Alienware M15X serious problems, Alienware seems to be refusing to do anything.

Hey everyone,

I have a m15x with a variety of problems, it all started with the audio crackling problems, and it's deteriorated to problems with the expresscard slot not functioning, USB ports failing to power basic devices, issues with the power adapter not charging or being detected and so on. Just a slew of problems, In late Nov I contacted Alienware about this and got a manager to help me out, after weeks and weeks of waiting I had no response. The manager gave me his name, and email to contact him at, we've started exchanging emails and he setup some dates for parts exchanges.

When the part exchanges didn't help (touchpad, powerbar, motherboard etc) I was approved for a system exchange. After weeks of exchanging emails again and waiting I got a an email with a confirmation number for the exchange. I was told it would be a couple of days/weeks to get a system exchange (this was on Dec 20th 2010) I talked to the manager on the phone one last time and he explained the process and I should have it all done in the first weeks or so of January before me warranty ran out.

So I contacted the manager again 2 weeks ago and then again last week. I never get replies to my emails but I know they're being read because I have Read Receipts and yet no reply. I know sometimes these system take a while to build but it surely doesn't take this long. The laptop is in a state that it can't really be used for anything besides web surfing or work processing. Watching any media is effected by the audio problems, traveling with the laptop is an issue because it refuses to charge 50% of the time, the trackpad is wonky and requires a mouse (I have the A09 bios and it was working fine for months). I stated that I did not care if the system was a new system or a refurbished or even a different model as long as it met 2 criteria. A. That it had equal or better specs B. None of the current problems I have are present. I don't think I'm asking for more than I deserve as a customer.

The system is now out of warranty, I tried contacting Alienware and they refuse to help me without purchasing an extended warranty or paying a fee for out of warranty service. Is there anything that can be done? am I SoL?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Damn, this sucks, horrible story... I'm really sorry man.

I guess you already tried this, but call them again and explain them the whole story... something somewhere has gotten terribly wrong imo. If they wont help you talk to a supervisor.

Email is never a good idea, things always work better and faster when calling Dell.

You should not be obliged to pay for extended warranty to get your system fixed as you contacted them early enough. However, warranty extension is a good investment anyway, really. So if they won't do anything except with you buy a warranty extension I'd go for it (I recommend extending it either way)

 

I asked them how much the extension of another year was, they told me because it was out of warranty it would be 600$CAD + taxes. Thats a down payment on a new laptop with better specs. I'm going to keep calling them until something gives, this is pissing me off. I told them that I would extend my warranty once I recieved the replacement and it was functioning properly. Every time I asked about extending it over the phone when talking to the manager that was helping me he said not to worry that it would be extended until after I receive the replacement and we could worry about that after.

 

Omg, this is crazy... Keep calling them and try to prove that you already contacted them about this issue quite a while ago...

I don't know of any other thing to do... Good luck!!!!!

 

Print out the emails and send a demand letter to them. Show them that you got proves that Dell had agreed to exchange the system. Sometimes, they do need a little shake to wake them up.

 

Seems to me like they were leading you on so that they could make an extra buck off you (or 600) once your warranty ran out.

 

I called 3 times this morning, twice I was put on hold while they tried to find the case manager, which surprise! they couldn't. 3rd time I got fed up of being put on hold that I just hung up.

Is there anyone I can contact about this beside the damn alienware support? they're worthless, completely and utterly worthless. How these people keep their damn jobs astounds me.

 

call again, once you get a hold of the tech, ask them to transfer you to their supervisor. then explain your case and gave them all of your proof, that a replacement was approved before the end of your warranty.

i'm going through some problems with them myself, been over a month and my case hasn't been resolved yet either. just glad i got 4 yrs warranty on mine or i'll be in a big mess right now too.

 

I've given up for today, I can't stand talking to these idiots anymore. I'm printing all emails I have between myself and the case manager and mailing them to Dell Corporate.

 

That probably wont do you any good to be honest...

Usually, in these sort of cases, the only thing that will get you somewhere is the BBB. So call tech support back again, and I would have them be aware that you will contact the BBB if this isnt resolved.

You have all the proof in your emails, so you have nothing to worry about. If they fail to do anything, dont be afraid to call the BBB. Then you will have Dell begging you to get on the phone to fix your problem.

 

Yeah, file a complaint with the BBB. Bet the problem will go away once they get involved. Something like this is bad for Dell's reputation, especially on their flagship series.

 

Most mainstream companies don't really have a good reputation to begin with. Alienware support has always been a nightmare, (At least, in my experience).

There've been plenty of times where I've been flat hung up on for no other reason then incompetence & inability to answer or (answer honestly) questions that I've had.

Like the laptop hate the service, almost enough to want to go Sager/Clevo.
Anyway, yeah, go the Supervisor route and be ready to present all your paperwork / terms.

 

I wrote an email to the manager that was assisting me giving him 24hrs to respond to my emails or action will be taken via Dell Corporate / BBB. I'm on the phone right now trying to talk to a supervisor but this is taking forever. I've been on a music-less hold for about 20minutes. The supervisor is currently assisting another person on the phone so I'm in a queue.

I really wish Asus offered in home service or I would have switched over to them ages ago. Dell/Alienware can die for all I care.

 

Just got off the phone with the manager, took his info down. Told me that the tech manager that was assisting me before forgot to completely process the order and just let it sit there idling so that support in Canada could let it go through. He fixed the issue. Told me that it would take about 2 weeks. Told me legally in Canada they cannot offer refurbished systems and it has to be brand new from the factory.

I demanded that my warranty be extended for a full year. I don't want a 90day extension, if it's a new system it's going to have a 1year warranty. Stated that if he wasn't able to do it that I would like to speak to whomever has the authority to put it forward. I also stated that if the laptop was not here by the 18th (2days past 2 weeks time) I would be seeking legal action and forwarding all this info the local BBB office.

Just a little off topic, anyone want to trade an M15X with a bunch of extras for an Asus Sandy bridge laptop? I pretty much made up my mind, dell will no longer be allowed in my business or household.

 

Good for you for standing up for yourself. I've found that with Dell support, you have to be assertive with your demands otherwise they will just give you some bs excuse to try to make you go away. As soon as yesterday I had an issue that the support tech did not want to help me with. I refused to budge and to make a long story short, a service tech will be arriving tomorrow to replace the part in question. As far as getting rid of the M15X, I understand exactly what you're going through from my nightmare with MSI support. I think you should just sleep on it and don't make any rash decisions as far as getting rid of it, especially since Intel just confirmed a serious design flaw with the Sandy Bridge series

EDIT: Just to give you an idea of how inconsistent and downright stupid Dell can be :I was a Dell Authorized Reseller for 5 years. Through the course of those 5 years I purchased well over 50K worth of desktops, laptops, and servers. Even given the history I had with them, they refused to RMA a server power supply that they sent me even though they sent me the wrong item (not my fault). They kept bringing up a stupid policy of not accepting returns on spare parts items. The power supply cost like $120 and I had to file a complaint with the BBB, and AMEX to get it resolved. If that's not a case of bad business and lack of common sense, I don't know what is. You can imagine how stupid I felt for reselling Dell products for them all those years.

 

I know about the sandy bridge flaw but all sandy bridge systems are covered by the recall and Canadian recall law (3-6-9months down the line if I still have the laptop I can still send it in for repair). I've been thinking about getting rid of the M15X for months now, this just pushed me over the edge. Thanks for the advice but I'm not making any rash decisions.

How will I know that my warranty has been extended on the new system to a year rather than just a a month or 2?

 

You should be able to see it when you go on dell support page and enter your service tag.
Regarding the sale this is not really the place, try ebay and/or NBR marketplace.
Good job at getting everything fixed!