Return or wait for resolution?

Just wanted to ask for advice on what to do. I have had an absolute nightmare for the last month. It is a little long to explain.

I purchased an M17x R2 off of the Outlet a month ago. The next day I get a message my order is on hold so I call in to find out what is going on. After 6 hours on the phone I am finally told that my order has somehow been corrupted in their system and that there is no way to process it. The order will be cancelled and there is no way to save the system so I can reorder it. The system is automatically kicked out and goes through the recertification process before being relisted which takes up to two weeks. I used the $100 coupon available at that time and would lose it if a new order is not placed in less than a week. With first order cancelled I cannot place a new order until the first order gets refunded to my DPA account. Am told this will take up to 12 days. It comes down to the day the $100 coupon expires and the money still has not been refunded so I end up having to use a credit card to place the order so I can use the coupon. The following day they issue a NEW $100 coupon and the money is finally credited back to my DPA account. I was forced to use my CC for nothing but it is too late to change it. The system arrives a few days later and the real nightmare begins. It was to have had the RGB display, it has the 1440x900 display instead. It was to have crossfire 4870. It has a single 4870. Invoice and packing list show correct specs. Machine does not have correct components installed and does not match specs. After 3 days of arguing with support and having to get an Outlet supervisor contact Alienware support directly, I finally get them to remote into the machine to verify the sytem has the components I say it does and I am not "lying" to them about what I received. They agree it is not correct and ship out a new display and upgrade me to crossfire 5870 as they no longer stock the 4870s. Tech comes out and installs video cards and new display. Unfortunately the center cover gets broken while he is working on it and also I discover two of the headphone jacks are dead when I test it after he has finished. Support is called and order is placed to send out cover and new audio board. Cover and audio board are on backorder and new motherboard is shipped instead. Tech returns again and new motherboard does not fix audio problem. Following day am told that cover has shipped and tech returns again but all that was shipped is a cable and new palm rest. Tech installs but this does nothing about broken center cover or audio problem. This makes third tech visit and both onsite tech and phone support tech he calls say that no more visits will be made and policy is to replace system at this point. Phone tech tells me someone will call to arrange for a replacement. Never get a call. Contact alienware tech I have been working with and he refuses to send replacement and insists I must wait for backordered parts to arrive however long that may take. Finally audio board comes in stock a week later and a different tech is sent to install it. This tech destroys the machine. Physcially breaks the crossfire cable and jack on the primary video card, breaks the center cover cable connector so tape must be used to hold cable in place, drops screw into system and then assembles and installs battery and tries to power up machine with screw rattling around inside of it. I stop him just before he powers it up. He then guts the machine looking for the screw and tries to remove motherboard while hard drive is still bolted in place nearly snapping the board in two. Reassembles machine and it is dead. Just get two quick flashes of the alienware head (power button) when you press it and nothing else. Now I am stuck with a totally dead machine after four weeks of pure hell. I am livid and contact alienware support tech (Costa Rica) informing him of the nightmare that just occurred. He escalates to a manager for resolution but I have not heard back yet. If they want me to send to depot they can forget it. I have already wasted 4 weeks on this and am not going to send it in to most likely get the same or even worse problems when it is returned.

The last day I can return the sytem for refund is tomorrow. Question is: Do I wait for resolution from Alienware and hope they do something to make up for this nightmare, or do I go ahead and return the machine for refund and walk away?

Thanks

 

That is one of the worst recollections of customer support that I have read on this forum yet. I'd think that alienware owes you a brand new system after all this but hard to know what will come of this.

 

Take control of the situation. You need to resolve this all in one phone call. Firstly, try and get in touch with a Dell/Alienware rep in YOUR country. Secondly, demand a replacement or money back or a resolution today. No callbacks or email or back orders, TODAY!!

Be firm and if you dont get what you want, ask the rep for the full name and then ask to speak with there manager. Keep repeating the proccess untill you get the desired effect.

Just make sure, at the start of the call yuor clear and consice on what you want. A FULL REFUND PLUS COMPO FOR AS AN ACT OF GOODWILL OR A NEW MACHINE.

good luck.

 

Get them to replace it or return it, for sure.

 

I agree with Joe85

 

Yep, I'd say a step further and get the thing returned. Today.

 

Thanks for the replies. I have been so stressed out over this I can't sleep. Makes me sick as I really need a system. I am taking family medical leave from work to go and stay with my mother while she has surgery and treatment for cancer. The stress this computer has caused me is the last thing I need right now.

I will call them tomorrow and tell them I need an acceptable resolution or a refund.

 

I'd tell that to a Dell rep and his manager. Make em feel like its there fault. You'll end up getting a sweet rig or some nice compo.

Hope you get it sorted. Let us know how you got on.

 

Damn, sorry that was in bad taste, missed the cancer part. Apologies.

 

Expecting a new system may cause you more headache.

One lower level may approve, lead you to get false hope, and the approval may get squashed by a higher level rep who actually has the authority.

I would just get the refund and seek other methods of purchase.

Craigslist does have good deals if you are lucky.

 

a lot of people seem to feel entitled to a new system, when they shouldnt really.. (imo)

but hell yeah just return it!

 

I know it has been a nightmare but exactly that is why you should milk it as much as possible and as others have stated before, call them and accept nothing less than an upgrade to a M17x R3 because what they did is unacceptable. Thats what I would do anyway.

 

pffft. id take a bit of hassle for a brand new pc any day, and im sure most people here would too. but you have no right to a brand new pc from a second hand sale (!)

 

I agree. Hell, why not aim higher. A brand new M18x.

Like I said, a brand new system may happen with luck, but at the end of the day, price was probably paid with wasted time and effort.

 

haha repped

 

Ok Achilles, maybe you are right but I wonder why he hasn't got at least a replacement with an R2 so far with all those problems?

 

Dude, he has bigger problems than getting a new system with hassles he faced. It all boils down to how you face the situation. If you take these crap too personally, it's just not healthy life style.

As I mentioned before, one rep even may have empathy and tell him he will get a new system, and gets shot down by another rep after a couple of weeks of wating for the delievery. Then what? Expect him to do the whole cycle over while he has more serious life issues to face with?

Just get the refund, and search craigslist.

I got a brand new XPS M1730 with 2k cash when it had close to 4k price from Dell. Just be sure to transfer the warranty on the spot.

FYI, the system was raped by field techs after 2.5 years, and Dell issued me the M17x on my sig. I didn't even HAVE to ask for the replacement. I didn't stress over field techs keep breaking my original system, and Dell was the first one to offer me the replacement system. I was happy to extend the warranty through 2015 after treated with a new system. (cost me 600 bucks though)

 

I would be happy with the system working as it was to be when I bought it. It just seems to be a lost cause with so many parts and so many tech visits and ending up worse than when it started. Now they would need to rebuild the whole machine since it is hard to say what got zapped by the tech. Motherboard and video cards at least.

I do feel they should do something to make up for all of these problems. They have a same as new warranty and you expect it to at least be what you paid for and everything work. This one is just about maxed out already with a Bluray burner etc... Don't expect a new system but I feel they could at least replace it with a refurb with some upgrades. With the 25% EPP discount they have right now (which I don't qualify for) you can get a new M18X with SLI 460s and Bluray reader for only $100 more than I paid for this system.

We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

 

good luck bud

 

Just wanted to update this. My nightmare still isn't over. Alienware urged me to go ahead and return the Outlet system for refund and if I did they would do me a great discount on a new system. Well the great discount turned out to be 5%. I pointed out the current 25% EPP discount and it turns out that my mother's company is in the EPP program. The alienware rep spoke with an EPP rep to get the discount for me and also the additional 5% discount for the problems I have had. Everything was ready to go but then the EPP rep shot it down saying that my mother's company was not on "the list" of those that qualify for the 25% off. Wasn't even going by the member ID number (which I gave him). Just the company name. Kept asking for the exact spelling. So it appears that the 25% sale is indeed not valid for all EPP members. Only a small subset.

The alienware rep wants to try again tomorrow with a different EPP rep but I have no expectation of this working out. I do have to give him credit for finally trying to do SOMETHING to make this right. But I figure his true motivation is simply to get credit for a sale. (All he wants from the EPP rep is the code to enter the discount as the alienware rep is the one who will be placing the order. Hell the EPP rep may have just said that the company isn't on the list since they wouldn't get the sale.)

I still have not shipped back the M17 for refund but I do have the RA number and shipping label. I was waiting to see what happens with the new machine discount first. I cannot afford a new machine without the discount so if that falls through I see no option but to have them send out parts again and try to fix this thing. They absolutely will not send out a replacement system.

I even spoke to the Outlet and all they offered was for me to return the old one for refund and then buy another one with the current 15% off coupon. I'm not going to do that as it could be even worse than the one I have now plus with the discount I got when I bought it along with the free upgrade to the 5870s, I actually ended up with about a 30% discount on the one I have sitting here right now even if it is dead.

All I want is a working machine, what a nightmare.

 

Still dealing with it. Got a call from corporate support and they finally offered to send me a replacement system. He then offered either a very low end refurb R3 or an R2 that was lower spec'd than the one I have. I told him I did not care for the R3 as I felt that was a downgrade from the R2 as the build quality, screen quality, blueray burner, and dual video card ability would be lost. I checked the Outlet while he was on the phone and found a system that was exactly the same as the one I have except for a higher end CPU but he refused to even check on it. Said either I take it or leave it and all I could do is wait for parts if I would not take either of these lower end systems.

I just sent a 3 page letter off to corporate support detailing everything I have been through to this point. Doubtful anything will come of it. There doesn't seem to be anyone at Dell that could care less.

 

Don't buy outlet. I've always said refurbished is broken but they couldn't find a problem so they resell it. You literally have a 10+ times chance of getting something defective.

 

Tell me about it. If I had known Genco ran the Outlet now I would never have bought this one. I purchased 6 outlet systems back when it was still Dell and never had any problems.

I tried my best to return this and buy a new M18x via the EPP deal and they shot it down even though I do have a valid EPP account via my mother's company. You would think corporate support would have offered to help me get that order placed. A sale of a new system should be better for them than having to keep paying to send out priority overnight parts and pay for onsite tech visits. I figure Dell has already spent over $500 in shipping and labor working on this thing. Just seems that no one at Dell cares at all.

 

have they asked you to send your system into their depot yet for repairs?

 

All I have been offered so far is the exchange for a lower end unit or wait for parts. From the horror stories I have read about the depot service I wouldn't send it in even if they offered. Likely would come back even worse than it was when this all started. Six onsite tech visits so far and the system is still dead. Part they think is the problem has already been backordered for 3 weeks and they think it will be another month until it is back in stock. I will not accept a lower end machine as a replacement so I'm stuck waiting for parts with a machine that will not even power on. Alienware tech is pushing for a system exchange so there is a chance I may get a new system but just have to see if it is approved or not.