battery will reset the BIOS pass?

 

They were really good when they replaced mine and I didn't even have to ask for one....When i phoned in after I got my machine back from the depot service the tech immediately said that due to the issues I have had ( Which is far less then Dusk ) that he would be processing an exchange and I would be getting a new system, I even had the authorization immediately while on the phone with him. The only problem we ran into was the 1080 screen option was not available and so he shipped the screen out after I got the replacement model and it was installed the day after the replacement system had arrived. After a quick screen change over we were good to go and all has been good since. I just missed out on the R5 but I did get the better CPU over the first gen Ivy and I got a bluray drive over the plain DVD drive I had before. All in all I really didn't have much in terms of downtime, about 4 days when the first motherboard crapped out. In the long run I was extremely impressed by the support I got, they were always quick to ship replacement parts and schedule a tech which was always the next day. Aside from having to wait 2 weeks for my replacement system which wasn't that bad because the first laptop was still operational so I wasn't without a computer, I have had nothing buy good things to say about the service I have gotten.

The biggest thing I think people forget is the instant you get angry and come at the tech aggressively they lose a lot of ambition to help you out and grant you any requests. just stay calm and treat the other person on the phone with respect and it will usually go quite well.

 

Okay, this is getting unbelievable. Support rep just informed me, via email (after I was told I would be called tonight) that all replacement systems are specced off of your original laptop, no matter that the GPU currently in your system is significantly better than that - due to the previous two GPUs dying horribly. And that as such I would be getting a 765m, period.

I was relatively sure that "same or better" meant same or better from what we put into your machine, not same or better from before you had 4 motherboards and 3 GPUs die...

And even with that, it looks like I won't have a system that works for another 2+ weeks. SERIOUSLY.

EDIT: seems the best way to get a tech to call you is to post about a tech not calling you... (Email signature said they were off at 7pm EST) Of course, still not budging on the GPU, and apparently shipping a 4700MQ as well - a base 17 in all but the screen. That's going to be expensive to fix later...

 

Turns out they won't even let me buy a part upgrade before it gets shipped - everything has to be done after I get the machine. Least it looks like it will be shipping with the first batch of 17s to finish production, though!

And I'll probably be the first NBR member to post benches of the 765m in a 17

 

Talked to someone in the Executive Customer Support Team today (finally!), but still no change of system specifications. (Which means no vPro, VT-d, or Trusted Execution Technology on the CPU, which I had originally, and about a 20x reduction in integer GPGPU performance)

And no paying the difference for a better GPU than the 765m, either... Dell couldn't at least give me that?!?

Though it will apparently be shipping "in the next day or two", which would be nice if I were actually home instead of on vacation.

 

Sucks about not being able to upgrade parts from the get go. I'm not surprised though /soapbox_on I think you are stuck because of dells decision to only offer pre-decided configurations with very limited options. Back in the day anyone that knows their way around a PC would simply choose the cheapest base model and upgrade as they decided was important to them. Now dell tell you what you can have and very little variation allowed.

The AW as a 'boutique brand' is clearly dead. If it wasn't for the excellent support I'd have already jumped ship. I will probably not be buying AW again simply because they have no competitive advantage any more, even the new look is boring and 'samey', and has almost NO identity. I'll pop a 680m in this to get a little longer out of it and then look for a provider that suits my needs and not just another box shifter (which dell seem determined to do with AW) /soapbox_off

Hope it works out good for you

 

I have pretty much the same R4 as you. My question is do you think the new 17 is a better machine?

 

Well, I lose a decent amount of speed while in a virtual machine, and a ton of speed in GPGPU. I gain 20-30% CPU for tasks that don't involve encryption, virtualisation, or other useful things, and about 15% overall in games. But again, a huge hit on OpenCL - and that's where most of my programming time goes.

So, do I think that the replacement offered is a better machine than my current R3? That's an easy answer - anything with a GPU that works is better than my R3. Do I think that it is an acceptable replacement? No.

 

You are now, oficially, the luckiest person I have ever heard of. I have a m17x r3 which I bought on October 2011 and I since then I have had (no kidding) 4 motherboards replacements, 2 GPUs (last one TODAY), 1 CPU, 2 keyboards (techs break them all the time) 1 set of speakers and I have been forced to reinstall windows 5 times just "to chek if they were a software problem" which they were clearly not. On christmas last year I asked for a replacement laptop because I was tired of all the problems. It was denied because they said they would just fix the computer everytime I had a problem with it.
No replacement, no compensation, I'm really tired of it.

Moreover, two months ago I started getting a black screen randomly and the pc would just stop working (but without shuting the lights and vents down). After a nice windows reinstallation the problem continued, the tech has replaced the GPU TODAY (I'm really not joking). Dell had also ordered him to replace the MoBo for a refurbished one but I knew the problem sounded like the GPU so I stoped him from doing so. Now finally everything is OK again (except for some throttling issues). I would be happy if I wasn't sure that, with it's record, the PC will stop working again any time soon.

 

Seriously, you need to get on them. Next time you have an issue, TELL THEM that refurbished parts are just not fixing the problem, and that you need a new one. Even if it gets you a fairly stock machine, it's better than being stuck with a known lemon when your warranty runs out...

 

Yeah, I know but last summer I tried and they it didn't work, they just WON'T ACCEPT A REPLACEMENT. I spent about 4 weeks talking to them ( OK,at that time the computer was having some serious issues in the middle of my holydays and I was kind of furious) and finally they told me that they just coulndn't replace it because they didn't have permission and that the only thing they could do was fix it everytime I needed it.
I even sent a letter to the European commision of customers and another one to Monpellier where Dell has its European HQ. Not even necessary to say that they didn't answer. I just lost hope.
Anyway, this year I'll buy a waranty expansion just in case it fails again, I really don't want to have a 2000€ PC as decoration.

 

I'm interested in what country? I've seen this poor level of service in some low volume EU countries and it's good to know where it is happening

 

Spain. However most of my family lives in the States. My latop actually has a EEUU waranty cause I bought it there.

 

No experiences with Spain so no advice there. What I will say is that although dell have specific policies they require of their support partners (the engineering operation in most locations, including the US, is a sub-contracted company and will deal wih many OEM's) it is up to them as to how they deal with repairs and replacements. Most will make the decision that after all the expense of sending an engineer multiple times it's time to cut their losses and replace. Others are happy to just keep on repairing. Unless you have local laws like many US states have regarding 'lemons' to protect consumers, then thay can legitimately keep on trying to fix it.

As an aside I was attempting to get a service call logged in Hungary, they refused point blank because the memory was not the original. Even said that opening it up invalidated the warranty! They will use whatever tactics that are considered acceptable and legal in that country

Good luck with it

 

You are lucky, here in Spain the sub-contrated company tech which always comes to my house has already sent many requests to Dell about replacing the laptop and they have said NO. The funny thing is that we have laws against lemons too and Dell is actually not following them (three or more repairs of the same product/piece means that the consumer chooses if he wants a replacement or not). That is why I sent to certificated letter to Dells HQ in Mompellier, France and to the European consumer association. I guess they are using them as toilet paper cause they never responded.

 

That sucks. I guess that if dell are prepared to keep on paying the sub-contractors (or they have a surfeit of spare parts), it is in their interests to keep on attending, even though they 'sound' like dell is the bad guy in this.

 

Bah...You finally get used to Dell's service, at least they always fix the laptop (later than sooner). The problem will come when, as I'm getting a warranty extension, the laptop has another issue, it took them a lot of time to find this last gtx580m(the tech told me it comes from Iceland) and what will happen when there are no m17x r3 parts left...?
I guess I'll find it out soon...

 

If they run out of parts for your system, they will then upgrade you to a newer system with similar specs.

 

One solution could be to call US support the next time you go to visit - and you might even be able to get the replacement shipped to you in Spain. No idea if this would work though...

 

Ungortunately they always manage to find every part they need (GTX 580M from ICELAND). And if they couln't find one they would just repair one. What I don't understand is how do they do that, knowing that with all the issues I've had they have allready spent more money on repairing the R3 than I first paid for it. I really don't know what to do, besides I'm once again getting the famous 580m throttle with the new Graphics card.

 

Well, received the new laptop, though I haven't returned my old one yet (still waiting on a shipping label).

Fixed the initial problems I had with WiFi stability by rolling back to A00 from BIOS A01, still waiting on an audio noise fix. (Headphones have really loud white noise)

So now I just ran 3Dmark, got absolutely horrific scores IMHO. 2229 Fire Strike, should be getting closer to 4700 if I'm not mistaken. Did I just get a sick replacement laptop for my dying old one?

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4700MQ,Alienware Alienware 17

 

Hey Dusk Star,

I got my replacement too today. In the same boat as you with the other computer going back to them... They have not sent a box or anything like a shipping label to return it.

Do they let you keep the busted computer? I figure I could sell mine for $500 or so...

Bob

 

Hey Bob,

Unfortunately, you're going to have to give them a ring to receive your shipping label If not, you will receive a hefty bill in the future - and it may negatively impact your warranty status as well.

-Tayer