M17x Order Status Discussion - Part 4

Well my order saga is finally at an end. After delays, cancellations, re-orders, and incorrect parts. I finally have a system I am happy with. Since my referb system came with the wrong video card they did send a new one, but still wasn't the 580m! They sent a 6990m, and another talk with Dell I accepted it and got another 100 discount, on top of the 150 they gave me for sending the wrong part in the first place.

I can't complain too my the system is beautiful, no nicks no scratches, no bulging seams. And what what with my original config was 3700(3d Screen +580m), I ended up getting for about 2,200 and dang it I can finally get some gaming on

Dell needs to seriously work on communication with Order Support and the manufacturer (Compal?) so that they can give right information on delay's and better estimate EDD's. They try hard but the reps just don't have the info to be all that useful as a resource. And that is very frustrating to the customer especially in the environment of delays, if everything was on schedule it wouldn't matter!

To all with systems still on order I wish you luck and hope all the parts come in on time and in quantity and you don't have to worry about calling up Dell!

 

My order was finally delivered today! Ordered 06/03/2012, was shipped 09/03/2012 and delivered 12/03/2012 so I am very pleased! Now I just have to wait another 2 hours til I can finish work before I can actually see it

 

I've been reading the thread and found some interesting stories about the GTX 580m (throttling, cause of delays, etc.) Thanks to your stories, I've decided to go with the 6990m.

Ordered mine last Friday 3/9/12 with EDD of 3/26/12. Current status is showing Pre-Production.

System specs:

Alienware M17x r3 Stealth Black, i7 2760QM, AMD Radeon HD 6990m, 8gb Ram, 500gb hybrid hdd, FHD Screen

Chance of getting it before 3/26?

How do you get free shipping upgrade to next business day? I want to save money to get a real SSD as my primary hdd

 

First off congrats on your order! Good specs, upgrade the HD and Ram yourself to save money.

Earlier then EDD? Up in the air, I would say "above average" but don't get your hopes up too much?

They will usually hand out shipping upgrades if your delayed for any reason. Maybe if you just called in worries about delays they might... Hard to say will vary from rep to rep.

 

Woo-hoo! My status changed sometime today, and is now "shipped"! I'll be getting it a full 2 business days earlier than estimated, this Thursday afternoon. I'm already eyeing SSDs for my first upgrade.

Congrats Luthair and Stryder! I'm glad you both have your systems and are happy with them. Especially Luthair, after all you went through! Happy gaming.

My sympathies, Stryder. I'll be where you are come Thursday, only I have to go to a work function after work Thursday, so I'll have to wait even longer. Oh well, I've had no delays and it's actually early, so I have no complaints.

 

Congrats, man!

My system was supposed to ship today but I've not seen the status change to 'shipped'. It's supposed to be delivered tomorrow, but I don't know when to expect it now. We'll see what happens. Yeah, I know that sometimes the status page isn't properly updated, but the purpose of having an order status page is to keep customers informed.

 

Thanks Unixfool.

I'm sorry to hear about your status. Dell seems to be slowly ramping up filling 580m orders again, though. I hope it means your status changes to shipped tomorrow, or in the next few days.

 

@Luthair74
Glad to see you're satisfied with your system. Sucks about getting the wrong GPU, but the 6990m is right on par with the 580m. Many of us wont be able to see the difference between the two.

@Stryder05
Gratz on the new system. Hope you got home safely and without getting pulled over for speeding. I know if I had my system waiting for me at home, I'd be rushing like a bat out of hell....

@hitman88
Looks like a nice config. Depending on if any parts are on delay, it could get finished between 5-7 days and reach you a few days before your EDD. To get the shipping upgraded, more than likely your system would have to hit some sort of snag during the building process. If you call and voice concern about your system, they may upgrade your shipping.

@Salticid
It's nice to finally see the status change on your system, isn't it? I know I was very pleased to see mine change, although it was a day after my EDD, lol.

@unixfool
Hope all goes well with your system. Have you called them to see what the deal was? I was having major delays with my system. Took about 4 days for my system to reach NJ from China after it was finally built. It finally reached NC today, and should be at my house tomorrow around lunch time. I'd definitely give them a call to see what is up. Your system may be delayed a few more days because of where it's going to ship out of. That probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but that's what ended up happening to me. When did you place your order?

 

I placed my order on 2/19. I haven't called them since the initial call midweek last week. I'm trying to give them some breathing room. I figure I'll know there's an issue when I don't get the system tomorrow. Then I'll follow up with a call, but I guess it shouldn't hurt to contact my customer support rep via e-mail tonight to get an update and let him know that the status hasn't changed. I've waited this long, I can wait another day or so. They moved the EDD up by two days (from 3/15 to 3/13) last week and also threw in free next business day shipping, so I figured there'd be no issue with a blown EDD (otherwise, why cut time off of an EDD)...but I'm thinking something negative has happened.

I want to stress that all I care about is for Dell to stay consistent. It is a pet peeve of mine, as I'm a customer service manager (but for managed IT security services for a large and very well-known IT company). If you tell a client that you're going to deliver, you should deliver. That's all I've ever harped about in this thread. I don't really care who here ordered before me...that's not the point I've been trying to get at. If Dell gave me a date, whether it's estimated or not, they should try to make good on what they mark as an EDD...otherwise, the term EDD is worth a pile of dung. They could move a date back further if it's warranted, but it looks utterly stupid (in my experience) to move a date UP, then drop the ball in making the date. As it is, I need to try to be at my home to ensure I get the package, otherwise, I have to drive across town late in the evening just to get it (then drive back home -- close to 50 miles round-trip). If I don't know when it's coming, it makes it a bit difficult to plan when I'm going to have to be here to ensure I don't have to drive across town to get it later on that evening.

 

No joke.
Was really glad to read when you got a confirmed delivery date, Skyline. And dude, it's arriving tomorrow! How are you posting here and not climbing the walls?

I know I'm going to be pretty much useless at work Thursday. A friend at work assumed I would take the day off. Not a bad idea, but I can't.

 

I'm happy to say that after all this time, my rig finally got delivered. I can't wait to get home and finally get to check out my new system. Hopefully it comes out without any issues.

To everyone waiting, I hope you guys get some good news today.

 

I was hoping the same, but instead I got a one week EDD bump from 3/14 (tomorrow) to 3/21. Le sigh. Ordered 2/20, with a 580m, so it looks like they didn't get enough cards in the last shipment to clear the backlog.

 

Congrats to you man. So this is the one with 6990 or GTX 580m?

 

I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully it's only delayed one week.

I got the 580m. Took forever to get here. I'm doing the AlienRespawn right now. Once that's done, I'll start doing all the updates. I'm sure I won't get time to actually "play" on it till this weekend. I also got my Mamba mouse today. It almost seems as if they made this mouse specific for Alienware. They just look so good together.

 

I'm new here (first post). I placed my order on 3/8 and my EDD is 3/20. Here is what I ordered:

Intel Core i7 2860QM 2.5GHz (3.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 8MB Cache)
16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS)
Alienware M17x 240W A/C Adapter
17.3-inch WideFHD 1920x1080 120Hz WLED w/ NVIDIA 3D Vision Bundle
1.5GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M
1TB Raid 0 (2x 500GB Hybrid Solid State Drives)
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology

I then bought a 580m off a friend that works for a contractor for Dell. I am going to do the swap as soon as I get it. I had to buy the card seperate because they aren't even offering 580s at the moment.

 

Congratulations! So happy to hear. I hope everyone waiting gets their deliveries soon as well.

Welcome from another new person.
I did much the same on the GPU and everything else but the screen. Will upgrade the GPU later. You should be seeing your new shiny in much less than the EDD. I ordered 3/4, EDD was 3/19, then became this Thursday once it shipped, but they actually made the first attempt today. No one was home to sign though.

 

Mine shows "In Production" now and a dell rep just called stating the same. He also mentioned that every is going smoothly, no parts shortage, and I should expect to see my system on or before the EDD.

 

3/22 muahahah

 

Congradulations on finally getting the rig. I hope you enjoy it as much as i have, im doing a repaste job today after work to cool the beast down a little better.

Man thats unfortunate, are you having it rescheduled for delivery or are you picking it up from fedex/ups?

 

So far I'm loving my beast. I was having issues doing a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate. Found out my HDD was set to raid by the factory and Windows would fail the installation at the end. Changed it to ACHI (I think that's what it was) and installation finished with no problems. Started doing the driver updates last night. I'll finish those up today and then add all the pretty Alienware details back on.

 

Ok, so my first post I guess I will put up my order info...

After originally placing my order on 03/07/2012 only to have it cancelled by Dell after having numerous telephone conversations with the reps in New Delhi assuring me that everything was gtg. I called the U.S. rep line on 03/12 and got it ordered with free overnight shipping and upgraded the standard one year to the complete coverage for one year for free. So my new EDD is actually sooner than the original one. New EDD is 03/23. Gotta love it when someone elses mistake works out for your own benefit.



Alienware M17x Soft-Touch, Stealth Black
Intel Core i7 2760QM 2.4GHz (3.5GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS)
17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6990M
1TB Raid 0 (2x 500GB Hybrid Solid State Drives)
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit Service Pack 1, English, w/Media
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology

 

Ok so I ordered the 8th...my laptop is not supposed to come till the 22nd. I received NO EMAIL or notification/call from Dell saying its now being shipped. But yet I get home and see the fedex sticker on the door. I MISSED THE FEDEX GUY!!!!!!!

Will they leave the package at the door tomorrow if I have the slipped signed? I was not expecting it that early honestly. Dell has almost been TOO fast with this. 1 week fast! I hope its not just the parts they shipped

 

I ordered mine the same day and it is in the mail at the moment too so I wouldn't worry. I would call in sick and stay home just to wait for the beast but if that is not an option, signing the ticket should work fine. You can also write a note, sign it and leave it taped to the door with the signed ticket.

 

Why not wait for the r 4 in 3 months ?

 

I contemplated this. There was no set date of when the next gen systems would be released. I also thought about the price to performance ratio. I think for the system I would want with the r4 would be way out of my budget. The deal I got for my r3 I just couldn't pass up.

 

I have ordered a R3 as well, but since it kept delay, I asked the sales rep to give me a refund, and he told me R4 may come sometimes around next month,
so im waiting R4 instead R3

 

Assuming the R4 is going to use Ivy Bridge it's not going to be out next month, Intel has already announced the delay for that chipset.


On another note, I received word today that the replacement for my barely functional R3 has arrived at my home in the States, along with an email complaining that I have been called several times to verify receipt. This despite the fact that I have clearly stated both on the phone and in email that I am in Afghanistan and CAN NOT RECEIVE CALLS.

Dell customer service is a joke. I get home on the 29th, if the replacement so much as hiccups I will be returning it and purchasing something from a company that builds computers that actually perform as advertised.

 

is the r4 really coming out that soon? I though people said it would appear late 2012.

even though, will it be much better than the r3 and worth the extra wait?

 

Thought that dell is waiting for the ivy bridge CPUs before introducing the r4. And the ivy bridge has been delayed.

 

Assuming the R4 is going to use Ivy Bridge it's not going to be out next month, Intel has already announced the delay for that chipset.


On another note, I received word today that the replacement for my barely functional R3 has arrived at my home in the States, along with an email complaining that I have been called several times to verify receipt. This despite the fact that I have clearly stated both on the phone and in email that I am in Afghanistan and CAN NOT RECEIVE CALLS.

Dell customer service is a joke. I get home on the 29th, if the replacement so much as hiccups I will be returning it and purchasing something from a company that builds computers that actually perform as advertised.

 

I ordered mine due to the fact that my HP has taken a dump on me, otherwise I would have probably waited.

 

Are Alienware laptops that unreliable? Should I cancel mine?

 

I can't speak for "all" Alienware laptops, only mine. Mine has been a paperweight, a waste of $2036.00, and a constant source of frustration since I received it on 23 Feb.

Couple that with the joke that passes for "Customer Service" and it has soured me on the brand.

 

Can I get a little insight here on my situation.

I ordered a pretty much maxed out r3 for around $2.5k. I don't really need it now but would like a laptop this year for school. Now I'm hearing the r3 is already getting replaced by the r4.I have already invested a lot of time waiting for them to ship this computer (over a month), due to the 580m delay. I do not know when I will receive it but the rep told me this next week looks promising.

Now my question is: should i wait the extra few months for the r4 or continue on with my current order.

Honestly, I would be much more satisfied having the newer system, because i'm just feeling a lot anxiety now about the r3 being replaced so soon.

 

My EDD got shifted from 3/13 to 3/20. Called up today they informed me it was the graphics card (580M) that slowed it down. If they make that date I'll be happy, any more delays and my next call won't be as cordial.

3/20, 3/20, crossing my fingers.



On the way:
M17x R3 3D - Stealth Blk
i7 2760QM
750GB HDD
picked up a Corsair Force 3 GT 180GB SSD for the boot drive
nVidia GTX 580M
16GB RAM
BluRay
Intel 6250 2x2 MiMO
Windows Home Premium

 

It's up to you. You always take a chance when you order custom built systems. My system came in on Tuesday. It was perfect out of the box. I've ran the AlienRespawn and created a factory restore disk. I then proceeded to do a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate and installed all drivers with no issues. I've not had one BSOD or any hiccups with my system. It's unfortunate that some have had issues with their system. Besides the fact that Dell Customer Service could be better, I haven't had much issues with them. One thing is for sure though, they will eventually get you what you want, ie., repaired parts or a new system.

It's really up to you. Nobody can answer that question except you. If you feel you can wait 3-8 months (whenever they finally release it), then wait it out. You need to remember that you wont be getting the same deal for a maxed out r4. If you can save up and are willing to spend over 3k, perhaps even near 4k for a maxed out r4, then go for it. I chose the r3 because the specs and price were right where I wanted them. For similar specs on an r4, I'd probably spend close to double that, even with my military discounts. Remeber, as soon as the r4 drops, they'll be talks about the r5 just around the corner. Technology always advances quickly, when you pull the trigger, make sure you're confident with your purchase.

 

I personally had a good experience with Alienware so far. I ordered my M17x on 06/03/2012 and had the laptop in my hands by 12/03/2012. Absolutely no issues so far and would definately buy from them again. Sometimes the customer service is a bit crappy but then again it all depends on who you speak to as to what information you can get out of them.

 

Ahh so excited!!! I was just browsing the Outlet this morning when I started chatting with a rep. I asked about what R3's they currently have in stock with no price range and he gave me this:

Processor: Intel Core i7 2860QM Processor (2.5GHz w/Turbo Boost 3.6GHz, 8MB Cache)
16 GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4X4GB)
750 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
6X Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M
Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO
17.3-inch WideFHD 1920x1080 120Hz WLED
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
Soft Touch Stealth Black
Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Module
9 Cell Battery

For $2,208 with 2 year accidental warranty and next day shipping!

I immediately cancelled my "In Production" order of this:

Processor: Intel Core i7 2670QM Processor (2.2GHz w/Turbo Boost 3.1GHz, 6MB Cache)
8 GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4X4GB)
750 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
6X Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6250 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology
17.3-inch WideFHD 1920x1080 120Hz WLED
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
Soft Touch Stealth Black
Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Module
9 Cell Battery

Which new cost me $2,560 with only a 1 year accidental warranty!

I'm a little bummed that I'm technically not getting a "new" computer, but heck for the price I could not pass it up! The only thing I'll need now is a set of Nvidia 3D glasses. I can't believe my laptop is now going to be more powerful than my desktop...crazy.

 

Well, just got notified that my order will be delayed another week. Time to call my rep and see what can be done about it. I tried to run my simulation on the M11x, while it does work, having it run at 10-15 fps is not exactly something I look forward to everyone seeing on the projector, and that is using the 335m!

If I get delayed past the 21st...

 

I ordered my new system on the 26th...I bet I was in for a delay too, my original edd was 3/19. Good thing I cancelled it today.

Sorry about your luck though...hope it comes soon!

 

Hi,

I am wondering how much should I tell you about my bad experience with Alienware product..
For the potential customers... be aware. If you will have any problems it's very likely you will experience one of the "worst Customer Service in the Universe".
Got my new R3 (3D, 580M...) in Dec.
Two weeks later I have called tech support to report the performance issues with the 580M. I do not care that it's a "known" issue among here, all I care is that I can not use the laptop for gaming...
After replacing the mother board, the GPU and the GPU cooler, the HDD remained screwed only in 2 screws (the repair-guy damaged one screw), and the case is not closing properly any more. It's visible and disturbing.
The repair guy said that he will place an order for a new case....
All in all, in February it was planned to have 3/4 of the laptop replaced . How can that be even possible !!! I have bought a brand new one and 1 month later they took the decision of replacing almost all of it!!!
I have sent emails at michael_dell and a "resolution expert" (...my a$$) started to call me to investigate. From the moment it was clear that I really have problems he started to ignore me. No response to emails nor phone calls.
Eventually ( 1 month later!!!) he was "very kind" and approved a swap. That was 20th Feb.
He has promised me (on phone, not emails) that I will receive the new laptop "soon" and definitely not on the estimated date of 26th Mar (more than1 month after the approval, and 3 months after I have reported the problem).
In the mean time I have also included in our email conversations his "manager" (I do not believe him that this guy is his manager, but whatever...). Nothing new. Nothing.
For 1 week I am writing to him and michael_dell and his manager that it is unacceptable to have the order still in Pre-Production. There will be 3 months next week since I have called the "support", and I have spoke with so many since, with no result.

I will, immediately after receiving the package, sell it (I will not even unpack it) and try to forget that Alienware exists. I am not even considering analyzing how the laptop performs, overall, since I have been totally affected by the relationship with the Customer Service. It is cr..p service and 1 laptop is not worth going through this.

So, you buy 1 laptop from them, but in case you have problems ... I feel pity for you.
I am a very frustrated person now because of how these people choose to communicate (or "not" actually).
I will never ever buy any DELL product!!! There are so many other out there... And I will always advise people not to buy from them.
Second hand services and products (I have the proof, don't try to argue) for premium money... why?

Where could I write a complaint about this product? I have bought the M17x R3 from UK.

 

Too late for me to cancel. Status has just been updated to "Shipped". Hope that I'll get a trouble free one. My EDD has been pushed up almost a week early

 

My first post!
I ordered an M17x yesterday night. 2760qm + 6990m (580m is not available anymore) combo.

Can you highlight what I should do when I receive it to reduce possible hiccups? You say you did a clean reinstall of Win 7 Ult. Is it because you wanted to go from Home to Ultimate or you always suggest to do a fresh install over whatever Dell did?
I'm interested in the first things to do when I get my laptop. I don't want to go installing and setting up my m17x with my programs and games to end up having to reformat because of a messy Dell factory install!

Thanks

 

Welcome to the club! I'm sure you're going to love your system. The gtx 580m has been on backorder for a while now. You probably wont notice much of a difference between the cards.

I did a clean install of Windows Ultimate because my system came with Home Premium. I don't think it's necessary to do a clean install, but it just all depends on the user. I ended up installing a bad driver for my Seagate HDD that were causing some issues, so I ended up doing a factory restore with the AlienRespawn disk I made. After it restored back to factory, I just ended up doing an Anytime Upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate. I was fortunate enough to find a working key. It worked perfectly, and all my drivers are set perfectly.

If you're content with the version of Windows that is already installed on your system, then you probably don't need to do a clean install. My system didn't have any bloatware installed, so a clean install wasn't necessary, besides the fact I wanted Ultimate. I would suggest once you start your system up for the first time to do an AlienRespawn. A simple guide is found here. Make sure you follow the guide for installing drivers and getting your system the alienware look back. Links are found in the thread I just linked above. It's a good idea to do this just incase anything happens and you need to restore back to the factory out-of-the-box state. Also good if you plan to sell your system in the future.

If you need any help once your system gets in and can't find the answer, don't hesitate to shoot me a pm.

 

Get all Windows updates, then go to the Nvidia site and get the newest WHQL Verde driver, that should be it. You can also get CCleaner and disable some of the things that start up that you don't plan to use. I disabled things like the webcam and wifi utility.

 

Thank you!
As soon as I get my system, I will go through all these steps. I cannot wait. The only sucky thing is that my expected delivery date is the 30th!! What the hell! 15 days to process and ship my order????
I ordered yesterday around 10PM. The order went in production within 10 minutes. And it's been sitting there since then. I got a call from Dell this morning to confirm my order. Nothing since then I really hope the 15 days is an estimate and it will arrive by next week.

YodaGoneMad, I would presume the WHQL Verde driver are for an Nvidia card? I have a 6990m so that wouldn't do for me..unless it's something that has nothing to do with the vid card?
But talking about video card drivers, I read that the latest CCC from AMD is crappy and buggy. Would my system come with it already installed? If so, how do I revert to a stable version (and what would that version be?).

Again, thanks! I'm so happy to be part of the club

 

Woot! Just got off the chat with the outlet rep and my new Alien is heading it's way to me!

Alienware M17x R3 Laptop
Qty :1
Price :$1,835.15
Date: 3/16/2012
N971H 125V Power Cord
K972H 210W/240W switchable Slim 3P A/C Adapter
F4D39 Service Driver
TG4MT Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Operating System
5J57X Alienware M17x R3 Laptop
YMHKV Processor: Intel Core i7-2760QM Processor (2.4 GHz,w/Turbo Boost,6MB Cache)
FYMGW 16 GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4X4GB)
5HYWR 500 GB Hot Plug Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
02TT0 6X Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
D50W4 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M
GY0N1 Internal 60GHz WirelessHD Transmitter
H9XM4 Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO
VX5CJ 17.3 inch Wide FHD (1920 x 1080 60Hz) WLED Display
2J4FR Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
G5D4V Soft Touch Stealth Black
JY579 AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
1M57Y Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Module
CJGVX 9 Cell Battery


Alien M17x R3: 1 Yr Ltd Warranty, In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis + CompleteCare

Total was $2088 shipped. I'm very happy with that, as it has all the options I wanted (aside from the SSD, but i'll add that myself).

EDD is before 3/21 (This Wednesday!)

 

I would have loved if my system shipped in 15 days. Took mine about 36 days thanks to the delays. Chances are you'll get your system in a few days early, if there aren't any current delays on your parts.

Almost the exact same system that I ordered. I got 8GB of RAM, which I will be upgrading to 16GB eventually. You should be very pleased with it. Really good deal also, but I still got a better deal

 

Did you have them apply the 15% off coupon?

 

@DarthGator14, yea the $2088 shipped was with the 15% coupon. It was $1,835.15 after the coupon, then add 1yr CC & tax/shipping to get $2088. It's not the best deal i've ever received from Dell, but IMO it's still a damn good one. And considering I actually got every option that I wanted, I'm happy . Now the hard, the waiting, lol.