How should I go about exchanging?

My new R2 (got it yesterday) is completely defective. The plastic panel between the Wi-Fi LED and the power putton is bent, the keyboard is not aligned straight, and the charger blew out today. This build concerns me because everything is packed so tightly into a laptop, and any physical modification may cause something to touch something else.

Should I return for a refund and order a new one? Or can I just exchange it for a new one without reordering?

What's the number to call for this type of problem? Theres hundreds of Dell customer support numbers, and Im very frustrated.

Now I need to wait for another laptop to be built, but I needed this thing today. My business/school work are very important, and I can't believe this product came so defective after paying $1000 for it...

*****UPDATED WITH PICTURES*****







+1 for alienware for engineering this beast, but damn, you guys gotta keep it real with your build quality.

Sorry for the rant...Its just nice to spew frustration to fellow owners who can relate..


Update: Ok so a Dell tech came in today, brought a charger, and new plastic panel.

The charger was only 65 volts....ERRR
Changing the plastic panel didn't fix the bump....ERRR.

So the technician just called up Dell, and ordered a system exchange. My new m11x R2 will be here in 10 days. During that time, I will just use the current messed up m11x on the 65 volt charger. Ah, 10 days of carefree use of a laptop. Feels good.

Finally, satisfactory service..

 

Call customer service and find out.

I'm guessing they would rather give you a replacement than a refund.

 

The bezel with alienhead is very easy to replace (the part is 7 bucks btw), and so is the keyboard btw. Keyboard being not even is normal from what I've read.

You might want to try to fix what you have now since they are small things.

 

Ill try to take of the panel when I get home today. I guess I can disregard the keyboard, no biggie. However, I still want a free charger....will dell ship me one? I have a few 90 watt chargers sitting around, but none of them charge the laptop, just power it.

 

Yes Dell will ship you a new charger and you'll send back the broken one; Dell will provide the boxing/labels for that.

 

Cool. Now im thinking about buying the 2 year warranty...

 

If I were you, i'd try popping the plastic piece that includes the power button out (all you do is pry it up from the side--you should be able to see a little hole on the right side--then it lifts right out) and putting it back in place to see if it gets rid of the bend, and then make Dell send you a new charger.

The other thing is the keyboard, but everyone's keyboard comes like that, so even if you get an exchange, nothing will change.

Actually, about the charger, the Alienware rep here answered someone else's charger problem where it wouldn't work. He told the person to unplug it from the laptop and the wall for awhile (I believe a minute or two), and that reset it, making it work. I don't know if you have the same problem, but it's worth a try over going through the hassle of a full exchange.

 

Sorry to hear your trouble. When i got my R2 with i7, the plastic strip which you spoke of had fine scratches all over and made the unit look as if it were a refurbished unit. On top of that, wesd keys were making marks on LCD panel as well.

Support agent offered to put an order in for a rebuild on top of the queue, allowing me to get the machine in a week. I refused, and got a different laptop.

I would recommend that you call the support, explain your situation, and ask them to put your queue at the top of the list. If such thing cannot be made, I would shop elsewhere.

 

Updated with pictures...

 

Those pics help. Did you try pressing it down? It is designed to snap into place every couple inches. It looks like it isn't snapped in right there in the middle. If it doesn't stay down, it's possible the snap is broken.

 

I tried pressing down on it and no help. Is the warranty voided if you take off the panel?

By the way, I talked to an alienware rep and he asked me to send him some pictures. I sent him these. Hopefully he will e-mail me back.

Does it look like a big deal, and are they clear enough to support my argument?

 

When you press it down, can you press it down until it's flat or no? If you can get it flat and it doesn't stay, then I'd say the snap is broken. If you didn't get it flat, press harder; it will take some force to push it past what it gets wedged underneath.

Yeah, it's definitely clear. It should be flat across, as you intuited. If they give you guff, argue until they send out a tech.

 

Yes, I've pressed to the point where my fingers start to hurt. It still stays like that. I'm going to see what the Rep has to say when he replies. Does this situation usualy warrant a whole new product replacement? Or would they just send some tech dude over from some mom n pop computer shop?

Also.. I still need to call and ask for an AC adapter also...

 

So I was on the phone with alienware CS for a few hours, the guy was trying to make me fix my charger, and made me take my panel on and off. I asked for a brand new replacement, but he said its not that easy...


I just want a whole new system goddamn, who knows what type of damage occurred below the bent plastic that will probably bite me AFTER the warranty expires.

Any dell reps on the forum who can just take initiative and help me replace my system?

 

Just call customer service instead of tech support and ask.

 

Do you know the exact number to call ? I was transferred 3 times last time..

 

Customer service is closed on Sundays.... But its 1-800-WWW-Dell, option 1,(english) then option 4 for CS.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. What are the chances they give me a new system? I really don't want just a new panel..plus they better give me the most fastest shipping service for free, TO and FROM

 

Bump up, also wanting to exchange because of 5 calls to Alienware tech support and they can't fix my random lockups. They said replacing would take a month, .

Is there anyway I can go through Dell? Derventa, did you have any luck? Thanks.

 

Contact [email protected]. Worked for me, as I had a small crack on my LCD on my first unit.

 

Update: Ok so a Dell tech came in today, brought a charger, and new plastic panel.

The charger was only 65 volts....ERRR
Changing the plastic panel didn't fix the bump....ERRR.

So the technician just called up Dell, and ordered a system exchange. My new m11x R2 will be here in 10 days. During that time, I will just use the current messed up m11x on the 65 volt charger. Ah, 10 days of carefree use of a laptop. Feels good.

Finally, satisfactory service..

 

Do me a favor and send me a PM with your service tag and DPS number. I'd like to capture the incoming system and have our engineer perform failure analysis on it. This is absolutely not normal. Apologies for the shotty system and the tech error on sending you the wrong wattage AC... We really try to prevent tech error with training and messaging, but you can't always stop it.

Thanks.

 

Out of curiosity who did you contact/what number did you use?

I've been trying to get a replacement for weeks now and the guy I've been in contact, while he agreed to help me, is slow to reply and his extension number always redirects me to voice mail. Getting irritated about all of this.

I also find it interesting that your charger blew out as my laptop shipped with a busted charger as well. Sounds like there's a batch of defective chargers out there.

 

I recommend using Alienwares CS number, (866) 287-6727. Option 4, Option 3.