M11x R2 Hinge replacement/interesting experience with customer service

Hi guys,

So I am new-ish to the forums, have been reading a lot of posts and figured I would put in my 0.02.

recently, my friend bought a alienware m11xR2 from c_list. yes he did, i5, 4gb rram, 500gb hdd. all for 400, turns out like most people on c_list, this guy was pretty much a scam. he claimed dell replaced the hinges once already...

after my friend got it and showed it to me, I saw hints of epoxy gluing the corner of the lid and screen together... etc. the hinge feels very sturdy, here is what gets interesting... the back hinge covers are all cracked open, when you open the laptop it has creaking noises.

I managed to call alienware support right now, each call takes less than a minute to connect (VERY IMPRESSIVE!!) however, the quality of service really varies with each rep that you get... I have talked to 5 or 6 of them, regarding ownership transfer etc etc. takes forever, but I got a tech coming out to get the screen replaced.

Here is where it gets tricky, I only noticed the DIY work (epoxy) AFTER i placed the service order, do you think there will be a chance the Dell tech will reject the repair? (I am assuming previous owner took it apart and glued the screws and everything, hence screen is very sturdy, just creaking noise and cracked hinge cover...) my other question is does it matter the hinges creak? (sounds like plastic against plastic)

Had i find out earlier about my friend c_list deal, I would've gone with him/discourage him. anyways, 400 is still a great deal, diagnostics at boot start reveals no problem. just the creaking noise.

hopefully dell tech will replace the screen, and alienware needs to tell their staff to stop lying to customers (ie, system's down, steps in the process) etc.

I am sharing figured I am not the only one with a laptop from c_list (specifically m11xR2) so if you all have any questions about dealing with alienware rep, i might be able to help.

 

If it's creaking then the repair I suspect has actually failed - and yes under the dell scheme they should replace your display

 

Shortly after I posted this thread, I got a call from the Dell tech. He met me at work and replaced my new screen, fantastic how fast it turned out.

Anyways, I got the matte black finish but was replaced with the shiny finish. =(

 

Lol soft touch to cosmic black in an r2?

 

Yea, afraid so. I am too lazy to call Dell back. Plus I heard about paint peeling off, I will just stick to what I got.