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    My M15X Saga (Problems, Solutions, Dell Critique)

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by PeteJM, Jun 4, 2011.

  1. PeteJM

    PeteJM Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok, first off my name is PeteJM, I have been a notebookreview.com forum member for about 1 real month where I was on checking things ETC because I wanted to sell my M15X. Yeah, I joined the forum to sell my M15 since I was fed up with it. A forum member told me I should try to get dell to repair it and go over the things that were wrong with them. Before I did this, I made sure all the drivers I had were from the dell website, and I had a fresh install of Win7. So I did a fresh install, and used all the drivers from the dell website so Dell would not have much to do.

    Called dell, and they proceeded to do everything I did, again. So after about 6 hours on the phone with Dell, they confirmed that the computers Video Card, IO Board, and a few other parts needed to be replaced. (NVidia 260M)

    3 days later, all the stuff was replaced and the computer was running great for the first time since I bought it. I was happy with it, so I kept it.

    Fast forward a month, and the computer was acting like poop again. I had just gotten back from a deployment with the military when I got it fixed, so I was Not amused at all. I stopped using the laptop for a bit as I was out of the country. So when I got back, I went on a trip and used the laptop again, noticed blue screens, video card lockups (computer would randomly hault programs, and the display would flicker, then lock to a solid color or flicker on a solid color). This happened a few times, so I called DELL back.

    The tech went through his whole plethora of items, I asked to speak to a supervisor after. When I talked to him, we went over the issues, and I told him how dis-satisfied I was with the laptop. Etc.. etc.. and he agreed to replace the heatsinks, fans, and the videocard with a 460M w/ 1.5GB onboard. As the issue might be with the 260M product line.

    Currently on Haven Benchmark on DX10, High Shaders, 4 Anisotropy and Anti-Aliasing off it peaks out at 71 Celcius at 98% load for the GPU. And it promptly crashes about an hour after.

    So, the reason I am posting is this. I have next day service on the laptop from dell which they say means if I call in with an issue, they next day the parts to Unisys (on site techs that come out) and they fix it the next day. Woo! Great option for us guys in the military that dont like to waste time. Until now... So, I am in Oklahoma and they are supposed to be able to do it, since I am right near one of their depos... Supposedly.

    Thursday: Called dell, dell ordered the parts, arrived at unisys the next day.
    Friday: Called Unisys around 2 PM to ask where their tech was, etc... they say they will page him and tell him to call me within 30 min.
    Called again at 3, wheres the tech, why hasnt he called, if hes busy I understand, just tell me. They say they will escalate it and management should call me today/tonight...
    Call again at 4:30... Once again, no call from management, the tech, etc... So I call dell, to file a fusion ticket because Unisys says this is a better way since it goes to upper mgmt. I got no calls, nothing that night as I was told.
    Saturday: (today) Call dell/unisys to figure out whats up. Didnt get much from either. Was on hold with dell since they are busy today for 40 min before talking with someone, get to someone, talk to them about the issue, they reccomend talking to a supervisor, i get put on hold then hung up on.

    Im officially done with DELL as a whole. If we pay this much for a supposed quality and tested product, and its this bad??? And they basically shun you when you want support for it? I dont understand how they are even still in business because its like Dell back in 1992 when they did this alot.

    Anyone have any suggestions?
     
  2. Unbreakables

    Unbreakables Notebook Guru

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    trust me my experience with dell on my 15x is even worse.

    One of the techs even got cocky and asked ''If you complaint that much, why don't you just get a M18x? No money?''
     
  3. PeteJM

    PeteJM Notebook Enthusiast

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    Heh, thats bad. What problems have you had?
     
  4. Unbreakables

    Unbreakables Notebook Guru

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    I had a very bad car crash. And my laptop was supposed to be covered by the Dell Complete Cover.

    Went through will dell reps for almost 3months before I get my parts replaced.

    But even before that, my rig has had so many problems that made me regret on buying an alienware product.

    This is my last dell product, seriously.
     
  5. PeteJM

    PeteJM Notebook Enthusiast

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    I agree with that. Sadly this is going to be my last dell product as well.
     
  6. kevinmajere

    kevinmajere Notebook Consultant

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    K, this thread kind of scares me. Im waiting on call from my onsite tech to make a time to come by and replace the MB and graphic card in my M15x. It's almost 12.... no call yet.
     
  7. ElectricTurtle

    ElectricTurtle Notebook Consultant

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    Just a side note: never leave your laptop/pc without usage for too long, it's bad for its health
     
  8. PeteJM

    PeteJM Notebook Enthusiast

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    Update:

    ITS MONDAY!!! Woo, my computer is going to get fixed... NOT

    Tech never called me again today, so I called dell and gave them a BIG ... And guess what, he cant make it till tomorrow... again... When they promised me at first friday repair, then monday, and now pushing it back again. Giving them a piece of my mind at the moment. Why did I pay extra for their next day repair options etc if they cant fulfil them!


    This is very true, bad for the battery too. This is why if It is not being used I still attempt to start it every month and run it down to a 0 charge, and charge it for the battery and everything else.
     
  9. PeteJM

    PeteJM Notebook Enthusiast

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    Not being irate over the phone, I quite sternly described the issue and the resolution I would like to dell. Asked for his supervisor, supervisor refused to speak with me and said it would get fixed tuesday.

    So... I nicely went over the terms of their next day contract warranty repairs with the tech again. Guess what, he is making a new ticket, and referring me to customer care... wait, I thought he was customer care? Nope, turns out its a totally different department and their techs are not certified customer care and dispute technicians... Confusing.

    So, I basically went over the timeline again, and told him that making a new ticket would just start this whole retarded process over again, and take even more of my time up while I am away from home training, and waste even more of dells time and resources... He still wants to make a new ticket, and refer me to customer care... Wow, go dell. You guys have stuff on lockdown... NOT

    EDIT: REALLLLLY Regretting buying an Alienware to see how the brand has progressed since I was younger and alienware was a seperate entity and was awesome...
     
  10. Mexic00ls

    Mexic00ls Notebook Deity

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    i understand that some laptops have more issues than other, ive had quite a few and have also had some pretty bad customer care service from dell, and also some good.... i actually ended up telling them to ship me a box and i would send my laptop back and they could figure out the problem. 4 days later it came back 100% in working order.
     
  11. PeteJM

    PeteJM Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok, so. He was going to transfer me to "Customer Services" apparently Adil (Or so he said thats his name) after transferring me, didnt transfer me at all. All he did was put me on hold for 20 minutes then i get the telltale "beep beep beep beep" that means the line went dead on their end. Aka Adil hung up on me. But luckally, Adil could see that apparently lifesaving new dispatch ticket that should fix everything!

    So I call Alienware Customer Service (Dial 5 For All Other Questions, then 2 for other more othery questions) So I did that, and Juan comes on the line and tells me after I explained my problems again that Tech Support has to take ownership of the issue and you should speak to a Supervisor. Wait... Didnt I just explain to him that when I requested a supervisor, he wouldnt speak directly to me and only would speak through the original dude?... Wow, thought we all spoke the same language here, and understood what people say instead of picking our teeth saying "Uh Huh" every few seconds when I pause.

    So Far, Total Time Used on my Cellphone is OVER 340 Minutes... Yay, I only get 500 A month.

    So, Im getting transferred again, I just know how this is going to end up. Loe and behold I actually GOT transferred correctly. But to the wrong department, It went to XPS, who got me to Alienware. Really good girl named Jill that sees this type of thing happen all the time with Alienware... Glad DELL knows the issue, but does not resolve it...

    So, I am talking to a new tech, I explain the issue again. Why Next Day Support should mean the tech gets the parts the next day, and calls you to schedule a time he can come, just like what their warranty service description site says. And the new tech fails to see whats wrong... Well, I explain to him with these exact words "What if your wife needs kidney surgery, and the doctor says he will have a new kidney for her the next day. This is on a Thursday, now comes friday, the doctor never shows up for work, no one calls you, and your wife is lieing there in pain. You wait the whole weekend because the hospital staff says that he will be in monday, and the surgery is definitely a go. Monday comes and goes, and all they say is the doctor is having "Problems" and he cant do it till tuesday. Based on that track record, what would you think?" Now he actually got what I was trying to get across, and told me he would get a Supervisor and asked me to hold, it would take him a few minutes. So I get put on hold, and guess what. As soon as he hits that button, the line goes dead, no music from the hold line, and my Skype hangs up.

    Overall, I am prettymuch done with Dell. Investigating posting this on the Consumerist and contacting my Lawyer/Insurance guys to see what they can do for me. I mean, we pay $ for insurance on our property, why not use it when the property is broken and the company who makes it refuses to repair it?
     
  12. PeteJM

    PeteJM Notebook Enthusiast

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  13. kevinmajere

    kevinmajere Notebook Consultant

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    Pete, your making me really worried. But finally today my on site tech contacted me and can't be here till 5 pm this afternoon. Our office closes at 5 pm, so he will be comming to my home to do the replacement parts.

    Just keep your head up and stay on top of everything.
     
  14. ElectricTurtle

    ElectricTurtle Notebook Consultant

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    Modern battery doesn't need to completely discharge. In fact, it'll be bad and i think once a week is the appropriate frequency. I'm not standing up for Dell but every 100 laptops produced will have approx 4 downers which will need constant repair. It seems that ur luck has gone bad with this one ^^!!. However, the ones at fault here are the service techs, the person who recruited them deserves a kick in the &^#@# and the @&*@$#. I'm rooting for ur success, take'em head on.
     
  15. The Happy Swede

    The Happy Swede Notebook Evangelist

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    Damn pete, You seem to be very very unlucky :O I do understand that there has been some bad cases with alienware/dell but that doesent mean that everyone has those kind of issues and it certainly doesent mean that Alienware is by any means a bad product to get. I myself have a M15x that i got last summer, it has worked flawlessly (except some stuff that i managed to scr.w up myself) and when i called the dell tech support they were the BEST support i have ever talked too! Now this is the danish dell guys so i dont know about the ones over there, but he followed me through the whole procedure and from the start asked me if i wanted to have a tech sent over with a new GPU, i declined and said that i would try and make it work. Then the next day he actually contacted me HIMSELF and asked if everything worked out, i mean that is in my book very impressive. I just wanted to say that not all Alienware/dell is crap, but you can get unlucky with pretty much anything, and for the support i do find that to be a pity that they have such bad support where you live... I hope you the best luck with your problems!
     
  16. PeteJM

    PeteJM Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yeah man, i wish they were like that. Its wednesday now and no resolution. But my original support tech has called me back and is trying to work with me. Hopefully he can help.
     
  17. PeteJM

    PeteJM Notebook Enthusiast

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    Update: Unisys finally sent someone out after Dell straight yelled at their management on my behalf. I can understand why this happened but the Unisys tech himself even said they are low on techs, its a bad time of year, and they have been trying to save money so much so that quality has gone down.

    Overall the tech was very knowlegable, and installed everything correctly. I didnt want to look over his shoulder on the repair, but I really had no choice due to me wanting the computer to be done right the first time.

    Overall experience with dell/unisys: Mediocre, and I hope they can get some people to get these issue solved, but the original tech who helped me on Dells behalf was awesome, and so was the Unisys tech who came out to repair it.

    Lessons: Be patient, It might get done late, but it will get done.
     
  18. denogun

    denogun Notebook Consultant

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    Good luck with your case OP (if the problem still persists), I personally had a similar issue with my M15x.

    After some hassling and 5 repairs, I gave them an ultimatum to replace my 15x with a new unit, and then further persuaded them to give me an M17x.

    All is not lost with Dell, even though it may seem irritating.