*Alienware/Dell - Warranty Discussion Thread (Questions Only)*

We all know how consistent and well-informed the average Dell rep is

I was hoping to hear from someone who knows about this. Specifically, I'll be transferring it to the United Kingdom after purchasing through HIDEvolution. Was hoping someone else has done the same and tried to transfer the warranty.

 

Your question was pretty broad and generic (i.e. "cannot be transferred across countries"). The answer might be completely different depending on what country you want to transfer it to. Without all the details, you could get unreliable feedback through the forum. Perhaps you can PM or email one of the Alienware reps in our forums and explain specifically how you are wanting to transfer the advanced warranty (US to UK if I understood correctly) and see what they say.

Did HIDEvolution indicate they cannot sell the advanced warranty to UK customers, or that it was only valid for customers in the US? If the warranty is only good in the US and cannot be transferred under any circumstances, I can see where this might present a problem for someone relocating from the US to UK, or a UK resident that purchases an Alienware in the US and later returns home to the UK, or vice versa.

I believe that our friend steviejones133 has the "Dell Complete Care" (advanced) warranty, as do I, but I think he purchased it directly from Alienware as a UK resident. So, there would be no transfer involved under the circumstances. He may know something about it. Or, his Alienware contact in the UK may be a reliable authority on the subject.

 

Correct Mr. Fox - I took my warranty from within the UK.

I think things get a little complex when dealing with advanced warranty AND accidental damage cover. I am not 100% sure but I believe that the AD side of things is NOT transferable. I imagine this is the case as that side of things would be underwritten by a US third party firm as Dell do not provide the policy, just the chance to take it out.

If that IS the case, any AD cover taken out on a US system would not be valid in the UK as it's not underwritten by a UK insurer.

I do however believe that the Dell warranty IS transferable - maybe a call to Dell would be in order to confirm this is the case as its an expensive thing to purchase only to find out it is useless.

I have no knowledge on HID's dealings or policies regarding transfer of Dell warranty. The buyer would be best advised to confirm things with HID before hand.

 

EvilCorsair, did you get your quote from HIDEvolution yet?

 

To answer both the above, I haven't heard anything back from HIDEvolution yet. I have asked HIDEvolution if the accidental damage is transferrable. I think I'll PM a rep on these forums as well. Thanks for the advice.

 

I've got a couple of questions relating to these sent in to HIDEvolution also (Thanks for directing me here Fox). I will post when Tom answers.

I should note, it's a Sunday. I'm quite positive we will get answers tomorrow!

I also asked about the risks of declaring under 1k. And transfering the Dell Warranty..

If this accidental damage is part of the advanced warranty, well I'm not getting that anyway. But I think most of us know how to look after our electronics. Atleast the guys here do.

 

I'm sure that if AD is not transferable, anyone buying could look to setup a stand alone insurance policy on their machine in their country of choice - heck, if I can insure my washing machine, TV, etc, there is bound to be a company that would do the same for computers.....

 

No doubt about it, it'd probably just be more expensive than the $150 extra to go from 4 years basic warranty to 4 years advanced.

Still, I need to have my laptop insured against theft anyway. Should be easy to get theft and accidental damage cover. I have no doubt at least one person will try to steal it when I'm living in central London. (Wonder if that's why they named it a Kensington lock? Specifically designed for central London?)

 

Hahaha - never thought of maybe why it's called a Kensington lock, but possibly very apt indeed! +1rep for the laugh I just had!

 

Any news? There have been no respones to my messages from HIDEvolution so far today.

 

I'm planning on extending my warranty, atm I only have 1 year nbd warranty. I would like to get an idea on how much I will be expecting because every rep can give different quotes.

Also I would like to ask how would this work out, When I got my R3 I opted for a regular 7200rpm 500GB HDD. When I received it I realized that I have a hybrid xt drive, so its good its a free upgrade . NOW what if that breaks will they replace it with a hybrid xt or just a regular one? Or will they see it in the order details via part # that they placed a hybrid drive but i only paid for a regular hdd.

 

It was a nice day today, so I opened the window to enjoy the nice breeze. My room is on the 2nd floor of the house, and my cat decides to jump up to enjoy the breeze too.....except she knocks my laptop out the window in the process. My poor m17xr3 is in pieces...please tell me accidental warranty covers this! I don't know how to even begin on the dell help line to get this thing fixed!

 

It was an acidental drop so im sure they will cover it. Sorry to hear what happened dude.

 

Its fine as long as its covered! How do I even begin on the dell line? "Um hi, my cat knocked my laptop out the window..... what happens now?"

 

Did you throw the cat out the window?

 

Just call them and tell them that your laptop was dropped and you would like to use your accidental warranty coverage to get a replacement system.

 

See if you can get them to upgrade you to the R4 if you're lucky

 

Man what was your laptop doing so close to the window! Ouch dude that sucks. RIP R3 Hopefully Dell will cover it. I think I might have to take a week just to morn the loss.

 

I paid $450 for a two-year reinstatement on my warranty, or I could have done 1 year for $325. I went with two years; totally, utterly and completely worth it.

 

I got my ssd replaced today as my m14xr2 was shipped with the old 256 810 ssd with sata II speeds...
The dell technician came and replaced it within like 10 mins, he did a good job and as a bonus he arrived with the 512 version, i cant complain (maybe a form of compensation)
Now i got a sata III ssd, which i ordered originally xD!

 

This thread is freaking me out, I normally don't get a waranty, but am I making a big mistake buying a m17x with only the 1 year base warranty?
I only expect the laptop to last me 3 years. With AW do you suggest getting the 3 year?

 

I would suggest you get as much warranty as your pocket can afford. If you think about it logically, say if in 18mths, your gpu dies....chances are it would cost you an arm and a leg to replace it out of your own pocket (probably more than what the extended 3yr warranty would cost)....the good thing about extended warranty is that all hardware is covered for you so its a case of "peace of mind" and knowing you dont have to fork out for something should it go wrong......which with high end systems can often be the case.

As with all insurances, if you dont use them then its technically money you paid for nothing.....but should you need to claim, you will be thankful you took it out.

If you plan on keeping for 3yrs, I would personally be looking at warranty for the same length of time. It might be costly at the outset but it could save you a heck of alot of dosh further down the line....

 

If you change your mind in 2 years and decide to upgrade to a newer system. You will find it easier to sell and receive a better price with some warranty left on it.

 

Ok, here is my question and some background information. I bought a m14x last year and the warranty expires in 3 days. I bought the laptop in the US
XPS Technical Support DELL 5/23/2011 5/23/2012 3 days
Next Business Day Support QLX 5/23/2011 5/23/2012 3 days

I moved to australia last year and today, my laptop hinge has broken and the screen is warped on the left side. I called technical support in the US and they explained time issues and I will have to extend my warranty in order for it to be fixed under the warrnty and I would have to change ownership first to myself here. Now here's my question. If I extend the warranty to the

Alienware M14X Upgrades and Extensions
- One year. Basic Next Day Onsite after Remote Diagnosis

Will it transfer over to here when I change the ownership to myself in Australia?

 

You should be able to transfer warranty before it expires from what I have heard.

 

It turns out you need to buy two years of warranty to be able to transfer ownership internationally.

 

I should've linked this last time but I was in a hurry and I apologize for that.

Ownership-Tag Transfer | Dell

Try that, see if it works. An automated system might be more reliable then a bunch of Dell reps trying to convince you to extend your warranty (to be fair you will need to extend it because I don't think dell can respond in 2 days, but extending it because you cant transfer internationally doesn't seem right, I've heard of people doing that before).

 

My warranty is expiring in few weeks now for M17X R1. I was thinking to add a year to it. Could you guys give me a rough idea how much would it cost so that I haggle the sales?

 

You can buy one year of NBD (Next Business Day) support and it'll still transfer.
The process can take up to two weeks.

I don't have an exact idea of the US prices but I know that even though the systems are cheaper, upgrading warranty is more expensive compared to EU.
Just to give you an idea, I paid ~290euro for 3 years of NBD.

You could contact Allan@Alienware and ask for a quote:
[email protected]

 

Last time I checked for the M18x, a 1 year extension was more expensive than what I paid for 4 years of Next Business Day Dell Complete Care (advanced) warranty coverage when purchased with the new machine. It was around $500USD, which I felt was downright asinine.

 

just wondering, if i order upgrade parts like ssd or ram from dell, like a week after I get my machine and install them myself, I assume advanced warranty won't cover those upgrades?

 

I imagine you are correct, as the warranty is for the original factory configuration - you could always double check but I would think they wouldnt be covered under your main system warranty.

 

The parts will be covered under the system's warranty only if Dell will change/update your system's configuration.

Usually these parts come with a separate warranty, 3 months and up.

 

I'm going to upgrade my r3 from a 460m to a 580m and was thinking of selling the 460m to cover some of the cost afterwards. would this void my warranty if something went wrong with the laptop? because other people on here said that you have to have the original configuration if a tech is going to replace a part or something like that. thanks

 

You need to keep the original parts if you want your full warranty. Dell will not repair or replace any exchanged 3rd party parts that were not part of the sale from them. You should always keep your parts in case you want to resell the system with any remaining warranty.

 

Yep. Totally correct.

Its a shame really, as those who want to upgrade various components often want to realise some cash to do so by selling the original's - goes without saying that any new parts you put in wont be covered under warranty (unless bought from Dell and then the warranty period may not be the same as the warranty period on your entire system) if you upgrade various components.

Keeping the originals is a very wise move as you can always stick 'em back in should you need to. I've done exactly that with my system - anything that I upgraded has been done by me but the originals are stored away just incase.

Also, I think Dell can be quite "touchy" about attempting a repair on a system that IS NOT the original configuration. Another point to consider is that if you do have a problem and Dell agree to a system exchange at some point in the future, they would want it back as it was so any upgrades you do that you cant replace the original parts would mean you would most likely have to forfeit those parts when returning your system to Dell (eg. you upgrade a video card, sell the orginal - you cant return a system WITHOUT a gpu so you have to send in your upgrade!).....I personally would not like to have to do that! - I'd prefer to whip out my upgraded bits, stick the originals back in and let Dell have it back......

 

Whoops double post

So even if I upgrade the gpu, all the other components are under warranty still right?

 

Yes it is to a point, that being you leave yourself open to Dell claiming your part is the problem. That would put you out of luck with out the originals. They gave me a hard time on my Area 51 stating the 3rd party memory was the problem, since I still had it and swapped it out during service it ended up being the mother board that was the problem. You do what you feel you should but you run the risk if you have a problem. Dell will not care it you upgrade, just do not expect any help with out the original parts.

 

I think the gist of what alienwolf is saying is that if you ever need service on your Alienware, put the old components back in before the repair guy comes.

 

what if i droped my laptop and i have the...
"advanced" warranty. replaced with a new system?

 

Yes, it would be replaced.

 

Well, it would actually depend on how much damage was caused in "the drop" - say, its a broken screen, Dell may well look to replace the display - they don't just give new systems away like confetti......

 

You're right of course, I just meant that since he has the accidental rotation Dell wouldn't turn him away if his system broke in a fall.

 

I'm thinking now of getting an AW M17x through PNB. I was wondering if the standard 1year warranty was international, since the laptop will reach here to me in India ? If not, can it be extended to an international warranty? After all, there is AW available in Dell India, only just ridiculously subconfigured and overpriced. Also, what's their "Advanced" warranty or whatever, all about?

 

You should be able to transfer the warranty Internationally: Ownership-Tag Transfer | Dell - but there are some exclusions if you click through the relevant links so it may be wise to double check with Dell to ensure that indeed, your machine would be fully warranted over in India.

As for "Advanced Warranty", I think the difference is primarily added in "accidental damage" cover - depending on your location/country of purchase, it may also include additional phone support.

 

Thanks. I'll have a word with their online sales chat reps.

 

Once I get my system (and the three year accidental warranty it comes with) can I call a service tech to install some IC Diamond thermal paste Ive bought to the CPU and GPU or will they not do it because it isn't a Dell brand?

 

Chances are that they wont come out to fix something that isnt broken. They would only come out and repaste stuff if you were getting abnormally high gpu/cpu temps, which you would likely have to prove with relevant screenshots or remote assistance.

You can do it yourself though....won't void warranty.

 

What the "main" point of having warranty on the laptop? theres advanced warranty and do people,,,,,"break" there laptops and alienware repairs them no questions ask?

sound slike a way to get a free upgrade.

 

Firstly, it not a "no questions asked - here's an upgrade" warranty. It's there for a reason and for a genuine reason only - if your system fails, then you can fall back on warranty.

Secondly, I should remind you that discussing anything fraudulent, such as you mentioned above, is strictly against forum rules. - you dont want to get yourself banned from NBR!