Alienware M18x: Should I Go for the Extended Warranty?

Shouldn't have to come to that, but thanks for the idea. I'm a straight up kinda guy and I say what I see, mean what I say and tell it how it is. Dell's actions here (towards me) are tant amount to calling me out as a liar, which doesn't sit well with me. It's not like I am trying to blag a free pair of SSD's or a gpu upgrade - I just want the performance that I paid for, and did not expect that performance to evaporate so quickly in running the configuration that Dell SOLD TO ME.

It's an unfortunate fact that Dell US customers get better treatment. Without mentioning names, I had already reached out to one of the AW reps here on NBR and he told me "no problem, I'll get those drives replaced right away" - it was not until he found out via my service tag that I was from the UK and NOT from the US, and then it all changed. I had to deal with Dell EMEA who have counteracted that and said that I do not have an issue.

You can take from that what you will - I take from it that there is one rule for the US, the rest of us can go whistle....and this is not the first instance of this behaviour that I have experienced.

 

@ Arotished

Despite your issues with the M18x I've never come across such thanklessness.
You remind me of the millionaire bankers that complain about having to take a 1 million pay cut from their multi million salary or when they are prohibited on going on their 3rd holiday to Spain.

You've received several M18x systems that you didn't even drop a single cent into.

So you were out of a laptop for several months - What exactly stopped you from buying a cheap secondary machine for work?
Nothing.

Are you telling us that from February to December you just sat waiting for a replacement?
What do you take us for?

I'm with stevie on this.
You are unbelievably ungrateful despite your ideal circumstances of getting another free replacement system.

Or in fact two that should be...

 

Dell has treated me great so far. I recently bought a Aurora R4 and the video card was causing the PC to crash and it was getting worse. They offered me a brand new replacement which I refused and asked them to just send me another vid card which they did. Worked out really good for everyone involved.

I also bought a Precision notebook from DFSdirect and when I got it the screen was really washed out in the color. They sent a tech the next day with a new screen and the new screen was absolutely gorgeous. Sometimes its if you have the problem, or if the computer has the problem.

 

I'm being offered two warranties:

Basic Next Day Onsite after Remote Diagnosis

and

ProSupport Next Business Day Onsite after Remote Diagnosis

I'm having a hard time seeing a detailed comparison between the two. Is the only difference the speed of service? If so, they want $481 for my M18XR2 for a 3 year renewal vs $1658 for the prosupport. At that price, that's a steal if I'm willing to wait a few days for parts and labor =)

 

As it was explained to me, the only difference between the two is that the PRO Support covers the software. Meaning that if you had a windows questions, or issue Dell will take care of it instead of telling you " It's an operating system issue"

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is the case. Dell Solution Station provides support for software issues, but consultations are done on a paid per session basis and aren't cheap from recollection if you don't have the full cover. Personally, I'd save the $1000 and go for the basic hardware cover, you can always re-install Windows yourself to troubleshoot any possible software issues - and then you can pay yourself part of that $1000 you have just saved as your own personal consultation fee!

 

Hey guys,

I have order an M18x and I haven't purchased any warranty with it as I am kind of overbudget as it is. This has probably been asked a million times in this thread, but can you extend your warranty after the basic 1 year expires or do you have to do it when you purchase?

Thanks

 

You can extend the warranty anytime from purchase to expiry. Within the first 30 days (or however long the cooling-off period is in your country/region) you might even be able to upgrade to accidental damage protection. Some people have also had the luck to be offered warranty extension after their original warranty expired. For your reference, I extended my initial 1-year warranty by 3 years after owning my M18x for a few months.

 

I am only a few months in myself and for me the warranty is a must. Knowing the costs of the major parts in this beast alone, that warranty will and has in the past, paid for itself many times over in the end.

 

So I just extended my Warrantly for 2 more years ...
Safest thing to do with a pair of 7970m's - you've been warned

 

was just talking to a Dell rep about warranty and making personal upgrades and he said that any upgrade at all voids full warranty i thought it was more of a case of new parts not being covered...and that when you'd be sending the machine back to be fixed, all you do is put in the original part and all is fine and dandy. the person was from the EPP sales department rather than Alienware sales (if that makes a difference?).

 

I have a feeling that the rep has misinformed you on that one. If you buy parts from Dell (eg. a gpu) then that part will have a separate warranty to it, and it won't be covered under the roof of your system warranty. Damage caused by yourself (to the part or the machine) whilst installing it would not be covered either. It won't completely void your warranty, as he is making out.

Of course, aftermarket upgrades bought from a third party will have no Dell warranty at all, and what *can* happen is that you might be asked to put the machine back to it's original configuration for Dell to troubleshoot any future problems that may arise. You would also probably be asked to have the original configuration should the machine have to go in to the depot.

As an example, as I have upgraded my gpu's to 680m's, they are not validated for use in the M18xR1 so Dell could ask me to put my 580m's back in - which is why I have kept 'em - to maintain the warranty should I need it.

I think he got a little confused, but seek further clarification should you feel the need.

 

Stevie,

I'm looking to extend my warranty. Can you email me? My email address is my username here @gmail.com

 

You can PM me once you have access to full forum priveledges - if you make one or two more posts, you will have access (probably already got 'em) - just click on my NBR name and you will see the option to PM me :thumbsup:

 

somehow i'm not able. will post a few more

 

PM received and replied.

 

I tried to get prices to extend my warranty today. 511 for a 4 year. 229 for a 1 year. I told him my friend got the 4 year for 400 and if he could get it close to that I'd buy. He said " I am afraid I cannot lower warranty prices, sorry." This was over the alienwareupgrades email. Should I try somewhere else... better luck calling instead of email ect?

.

 

Worth a shot, policies may change over time.

 

I had a chance to extend my warranty after it expired, but I decided to upgrade my system (CPU/GPU) I sold the originals to fund the purchase of the new. Take that into account. If you do an upgrade you'll need to buy Dell (Expensive) or you'll have to hold on to the old parts for warranty issues.

Also Have you priced out square trade?

 

This sounds like a job for LPorras; have you reached out to our local neighborhood tech? (Maybe I missed it on a prior page). It's issues like yours that make me miss Bill_B. :-(

 

got my refurb m18x r2 from reseller today.

3630qm, 680m, 16gb, 500hdd, bluray, killer.

quote i got for warranty extension from dell: 2 years - 228; 3 years - 393!!

think its good that the 3 year isnt tempting...because i guess i dont really need more than 2 years + the 8 months it has on it atm...plan would be to upgrade to a 3940xm & 780m sli in 2 years or so depending on gaming needs (rare & mild ).

wonder why they have such a silly deal.. 2 years for 292 and 3 years for 338 makes more sense i would have thought?

 

Alright, so Im looking at getting an Alienware, and from what i've heard, they're gonna break down. So I'm thinking 4 yr warranty is good, and it will be a good bargaining chip for getting a discount on a unit itself. Only thing im wondering about, is how is the service in Canada? I saw that dude getting screwed by Dell earlier on in this thread as he lived in England. I'm assuming Canada is gonna be pretty close to the same level of service as the US, but with the boarder and everything, I thought i'd ask.

 

DO NOT BUY THE WARRANTY - Dell will shaft you on it. Have a read of the thread in my signature. And that 'guy' would be me getting shafted....you've been warned. I've just been shafted BIG TIME.

 

I'm not quite sure I agree, it is a different region and you have 0 recourse if in month 13 your machine dies with no warranty.

 

I'd get the warranty.

I bought a new M18X R1 End of 2011. (Had total of 3 years on warranty).

Closing in on the end of my 2nd year, my M18X has basically taken a nose dive.

Video Cards replaced, Motherboards replaced, it's so bad that they are going to replace my entire machine with an M18X R2.

 

More relevant info on Dell EMEA warranty and how they 'Deal' with it - check this post out:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...aid-instead-similar-system-2.html#post9299723

 

Steve can you message me regarding extending warentee...

 

Just let you know I just got a alien m18x gaming laptop with sli 780m ...

 

I cannot PM you yet as you have to have full NBR forum access which requires around 5 quality posts on the forums to be made. Once you have full forum access, you are free to send/receive messages.

 

Here in the UK the warranty has been pretty satisfactory had a gpu replaced and my wifi card replaced with no issues at all. They were very understanding and helpful with everything.

 

I have had to use the extended warranty myself on several occasions and I am thankful that I spent the extra $........

 

hey guys ....been away for a while and dint wanna start a new thread .....but just wanted to run this by the alienware nbr family ...just purchased extension on my m18x r2 ...for $165 for another additional year ...does that sound right ??

Couldn`t afford to go for two years since I need to purchase an extended warranty on my xperia z ultra too

 

$165 is cheap, in Australia it's close to $300 for 1 yr and around $400 for 2yr extended warranty. I haggled and paid $360 for 2yr on my m17xr4.

 

Yeah $165 for an extra year sounds about right.

 

They started with $280 ...managed to haggle it down .....actually i was on call when i posted this ..it came out to $175

 

I'm looking to extend my warranty since my gfx cards are being a pita and currently working out my issues with Alienware Social media team. I would like to know how you got the $165? What number you called and whatnot. I've owned a couple of Alienware laptops before and the price I always get when extending is $150-170 for 1 year and now they wont budge! They keep offering me the $229 and making it seem like its such a good deal and when I ask "is that the best you could do?" "Any discounts currently?" and "etc?" They get all hostile saying I've called before and the price will not change and give me excuses that's out of this world. If I get the right rep, who's willing to work things out then I will go for 2 years.

 

I called at an hour ...when the customer support..is directed towards another country...they seem to be more open to haggling the price down

 

I always get transferred to India and called multiple times on different days, no success.

 

Long story short my 17xr2 gave up the ghost and since its my main work machine I needed to get something fast. The end of the year brings a slow down in work for me so funds were a little tight. I ordered a new alienware 18, but because of budget I ordered the processor I need and skipped things I could add later like more ram and bigger drives and the warranty.

I have had it for about 5 days now and am ready to add the warranty, I know not to long but 5 days of production was better then waiting, but it seems to be about $400 more to add it then when I add it during the initial purchase. My question is, should I return it in the 30 return window and just reorder with the warranty or is there a way to get the same warranty as when I order it new since I'm still in the first 30 days? Since this is my main work machine I don't want to be without coverage for the full 4 years and I feel that the accidental damage is also a must.

Thanks for any input

</jon>

 

Depends on what price you paid and how much of a stink you want to raise. If you paid regular sale price which at this time is $300 off for Alienware 18 then I would just return and rebuy. If somehow you negotiate a super slick deals like $800 off then I would try to find a rep who will listen to you and discount the warranty heavily. If you call the dell return department and tell them it is costing you $400 more to add a warranty they will offer like $200 to keep the machine as is. Than you can negotiate heavily with couple reps and get the best deal to buy the extended warranty.

If you want to repurchase then you can use the current $300 off promo and typically negotiate additional $100-$200 off along with discounts for getting a warranty. 5% back for dell loyalty minus any credit card cashback like shop discover, ebates, mr rebates, or other portals. You can go either way but we need more details about your original deal you got and if it can be replicated again with ease. You can waive restocking fee if you give them the new order number. Tell them the issues with adding warranty and pricing jumping up significantly to get them to waive it for you and provide a prepaid label.

 

The original order was what ever dell had going a few weeks ago, 10 days build time then had it for 5 days so the deals from 15 days ago. I will reach out to a dell rep and see what they can do for me.

A second question, on the new machine options I can choose how many years I want but they are all listed as "Alienware Enhanced Support" but when I look at the addon options to add to the machine I already bought its listed as basic or prosupport. The prosupport for 4 years is $1709 dollars. what level of support is that? is it that much more coverage then enhanced support?

 

Here is the warranty differences but stick with the cheapest options as long as parts and labor is covered. Since your deal is not anything fancy or out of the blue. I would try to negotiate a new deal and then get a return authorization number from dell and provide the new order number. This will be the easiest option since you don't have to worry about negotiating. If you want to keep your system then you will have to put some work in to get the same price for the warranty as if you bought it during the sale.


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All the extras don't interest me the things I need are the next day parts service if the machine dies and the accidentally damage coverage, Starbucks is my office alot of the time and people spill things.

Just tried online chat and phone chat and both told me the same thing. Only option is to return the machine . Going to wait a week then ship it back when I have all my coding work for the month finished. Gives me time to get the old one sent back and the new one to me.

After receiving the machine I have to say it feels less quality then my 17xr2. The plastic bottom panel bothers me for some stupid reason.

 

wat you mean it bothers you ?

 

The 17 I'm replacing was aluminum top and bottom but the new one has a plastic bottom. Its also not as "tight" as my old one, the main bottom plate has a little rattle to it if tapped. Just small things but with everything I spend this will be about $5,500 worth of kit and it doesn't feel like that. I spent $6,000 on my 17 with the warranty and it felt very very solid.

Yes its a nice machine, yes it will be fast, yes it will let me get work done on the road, no it doesn't have the same feel as my last alienware.