Repeated Repairs

Okay, so I've been a faithful AW user since October 2009, when I got my M17xR1. I have stayed on top of the warranty refreshes since purchasing my computer, which is a good thing, as we have gone though the following replacements/fixes:

4 motherboard replacements (the fourth one is currently scheduled)
3 hard drive replacements/last was an upgrade
3 video card replacements
1 blu-ray drive replacement
1 wireless card replacement/upgrade
1 keyboard replacement
and a partridge in a pear tree

The last time I called in (regarding what turned out to be them wishing to replace the motherboard, battery and power supply due to a recurrent non-display issue on bootup), they actually told me that they really wanted me to send to unit in to be gone over in more detail to see what the problems were. I demurred, knowing that this takes quite a while to be done and was fine with the in-home mobo replacement attempt... but now I have started a new job, cannot get time off and the technician times and my own do not match up, since they can't/won't do in-home visits on a Saturday.

So should I bite the bullet and send the unit in for more in-depth feeling-out? Also, do you think this would make any traction toward a possible replacement, as this unit has had a least one major screw-up every four months or so since passing the initial warranty period? The list of repairs done thus far, I have seen people offered replacement systems with much less of a tally than I currently have.

What say you, forum goons?

 

The repair depot has a pretty scary history. I wouldn't want to send my computer to the depot. Have you brought up the possibility of replacing the computer with an M17x R4 or Alienware 17? They may actually be able to provide you with one, assuming all of those repairs are on record and the computer is no longer working properly.

I recommend you avoid the repair depot and send a message to Luis - Alienware Tech Support, one of the Alienware technical support team members, who is also a valued member of this community. I bet he'll take care of everything. Explain your story to him and provide him with the service tag to begin with. He has helped me out several times over the past couple years. :thumbsup:

 

Just sent him a message; hopefully something can be done. Like I said, it's the recent changing of job hours that really spikes everytihng, plus... well, I don't think I've seen another user with such a laundry list of fixes, even for a machine as old as mine. Thanks, man. Happy holidays.

 

Sounds good. From what I can tell, he doesn't work weekends, so hopefully Monday is the beginning of the end of your troubles.

Happy holidays to you, too. :thumbsup:

 

Holy ****! I have never seen that many repairs done on a single M17X R1... the 4 motherboard replacements alone are mind boggling . I have had my M17X R1 for about as long as you have and the only problems I have had are recently where my gpu and motherboard fried, before this it has been running flawless. I would definitely ask for a complete replacement system, there is a high possibility that there may be defective components other than the parts listed that are short-circuiting and frying your motherboards etc. I once had a desktop case that short-circuited, it was only after it fried 3 of my motherboards that I realized that this was the issue.

 

To be fair, two of the mobo replacements were done alongside the video card swappings; I think it was sort of a "while we're here" kind of thing. The HD replacements were the real pain in the tookus. I loathe reinstalling everything.

 

No dice whatsoever; Luis recommended the repair depot. Sigh. I'm going to fake throwing up in the bathroom tomorrow at work and meet the repair guy in the late afternoon. Every time I have floated the idea of a replacement, I've been stonewalled by whomever I am talking to. However, if this doesn't do it, I may turn things over to the CEO, aka my wife. I don't call her The Customer Service Panzer for nothing. I realize they don't want to part with new units, but I would gladly take an R4 at this point because when you add up all the replacement parts and money spent on the various techs who have installed them, it's about the cost of a new computer. Therefore, it's not really about saving money at this point.

Pro tip, kids; ALWAYS KEEP YOUR WARRANTY ACTIVE.

 

Oh, you don't have any warranty? Yeah... That's the stonewall in your way. I still think it's worth extending it. They will eventually replace your system if repairs fail.

 

Oh, no way! Warranty has been active since day one and still is. If I pay 3K for something, it better damn well be insured. They just don't want to do it, that's all.

 

I recommended the depot because we need to have a full check at the PC before we can do anything else, it's a requirement that we have on our side.
If after the depot the machine still has issues I may be able to escalate it further.

Also I believe that zombiegoat wasn't going to be home for a while so it's difficult for him to get a tech at home

Please keep us posted with this repair attempt that's going on.

 

UPDATE:

Well, I was able to get off work a little early and met with the tech. He opened up the unit while I did sundry housework, and when the time came to open the box containing the new mobo... IT CONTAINED A POWER SUPPLY AND AC CORD. No mobo. He was flummoxed, but reasoned that since he'd already cracked the unit open, he might as well re-paste and re-seat everything he could and maybe that would fix everything. After some mental swearing on my part--I did not let him have it, as this was not his fault--we subsequently powered down and started up the unit five times, a couple times unplugging the AC power supply to see if it would work. So far so good.

LINGERING ISSUES FROM TECH VISIT:

1) Graphic drivers for GTX 260M had to be re-installed, as they were futzed upon restarting. Must have had to do with re-pasting and re-seating the graphics card.

2) Steam and Chrome had to be uninstalled and reinstalled, as Steam was causing the unit to lock up and Chrome did not retain any Google information from prior to the tech visit. No idea as to why only threse two programs were effected. This also necessitated the reinstallation of all Steam games, which I am still in the process of doing. This is a horrible pain.

3) Bad sectors popped up on the HD, which were apparently resolved via Checkdisk. Scary, but ultimately solved.

4) There are now no restore points on the HD. Should I have to do a restore, I'm screwed. No idea as to why this happened.

Bear in mind, this is the postmortem 24 hours after repair visit, so there might be more hidden nastiness lurking. However, should it pop again, I'm doing to repair depot route and requesting the replacement. I originally (and faithfully) paid $3K for the unit, and since then, there has been about that much shelled out in terms of repairs, parts and home visits by techs. This is no longer about AW getting a profit margin; that's done, folks. I figure I've lost anywhere from $1K to $1.5K by leaving work early/staying home to deal with repairs, and the laundry list of issues...

...look, I understand this is an R1 and therefore they are loath to replace it with another machine. I also understand that first-gen tech is going to have the most issues. I also understand that I have been a model customer, and will eventually get another AW machine because when they work, nothing beats them. However, everyone has been appalled by my laundry list of issues, and I would not be asking for a brand-new machine. I'm also more than a little concerned that we had to to a back-door fix instead of replacing the part as originally intended.

I guess what I'm saying is TO BE CONTINUED, and thanks for all the support. Luis, I'll probably be getting that depot information from you in the future. It's not a question of it, but when with this unit.