Alienware Support Example *pics*

Quick Review:

My m9750 died around the beginning of May due to a bad video card. I sent in the notebook and they replaced the card and sent it back. I used it for 6 days and it died again with no display whatsoever. They sent another video card and although I got a display, the colors were all distorted. They were willing to send another, but since the colors looked fine with an external HD hookup, they figured it was the LCD. So I sent it back but they ultimately determined it was not the LCD just a bad video card. I received the repaired laptop today and it is working. It was pretty fast turnaround, so they did well getting it back to me in a timely fashion.

I decided to take a look at the new video card this time just to make sure the thermal compound was done decently. When I took off the heat pipe, this is what I found (100% unmodified):



Thinking that perhaps all the thermal paste was stuck to the heat sink, I flipped it over and was met with my own reflection inside a square of old, crusty thermal paste.



I think I have some idea as to why the first one only lasted 6 days. I am soooo hoping this is the last repair for a while.

 

funny, that looks exactly like phinagle's 9400m

 

Looks like some lazy tech couldnt be arsed to find the tube of thermal paste! :O

 

When did I get a 9400M?

 

no clue. i meant Mandrake.

 

Heheh. I want a 9400M but no one's made a good netbook or CULV with one in it yet.

 

isn't there a sony netbook with it?

 

Nope but let's not derail the thread any more.

Is that the same kind of plastic people were finding on M17 GPUs?

 

That is the height of stupidity. They must be employing people with zero experience in computers (or maybe monkeys? hobos?), I can't fathom how else such a stupid mistake would be made.

 

I've got the same plastic on both GPU's in mt m9750 and on both GPU's on my M17. It's cut out around the actual GPU and I believe it's an insulator between the heatsink plate and the small components on the video card.

 

but on those few M17s, it covered the chip as well.

 

Right. Fortunately mine are all cut out correctly.

 

No, there's no thermal pads or plastic on the GPU in my case.

 

Looks like they used the right amount, just didn't spread it correctly.

When you use the actual thermal compound, it only takes a VERY VERY fine layer. Supposed to be a drop the size of a single grain of rice spread over the entire chip.

When you first get a laptop though, they have a pre-dispensed thermal solution with a plastic piece covering it. They pull the plastic, press the heat sink on and screw on. Usually there's a bit more too much of the compound as a result of the fact that it's pre-dispensed into a square. That's the REAL reason why changing that out to a thermal compound will net you a 4-5 degree drop in temp, not that fact that you're replacing it with AS5 or whatever else you wanna use.

 

Uh, no it doesn't.

 

not... really.

 

So not only did Alienware do a lousy job installing my new graphics card, but they tried to charge me for the old one despite sending it back to them immediately. Upon returning from a business trip I opened my credit card to behold a lovely $500 charge from Alienware. I sent both my computer and the second broken video card back on the same day, in two separate boxes. They received both of them on the 16th and then charged me for the GPU on the 17th.

It's a good thing I held on to both FedEx tracking numbers as I was able to call them on this pretty easily. If you send anything back to Alienware be sure to keep a record of your tracking numbers! You simply can't trust the incompetent staff back at support.

It's a shame that these enjoyable and attractive machines are being mishandled by too many poor customer support personnel. They're not all bad, but there have been way too many bad ones in my experience given the price you pay for these rigs.

 

It has been over three weeks since Alienware was informed that they unlawfully took $500 from me. Every time I call to ask why I have not been refunded all I hear is that it will be processed within 48 hours. I was told that I would be called back last Tuesday and never heard from anyone. I called back today and was on the phone for close to an hour pleading with the customer support person, and then the supervisor, to put me in touch with someone from billing that could return the money that they unlawfully charged to my credit card and I was told "That is not an option." Yup, that's right, it is not an option to talk to the billing department even if they have owed you $500 for nearly a month. Apparently they only want to hear from you when giving them money. Unbelievably disappointing experiences just continue to mount in 2009.

 

Contact your credit card company and they'll do a chargeback.

 

Yep this is exactly what I would do.

 

I decided to give them another couple of days after reassurances from the supervisor. Thankfully they did issue the credit back yesterday. I did not get the call, as promised, but to be honest I never expected them to follow through with that. So with my computer running for a couple of weeks straight now, I am just praying that this is the end of the long and painful road with their support folks.