*Dell-Alienware & AW Legacy Replacement Systems-Warranty Repair Issues*

Keep on claiming your rights. You people are doing nothing wrong. A defect machine(as long it is within warranty) means that Dell/Alienware will have to offer you a new machine of same specs at least or a refund. Do not let them get away with used old machines as a replacement. And if talking politely with Dell/Alienware does not make them come to senses so they start respect the law then BBB them. I mean if they keep your machines for like 4 months without any solution and try to repair them like 5 times or offer you machines build on used parts then they really give you no choice.

 

Here we go. I got a tracking number for 'something' this morning. I love how they send stuff off silently. I asked what was done to repair the laptop. What parts were replaced, etc. This is what I got back.

You will be receiving the same model m17x that you originally purchased but the barebone is a new one so you will be getting a new LCD & motherboard. The video cards were also replaced.
Actually, when I say barebone it also means a new case, not just the motherboard and LCD

Told you guys it was a refurb. There was NOTHING wrong with my case or LCD screen, they just couldn't nail down the problem so they replaced everything. OMG. Now I have to be queen of scrutiny when I get this Mon. or Tues. next week.
One good thing is that he said 'NEW' so if there are scratches etc. He'll have some explaining to do.

Please let this be over soon. And thx everyone for all the encouragement. This has to be the most difficult endeavor.

 

So here's a new update on the all time gutless low dell has now sunk to. My rep in the resolution/corporate email center is no longer my rep. I called and asked for him to get an update on him saying he was going to try to get me a new system, waited on hold for a good 5 minutes, and another person came on the phone. She stated she was a supervisor as well as my new account rep and under no circumstances would they issue a new computer, she stated that in the first 90 days to sometimes 6 months of purchase they would. But as I am about 9-10 months after purchase a refurb was all they would do. What the heck do I do now?

 

I was within my 6 months and still got a refurbished unit. I am not sure what we need to do?

 

Call or email BBB or perhaps even check out their website in order to find out whether this kind of act is allowed(I can hardly believe so). At least that is what I would do in a case like this. I mean if you look at my link at my former posts about the lemon law for computers then this could be a good place to start too.

Also even though this sounds a little like a commercial then I still believe the text about your rights to be correct in this link: http://www.computerlemonlaw.com/rights.html#rights

 

She stated that the only times they will garantee a brand new unit is inside of 90 days, or usually inside of 6 months if they offer the exact same unit brand new still. In the case of the R1 neither is applicable or even possible I still think it's just a crap way for them to try to get out of it, it's just another hurdle. Quick question for everyone, if I do file a complaint with the BBB do I do that against Dell or Alienware? I'd think against Dell would do more as they are actually accredited but if it's an Alienware computer does that mean it has to be at them instead of Dell? And DCU1976 just keep checkin the PM's.

 

Me neither. And like both you and DaneGRClose am sick of all this trouble. Why is it people with refurbs to start with, all of a sudden get new R2's? Worse yet how is it DaneGRClose's friend in the same office with the same problems gets a replacement? What have the 3 of us done to deserve the run around and downright rude treatment?
I have to wait and see what they send me Tues. but my rep did say 'new' parts so if it's not 'new' I may have some wiggle room. But with my luck I'll just get a bunch of talk and no action.
They must get trained on delaying, being obtrusive and elusive, promising everything and nothing all at once.
Just keep posting what happens because I promise someone will appreciate it. I know I do. I learn what to and not to say. Also there is some comfort in knowing you aren't the 'only' one. But no consumer should be treated this poorly.

 

Who deny you the right to get a new machine when the old breaks down within warranty? Who failed to repair the machine? That is the question you should ask yourself Also I must say that I am chocked to hear these awful stories about how Dell/Alienware treat you. But then again I myself had to tell them that if they did not make a decision before 10th of May then I would file in a complain for the Danish BBB and demand a refund as well as never ever again buy any products from them. One word "shocked...".

 

Dont know if this will help but it's straight off the BBB site when looking up Alienware:

Business Management
Additional company management personnel include:
Catalina Ramos - CIT Support Coordinator

On March 26, 2005 Dell Computer Corporation Purchased Alienware. Alienware remains a wholly owned subsidiary and continues to handle and resolve all complaints forwarded by consumers independently.

 

That is wonderful information. At least they cannot use that excuse any more.

 

So does that mean I can file a complaint against either company? This is confusing the heck out of me as Dell is handling it, Dell owns them, but it's an Alienware computer. This is so frustrating. But again thank you everone for the advice.

 

You would file against Dell, as Alienware is now a division of Dell.

Good Luck.

 

I am guessing, from what this said, that Alienware is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dell. Meaning that ultimately Dell is responsible even if they are forcing Alienware to repair computers, deal with complaints, tech support issues etc. Dell owns them and Alienware is no longer a seperate entity.

 

Infernia the reason I got a new R2 wasnt because I asked for one I never did. The R1 I bought came with a new warranty and Dell determined it was unrepairable on day 19 under the 21. Now I spent 786.00 adding a 3 year complete care on top of it so if anything happens I get it replaced with same or better new. But it cost alot for that. I was willing to take a R1 same specs but expected it to be new looking at the least.
Dell could not provide that and they decided to build a R2 for me, so wasnt an easy deal either as it took 7 weeks to replace a unit I paid 2346.00 and never worked right from day one. Yes I am glade I got what I did, but I only wanted what I bought. Hope that explains why I received an R2 for a refurb R1.

 

ok guys i have some good news to report. well today i sent back the refurbished unit that dell had sent me... joy.... now i just loged on to my dell account and saw that the specialist from corp had done what he said. he ordered me a brand new r2 with the follwing specs: I7 820qm , 8gb pc 1333 , crossfirex 5870, 2 320gb 7.2k rpm hhd in raid 0 , rgb screen , and everything else is base spec.
im really happy with these specs concidering all i have been through.

my r1 specs are as follows q9000 , 4gb pc1333 , gtx 280m sli , 2 160gb hdd raid 0, and the rest is base.

you guys who have problems really need to escalate your cases to corp they are really good at what they do. just send an email to [email protected]. they will call you back the next day even saturdays and best thing is they speed up the process.

 

Wow good to hear DirtyDan nice upgrade your right about if anyone can settle things they can.

 

Well after seeing what dirtydan got I just shot a very long email to the Sr. Manager over the "Global Escalations/Resolution Department" i.e. the [email protected] department. We'll see what happens, if I get an answer back from him of "Refurb Only" like I've gotten so far then I guess it will be all out legal war with Dell. Wish me luck.

 

Okay Alienwolf so now I officially feel bad for saying that. But I think we are getting to the bottom of their willingness to replace a system. I believe it is, as DaneGRClose said in a prior posting. If an owner of a new or refurb system has had the laptop in working condition over 6months then they will NOT get a new machine. Anything before that and they deem it replaceable. I wonder if that has some sort of legal significance or not?
As you know I never asked either, but they were all over it like I was going to. My issue is that I paid double what you did, my laptop was 11months into its warranty and yet they won't even think about sending anything but a refurb, period. It shouldn't matter how far into the warranty we are, if we have a warranty they should honor it. If it is a faulty machine it should be replaced with something equal or better. If the machine is not in production any longer, it should be a laptop that is new and of the same value as the original.
As someone pointed out earlier about cars... you don't go to the Porsche dealership and get stuck with a Pinto if the Porsche is faulty and has to be replaced. You also don't get used parts stuck on that Porsche like a bandaid fix, in hopes the warranty will run out before it falls apart again. And though these are apples and oranges in terms of products. We did buy the Porsche of the laptops.

 

My wife agrees with you..if still under warranty then it should be fix it right, or replace it with new or give you the dollar value in credit towards your account. Thats her thoughts.

 

i have less than 50 days left on my warranty and i am getting a brand new r2 unit. so that 6 month thing is bs.

 

Way to throw a monkey wrench in there.
Then someone please explain why this is happening. Not just to me but at least two others in this thread. Because I've run out of ideas and I think it's really going to come down to the BBB or the lemon law. I still have to check out what I get in the mail Tues. Here's hopin' they have sent me all new parts as was said in the email or... that it is DOA and I can get a refund or credit towards a new purchase. I can't wait any longer. Patience is beyond thin.

 

And the law also agrees with your wife(new machine of same spec or better or a refund). Someone within Dell/Alienware has clearly not understood the law well enough(or perhaps even refuse to do so). I believe that the staff you people are talking with might be trained to tire you people out so you will accept a refurb or old machine without a fight. I read nowhere what so ever in the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act that the retailer can provide you a replacement that have been used or is a refurb. I think that they are trying to bend the law here. I do not for one second believe that the US BBB accept that consumers are given refurbs or used machines as replacements when a machine is broken within warranty. Given the situation I would have asked for a refund instead. Yes according to the computer lemon law link in one of my earlier posts in this thread then you can ask for a refund instead. Refund given and case closed. No more problems.

 

More like Jaguar after Ford bought them.

 

Very very good analogy GetFound, basically an amazing company making the best of all worlds goes straight to heck from a buyout. DirtyDan thanks for the info I have more warranty left than that so you just added more fuel to the fire I'm gonna burn Dell down with if they're not fair.

 

I just found a major flaw in the notes for my system being tested. The computer has a GTX 260m, just a single card. It was tested on 4.19.2010 before I even had a replacement approved. The person who tested it under the section that states what version of DirectX it is based on put 11, as in 58xx series or GTX 480. Do you guys think this could go to my advantage if I brought up the shotty testing on refurb systems with that as proof? Just lookin for more ideas.

 

just fire off a email to [email protected]

After months of fighting, I did that, and they called they next day telling me that they were going to give me a R2. Put in the email that the computer is not working for what you bought it for and that if nothing gets done that you will be filing a complaint with the BBB

 

We've done that ^^^. That's where we are left.
DaneGRClose, I envy you with your warranty. Mine ran out while they were working on it. I tried to get an extension but Dell said it was an Alienware warranty...
So when I get this laptop back I have to test it for anything and everything.
**You could try to use the testing of your gpu with an imcompatible DirectX version, to your advantage.
I said in one of my earlier posts...somewhere... some of these techs are really knowledgeable and some read manuals.

 

Yeah but even reading a manual, unless I'm wrong on what that stat means, should say DX 10. It's not even 10.1 where it could be a mistake of omitting the 0. If Alienware is stating these cards are DX 11 in manuals that mean the whole company is jacked. And infernia do you know the exact date you purchased you computer on? Because if it was after March 26th, 2005(the date shown as official takeover based on your BBB post) then it's Dell's liability and I'd call to raise major problem about being said no to based on a lie.

 

Hi alienwolf thread closed(kind of expected that would happen). So what you were saying is that Dell terms are overruling Federal and state law? I find that very hard to believe(and also a little too scary to be true). I mean the law firm http://www.computerlemonlaw.com/rights.html#else states is very clearly that if a firm fails to repair the machine then a new machine or a refund has to be offered. How can Dell/Alienware overrule that when all firms selling computers has to include this : "Consumer rights are found in Federal and state law, and in the printed warranties delivered with every new computer"? That would mean that the law is suppose to be printed in somewhere with the receipt you got when purchasing the machine, right?

 

How long does it take to get your replament after you see the order?

 

From the moment I saw my replacement on the Dell account site, I got my unit in 33 days...

 

GetFound I think it's going to depend on if you're gettting a brand new unit or refurb, and ultimately who your rep is. A couple people have seen it a few weeks before they got it, I didn't know about the refurb they sent til about 12 hours before it was on my porch. Now if you're talking abou order as in it showing as EXG and AUT under service call that's different again.

 

It took 7 days from the time the my replacement system order was placed, to the time it arrived on my doorstep..

 

Dwarf King ya I kind of thought we were having to much fun...Since Dell has taken over Alienware this is what Dell says instead of 21 days their warranty says limited warranty first 90 days exchange ..after 90 days this:
"We use new and refurbished parts made by various manufacturers in performing warranty repairs and in building replacement parts and systems. Refurbished parts and systems are parts or systems that have been returned to Dell, some of which were never used by a customer. All parts and systems are inspected and tested for quality. Replacement parts and systems are covered for the remaining period of the limited hardware warranty for the product you bought. Dell owns all parts removed from repaired products."

This is where people are getting confused, this is from their website
Not saying it is right or wrong it is there for all to read and understand.

 

You know no matter what Dell's warranty statement says, no matter what the law says this is my view on it: I was ready to accept a Refurbished system when it was sent, if Dell actually has competent people going through the systems in both the build and inspection stages then so be it. My problem is it seems as though the people building/inspecting the Refurbished units or Dell(don't know which and I'm not pointing a finger at which one) don't care what they look like and perform like. My computer was in flawless visual shape, and save for failing hardware worked great. But when I get a computer back that literally looks as though it was dropped off the back of a truck I do have a problem with that. When I get treated as though I know nothing, I have a problem with that. And I do believe when you cause a customer this many problems you need to do something over and above normal policy to show the customer they are appreciated. If there were no problems and I had received good customer service all I would want is a working computer. I know quite a few other people have been through similar stories as well. And from my view it's not right to act as though you don't care about feelings, and time, and limitations you cause other people who keep your company in business just because you are a large corporation.

 

Indeed it is there for all to understand... That kind of law bending will not work here in the northern part of Europe You need better consumer protection programs if big firms can get away with this Oh and the words about being tested I find hard to believe as the R1 system has proven otherwise for many of us disappointed Alienware fans. I mean if the R1 system was tested then why do so many people have an issue with that system? I simply do not trust what I read on a firms website anymore. I only believe in my consumer rights and if I have to buy anything at all I will make sure that the nation where I buy my stuff will protect me from being offered another lemon as a replacement for a bad lemon Hei I actually like to drink lemonade made from fresh lemons by the way... Strange word to use for talking about broken, defective machines LOL.

 

I wish we were protected as you are. I read a lot of the differences between countries, and in actuality European customers are well protected.
I agree with daneGRClose and his assessment of tech support and customer service. All of his statements. And OMG if my beautiful laptop comes back like his? I may just lose it for the first time since this started.
The treatment, the time, the loss, the emotional pain ( and there is a lot of it, when you are totally at their mercy for months) Then you come up against someone who has very little knowledge and they treat you like errr... dirt.
For me, being a chick, it's like taking a car to a mechanic. The men nod their heads and smile or get nasty about how I couldn't possibly know. Yet I spent a good portion of my teenage years tearing through a couple of muscle cars, inside and out. I simply don't have time to tinker anymore. And I have even less time to spend arguing with them. Dealing with tech/cust support is similar at times.
(BTW - Dwarf King - thought this definition may make you smile...
In the 1800s, people started using the word 'lemon' to describe people who were sour (or unfriendly). In American English the word was first recorded in 1909 in the slang sense of "worthless thing".[1] Over time, 'lemon' came to refer to anything that was defective or broken or which breaks constantly, particularly a car.
Though AW may be king of the laptops I simply don't know if I can go through this again. Even if I have the money in the future, I will always ask myself -what if something goes wrong and you are stuck with a lemon? But I do know where to turn for information and support. This forum has been invaluable.

 

Dwarf King I really do agree with you 100%..don't get me wrong, here in the U.S. the warranty laws are written in such a way as these are your rights unless you agree different..lol. If you check Dell or anyone's website or written on paper packed with an item it says unless you live in this or this state then your rights are different. My point isn't to argue or upset anyone,I thought the point is to understand why certain things are happening and to be able to work within the guidelines. I do not believe making threats about Dell or Alienware is going to get anywhere. Anyway my 2 cents worth. oh and we need to hold them to their own statements like NEW same or BETTER that's their rules not ours.

 

Alienwolf I was not commenting on your text but merely on the text you described on Dell's website so of course we agree Thanks for the explanation infernia lol.

infernia I do understand your frustrating feelings about this whole matter(four months that is crazy) and I really hope that the machine they are giving you is up to the task of showing what a m17x can do. I mean the machine I have now works like a dream but the m17x R1 machine I had before was a living nightmare and Dell apparently did not take my complains seriously in the beginning and that kind of freaked me out too. Also that incident is one of the reasons I am trying to find information on the web that might help people in this forum. I myself got help from this forum to overcome this nightmare, which I am very grateful for I am convinced that if the nice person who advised me to send a mail for [email protected] had not shown up then I would still have been waiting for like 5 months and 27 days before my case would have been solved(That is the average time for BBB to solve a case at my location in Northern Europe EEK!). Also I would have preferred that my first machine had been flawless as that would have saved me for a lot of time.

 

Hi there hope ur ok ..I read ur forums and find it really helpful for other people so I thought u might help and on the other hand I will appreciate any kind of reply from ur side . Actually I bought alienware M17x about six month ago I had this graphic distortion problem in the begging I thought that it might be windows cuz windows 7 is not so much old but later on it became so annoying that once I tried to throw my laptop away . For this regard I contacted alienware support team and they start doing experiment with my laptop we changed almost every driver relating to graphics but it didn't worked and then they changed my RAM and motherboard also but the problem was there , now they have requested to send the laptop dell for a throw look .I will get my laptop back in the next coming days but I am pretty sure the problem will still there ..my question is if the problem is there can they replace the system for me if yes then who should I raise my query for a system replacement ? I will be glad if you replay back cuz I really need ur help ...thanks regards

 

could u post the specs of ur m17x please and explain what kinda graphic problem you were having?

 

If your unit is not fixed when you get it back I would email [email protected] explain all you have been thru and if they would please make things right. See what their answer is and let us know.

 

Alienware M17x : Base Space Black
Processor : Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000(2.00GHz,1066MHz,6MB L2 Cache)
Display : 17in Wide XGA+ (1440X900) - Beyond HD (900p)
Resource DVD : Alienware M17x
Memory : 4096MB (2x2048) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channe
Hard Drive : 500GB Free Fall Sensor (7200RPM)
Optical Drive : Slot Load Blu-Ray ROM Combo (Blu-ray read only, DVD, CD read and write) Drive
Graphics : Single 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M
Swry for late reply actually whenever I play a game or a video while playing them they just stuck for a split second more like whenever u play a cd with scratch ..the kind of distortion u get while u play a scratch cd .. It is really annoying and I am really upset cuz of this problem ...

 

Thanks will that person will help ?

 

ienware M17x : Base Space Black
Processor : Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000(2.00GHz,1066MHz,6MB L2 Cache)
Display : 17in Wide XGA+ (1440X900) - Beyond HD (900p)
Resource DVD : Alienware M17x
Memory : 4096MB (2x2048) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channe
Hard Drive : 500GB Free Fall Sensor (7200RPM)
Optical Drive : Slot Load Blu-Ray ROM Combo (Blu-ray read only, DVD, CD read and write) Drive
Graphics : Single 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M
Swry for late reply actually whenever I play a game or a video while playing them they just stuck for a split second more like whenever u play a cd with scratch ..the kind of distortion u get while u play a scratch cd .. It is really annoying and I am really upset cuz of this problem ...

 

the problem is most likely ur video card and you probably need it replaced.. im suprised tthat the techs never decided to replace ur video card thou..

 

I told them to do so but they were saying we need to update the drivers before we change anything but I think it was nt the graphic card problem I've tried to run the laptop on only the internal graphic card and played some video but the problem was still there ..and also I've run the laptop on only 260m and I was amazed to notice the problem on that as well ..that was thing which was confusing. Them to do so...so what do u say what should I do next if I notice the problen again ? And thanks for reply

 

im really suprised that they havent offered to replace ur card... i had a problem kinda like this and i think its honestly dependent on the tech guy you speak to, so far ive been really lucky and some how got an r2 replacement thats in production atm.. if they cant fix ur problem they should offer a replacement. if not as alienwolf said contact michael, and hopefully he can resolve your issue...

 

Did they change the whole system for you and what did u did when u have that graphic problem ?Will that person will reply is he helpful ? Or is there someone else whom can I contact ?swry I have asked so many questions And once again thank you so much .

 

what they did when i had the issues with my system were replacing my cards, mother board, and a few other things btw they replaced my mb and gtx280m's like 3 times lol... but eventually they decided to order me a replacement the specs they gave me were pretty good..