My new M17X R3 just died...

Hi,

I have to say...I really have to...

It seems to me that Dell/Alienware doesn't care about their products anymore, because this is my first Alienware branded laptop and yet it is the one that costs me so much trouble.

I've bought it completely new from a retailer and first I started having problems with performance & drivers. Now that I've fixed drivers and actually started enjoying it, all of the sudden it died on me.

I was playing League of legends (not a heavy game) and it just went black. The power supply works, I see the LED is on but only when it is unplugged from the laptop. When I plug it back in the LED goes off. This tells me that something went short circuit inside. Absolutely useless piece of hardware for just above $2000...

OK, I will survive this loss but could someone out here give me some directives on what should I do and expect now? Any information is welcome.

Thanks in advance!
Cheers!

 

sorry to hear that this has happened. I'd call up dell support and see if they can get you a replacement asap.

 

I had driver issues myself when I installed an SSD but now it's rock solid. Components die, I've had brand new stuff arrive DOA despite the sticks from QC saying it was tested. Get your machine warrantied and chalk it up, they'll stand behind it.

 

Yep,

I guess that I had more bad times than good times with this machine, and that is the reason why I am so upset... I will contact both retailer and Dell tomorrow. I will keep you updated on the subject.

Cheers!

 

Dell has great service if you get in contact with the right people. When I complained about scratches on my screen and the media bar being scratched as, they overnighted the parts here and they are currently sitting in the basement. Shame the local computer company doesn't send out techs on the weekends

 

M17xr3 came out less than year ago so they all have warranty. Call them up or check online(check ur express code)
I had problem with fan and they sent tech to replace in 2 days.
all at no cost.

Thinking about buying more warranty(mine expires in april next year)
Do they replace keyboards?
My keyboards are making crunchy noise when i type.

 

Here's some updates on DELL's "performance"...
I've called support and they've sent a technician two days after the call.
The technician came with a motherboard. He replaced it and nothing changed. Then he returned after 3 days with a new graphics card. He replaced the old one and it didn't change anything again. On the next day he came with another card. Replaced and no change.

The technician then said to me "I'm sorry but I have to close your support ticket now, which means that I am handing this over to DELL".

Had a couple of emails with support and they said "Expect a call soon"...

Is that normal relationship between DELL and customers?

 

i just been through what your going through right now, i know its frustrating sometimes, but i can tell u that dell does make it right in the end.

atm i recommend calling tech support, don't wait for the call. explain that you have gotten it service multiple times already. i'm pretty sure they will take care of you.

after a few failed attempts to fix my lappy, now they are sending a new replacement system.

 

you just have to be patient, I had to send mine in to get serviced because the tech blew out the mobo. Perhaps ill get an upgrade idk. I suggest you call dell and explain your situation. try and see if they will send you a replacement.

 

Or call the Better Business Bureau when all goes horribly wrong.

 

It seems like the EXCEPTION when you find someone who hasn't had a single issue with their machine. I'm thinking about upgrading to 6990 Xfire video cards but my machine is working (currently) and I don't want to mess it up. This is my fourth Alienware and I've had headaches with every one of them. I've not spoken to a single person who hasn't had ANY issues with their machine.

 

You'll have issues with every high performance machine with state of the art components. Ever owned a sports car? Same issues, you better love working on your car or taking it to the shop. Buy a nice home in the mountains away from the city. Problems. High rise condo. Problems. Know anyone with a private plane? Nothing is free, performance costs time and money. If you want a rock solid machine that will turn on and off and never fail buy an IBM thinkpad. If you want to game and benchmark your machine at the bleeding edge of what's currently possible, now and the - you'll have problems. That having been said hardware defects a faulty BIOS or poor planning that results in constant hardware conflicts should always be resolved with fast repairs, friendly service or a complete refund every single time. For the record every Sony I've ever owned was garbage and the service I got will keep me from buying any of their products. Bluerays and DVDs included. The exceptions I make with DVDs I chalk of to Phillip's part of the patent. I know Sony isn't going anywhere and my experience may not be typical but I'm a the boycott type after a certain point.

 

I have to agree with @IntenseIGFX. I was warned by a very good tech-guy who is definetely in the know and he told me that I should stay away from Alienware or DELL. I also know other people that have problems with DELL. Now that I own an Alienware I know that IT IS EXCEPTIONAL when everything is right...

Kinda off-topic but @ahuizotl is not 100% right. I've build a couple of high-end systems and the only thing that was broken in only one of them was the case fan. On the other hand I've also owned a number of really cheap Acer and Lenovo/IBM notebooks and they have failed. So I don't think there is a connection between the amount of problems you get and the price for the product you pay.

Thank God that my sports car is not build by DELL, cuz its running fine for the last 5 years...

 

Hi again,

Just an update to the discussion.
I finally got my Alienware fixed a day ago. They had to replace the motherboard again. To summarize:
1st visit: Motherboard replaced, laptop still dead
2nd visit: Graphic card replaced, laptop comes to life but not able to POST
3rd visit: Graphic card replaced, laptop comes to life but not able to POST
4th visit: Motherboard replaced, laptop working
2 weeks in total amount of time...

I had to flash the BIOS of the motherboard to the latest A08 because the brightness controls of the Radeon didn't work.

Cheers!

 

Sad to see but i know the feeling... On my m17xR2 i´ve had about 16 visits from techteam before it got replaced.... after ALOT of arguing!!!!!! I´ve had to put some money between to get the M17xR3 that worked fine until about a month ago..... 6 visits so far.. Have barely been able to use the crap since all ive get it bluescreens and alot of other problems.. Dell wont send out any more tech dudes and they wanted to swap this. but AW ireland have taken 2 weeks to deside if im gonna get a new one or not?
They have denied it twice now but wth..... they really need tp do something. right now ive got a M17xR3 for around 6500USD with all the upgrades i had just to look at.... This is DELL in a nutshell!!!

 

Bear in mind that happy customers rarely post on support forums....

Just ordered my M17x R3. It will join an Aurora and two M11xs, and they in turn replaced an Area 51 tower and an M15x. So, 5 aliens have so far passed through this house, and none of them ever had any problems.

 

Very sad story mate...

Try to write a mail to this address:
CSMB_ExecutiveEscalation_EMEA_Nordics-at-Dell.com

Just replace the -at- with @.
Explain your case, be nice and let's hope they will resolve your issue quickly.

I was just an inch away from going crazy and starting a trash talk conversation with the technicians if they didn't succeed to fix my machine yesterday. It was really stupid to wait for them to come each and every day with different parts and not being able to get the full picture. I was ready with the diagnostics before they were. And why should we wait for technicians? If the technician is not able to fix it the first time, they should take the whole thing and give you a replacement. They should be stuck with the non-working crap, not us!

 

The BBB is great when you want to express your anger or issue a threat. They are not so good at replacing broken tech tho.

 

Yes, but...

 

VanVan you´re the man!

 

I get what you're saying VanVan, and I've got to say that it does pain me to hear a tale of someone that's had so very many problems with their machine.

But, I think the quote from IntenselGFX is incorrect. I don't believe people without problems are the Exception. If that's the case, for example, then I should be entering the lottery since I've not had a single issue over the course of 5 machines so far, from a lot of different model lines at Alienware. I think they are the exception in here, on this forum, since people invariably turn to a support forum when things go wrong. This is a microcosm though.

To flip it around a little, I had nothing but trouble with a Sager notebook and my co-director on my YouTube channel is currently going through hell with his Sager notebook. I wouldn't think that that indicates that Sager are a complete pile of trash, since we are just 2 out of millions of happy customers. The same thing applies with Alienware.

I really hope you get your issues sorted out and Alienware (not Dell - they really are two very separate organizations that share a financial reporting structure and a production line) come through for you.

 

I also get what you said the first time. But that does not mean that we should shut up and give Alienware a hug. Of course we will be unhappy and pissed off.

And for the record, Alienware may be different entity in USA but here in Europe the support is the same and the technicians they send also are the same for both companies, so...whatever

I'm happy now (sort of) because my problem got fixed (finally) two days ago.

EDIT: Also, Alienware doesn't have milions of happy customers, because Alienware is not mass production. They are enthusiast-oriented company and even the technicians will admit that they don't get to work a lot on Alienware machinery...

 

You're correct. One of the worse things that ever happened to Alienware was getting bought by Dell, but it's also one of the best. Prior to that the machines were horribly overpriced and even slower to arrive. My first tower was built by hand at the original Alienware company and the wait was almost as painful as the price. On the flip side though I could pick up the phone and speak to the actual guy building the machine. Moving to Dell means Alienware production is handled by Dell, as is order fullfillment and support. However, the design remains in house at Alienware in Miami, and they don't design crap. The failures it seems are nearly always attributable to Dell.

I agree as well, absolutely it doesn't mean we should shut up about problems - I just feel uncomfortable with generalizations like working machines being the exception rather than the norm. Alienware is a great brand and I know the company do go to some considerable lengths to ensure that Dell's curation of the brand is higher than perhaps their management of their in house brands (anyone else remember the Optiplex debarcle, where machines had a 97% failure rate). Thankfully we are not there with Alienware, and the machines are well designed cutting edge pieces of kit. But, like any consumer products today, there is a failure rate in play (and the same applies to cars, tablets, washing machines, coffee pots and anything else you care to name).

 

This is pretty amazing! i even tried to mail that explaining my case 45 min later a tech dude from Ireland phone´s me and had about 1½h with the system went trhu all the event logs and finally ses that i´ve got the wrong heatsink ive apperantly got the one for the 560 and that one dosnt cover all the memory...... So Dell been changing the wrong heatsink a couple of times.. and hopefully this new Correct one will get this badboy up n running!!!

 

I so far have never had a problem with mine I guess i am one of the lucky EXCEPTIONS

 

I've read somewhere that the average failure rate for laptops is something like 22% (sometimes higher/lower depending on circumstances) ... If you think about this, that's an almost 1 in 5 chance that your laptop is gonna be damaged in some way when you open the box. This is not "Dell not caring about you" this is a symptom of the way these hardware chips are stamped. It's a flawed process, with an established error rate. This is why companies offer hardware warranties, because they know that 20% of the time, something is gonna go wrong.

and furthermore, I hear your frustration. I've had to deal with Dell support a few times, and while they aren't "bad" ... they do make you jump through a lot of hoops. It's especially frustrating when you *KNOW* what the problem is, and they have to run through all these unrelated steps just to say they did.

It's unfortunate that your experience with Alienware was bad. It's really the luck of the draw. I would encourage you to let Dell make it right, and give Alienware another chance. If not, I'd take it back to the store you bought it from ASAP and get whatever refund you can. You may be on the hook for a restocking fee.

If you're able to be patient, hang in there with dell. If they can't fix what's wrong, they will replace your laptop completely. You just need to jump through their hoops.

 

3D doesn't have to deal with Optimus, so that's already a +1.

 

meh after you get it disabled with the modded bios its not that bad