M11x - Is a Warranty Really Worth the Extra $150?

So, I've been reading of all these horrible stories about broken hinges, etc. etc. etc. on M11x units. Is the Premium Warranty really necessary? Hypothetically speaking, if I just went with the basic one year plan and made sure I got a high quality, working unit very early on, would I ever need the warranty?

It seems like pre-emptively protecting against something for a year, and an arm and a leg, compared to just making sure I have a perfect unit beforehand, is just not worth it... I take very good care of my stuff so...

Yeah, sorry if the above makes no sense. It's late at night here.



Edit: @Batboy This wasn't meant to be an M11x thread, as the warranty question would theoretically apply to all the Alienware (and by extension, Dell) computers, but okay...

 

Absolutely. Think about when you first open it, you might spill something all over it and fry the mobo. Or what about 2012? What'll you do if you dump ice cream on it when the earthquakes rip the world apart?

 

I don't keep food or drink near my computer. I'm less interested in the accidental coverage, and more interested in the horror stories that currently abound. If I get a working unit beforehand, will I really need the warranty a year down the road if I take good care of it?

 

I didn't get one but i am thinking maybe i should have.

 

dell warranty is worth every dime.
im getting m11x r2 replacement for my m1330

 

Any reason why?

Also, is Premium worth it over Advanced?

 

If it's 2012, and something gone very wrong, well I would assume Dell is out of business also. At that point, Dell warranty is the last thing I'm worry about. Even if that wasn't the case, I might end up want a new laptop anyway. I would say, if you are geeky enough, you know how to check your hardware, replace memory/harddrive. Then you most likely don't need the extra warranty.

 

Well i typically in the past never needed insurance on electronics being as i take good care of them. I mean i still have an original Gameboy from back in the day in all its wrappings=)
But on my last large purchase (lcd tv) i got a deal on some insurance and got it & turns out an accident happened and i got a replacement unit due to the insurance.
Maybe ill give them a call tomorrow and see what my options are.

 

On my last laptop, I got 3 years of accidental damage protection (worth up to $1000) for $150 from Squaretrade. I'm not sure what the premium warranty from Dell entails exactly but thought I'd throw it out there for comparison.

 

Yeah I'm fully capable of replacing the hardware myself. I'm just more concerned with getting a perfect unit. By perfect, I mean, "Unit performing as advertised, no creaky or broken hinges, imprinting LCD, ... ," you get the idea. If I dropped the premium warranty, couldn't I just theoretically keep swapping until I get one that satisfies me? Warranty or not?

 

theoretically yes, well at least for us brit's, as you have x days from purchase to return a product if your not satified, as which they should ether exchange the unit or refund you. I imagine the US (you live their yea?) have the same/similar policy.

Even with the standard warrently though, as long as you didnt cause the malfunction, they should repair or even in some cases replace the unit.

As for me, i didn't bother going for the extra warrently, and i don't regret it. (on the road 5 days a week and not one scratch )

 

Related with warranty...

Does changing the HDD for a SSD ( not dell) break the warranty?

 

Shouldn't be, from what I understand HDD & RAM are the part that user accessible anyway. But if you replace it on your own, your SSD wouldn't be under warranty by dell, the rest of the machine should still be warranty intact. At least that's what I experience in the past. Other country may have difference rule though. But at the same time, if the SSD isn't install probably and say it cause a short circuit and ruin the whole system, Dell may still be deny your warranty, as it's caused by you.

 

Laptop components tend to wear out after ~3 years (the industry sees, on average, a spike in failures around that time, and my experiences agree with those statistics). If you get a warranty I would recommend a three year one to cover you in that time frame. If that is too much at least get a one year warranty to deal with any potential early problems you might have with your unit.

 

If you figure that Dell should have the hinge/LCD issue cleared up in the next year then having you laptop repaired until the basic warranty until then should leave you with a M11x with no issues.

Assuming the hinge/LCD repair is a fix and not just prolonging the inevitable...

 

In three years I'll have replaced the computer anyway. Plus, the aftermarket upgrades I would buy (RAM and SSD) are limited lifetime warranties. Actually, I think the Intel G2 is a 3 Year Limited, but in anycase, there'll be something better at that point.

 

It's not worth it in my opinion. I had a three year plan for my Dell XPS 13" and Dell still makes you go through hours of troubleshooting over the phone and even after multiple times coming to my house to fix my laptop, they finally gave in and replaced mine with a refurbished model. I argued with the Manager at Dell that I expect a brand new laptop; however they would not concede. I know that Alienware if owned by Dell, but I would never buy another Dell due to my personal experience. I know everyone has different experience, but I just do not see having an extended warranty is worth it. If you make it past a year, most likely your laptop is fine.

 

For what it's worth Clark Howard and Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman all teach that "extended warrantys" are complete scams.

Personally, I've never bought one for anything. In the one or two cases that something did go wrong I was able to get things taken care of with some letter writing and phone calling.

Complain enough, without acting like a whiny kid, and things tend to get fixed despite any warranty or lack thereof.

 

I don't know where you live but here in Belgium, Dell and Apple scam people into thinking they only get 1 year warranty, while the law says every product needs to have 2 years of warranty with extension of the warranty period by every day that your laptop is away for repair.

But aside from this trick (to make people buy extended warranty to 2 years while they actually already have the right for it), the advanced and premium warranties are pretty good as far as i've heard. When you have an Acer for example, you can lose it for weeks (ive heard periods from 6 weeks to 3 months) when they send it back to the factory. If you chose dells next bussines day repair or collect and return policy (within 5 days), you will not have to worry about losing your laptop for ages, which can be a disaster if you are at college and only have 1 system.

 

I think its worth every penny - although it can get a bit pricey sometimes.

I had a dell D830 that stopped working - something about a motherboard failure/fried 3 months into purchase. Called up dell - guy shows up next day - takes the whole thing apart in front of me in 10 mins - replaces motherboard - puts everything back together and BAM ! it has worked fine.

On another event with a Dell M710 laptop - the screen died on me - same thing - they sent out a guy with a brand new screen. And this one happened 2 times.

On my M11x - I got the same 2 yr warranty - whatever has to go wrong/burn/stop working either happens in the first 6 months or shows up in 2 years. My bigger concern with the m11x is dropping it or damaging it - the hardware itself I have a little more faith in than I did for the standard dell laptops.
Plus dell offers adding more warranty once the original warranty expires. Then again, i am guessing a better/faster/more powerful laptop would be up for grabs 2 years from now.

 

Well, in the US, Apple gives you what, 90 days of its "world class support" of which I never needed. I'm pretty sure I know more than the supposed "experts" at the Genius Bar. Really, some of them fail even the most basic of softball questions.

So, the general consensus is that if my laptop makes it past a few months to a year, then it's okay? I've dealt with Dell warranty in the past (it's a nightmare) but never before Alienware under Dell, so... I just want to make sure I get a flawless unit before I go off to school, where I will inevitably be left to hang without a working computer.

 

The way I look at extended warranties in general is you either always buy them for peace of mind or you never buy them and the money you save over time will be enough to replaced what actually breaks.

 

What exactly do these warranty covers?

Do they actually cover spills/neglience at no additional cost repairs?


I thought they would only cover theft?


I understand that opening it up will void warranty outside of ram and HDD upgrade. but.. spilling beer into it... can be covered by warranty?

 

I'm pretty sure Advanced and Premium cover accidental damage at no cost. I'm surprised warranties would cover theft though. What's stopping me from saying "oh, someone stole my laptop" when I had really just hidden it in the back of my closet? Seems like a cheap way to get a free machine. Well then again, that could apply to accidental damage...

 

Just wonder about the scam those companies run, did the law specify that if they sell stuff w/ 1 year warranty but force to have 2 years by law, do they have to treat customers the same too?

 

Dell and Apple advertise that their products come with 1 year warranty, so people pay like 100-200 euros additionaly to get 2 or 3 years warranty, while they actually already have the 2 year warranty provided them by law. If you have a problem and make them aware that you know that you are entitled to the 2 years of warranty they oblidge because they know they must.

I don't know if sales reps have actually tried to deny to provide the warranty after the (false) 1 year warranty had ended to anyone, but since they advertise only 1 year on the site there's probably no doubt a lot of people just accepted it (but then again this is just hypotheticaly, I haven't had any personal experience with dell/aplle yet, I just took a look at their sites and read a few consumer articles online where they told how to get their rightfully possesed warranty)

I have been planning on buying an AW for quite some time now and you can be sure that when i'll call them this warranty issue will be the first thing i'll discus with the sales rep, with the literal law quote by my side, stating the exact article number (Art. 1649quater § 1. for Belgium) so they know i'm an informed consumer.

 

Are the only differences between Advanced and Premium warranty's the added support from Premium?

 

I purchased my M11x at Best buy, but have it registered @ Dell's site. It's less than a month old. Am I able to purchase an extended Dell warranty on my M11x, even if purchased @ a retail store? Also what's the time frame Im able to purchase an extended warranty (if applicable)?