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

Finally received a mail from them!

 

Apparently the staff that emailed me was in India, and i am in singapore hence i think he could not get the correct country code and did not contact me.

 

Hey stevie,

Thank you very much! i will hang in there.

 

Worth the wait huh Beef??? - wishing you luck on your road to resolution!

 

Exams projects (finished now) and some programing projects of my own, as well as my 5 months old son have kept me busy Even the King on the mountain has duties that he cannot escape from Great to see how this thread is supporting people in need This thread is everything is should be and it is all because of your people's contribution.

 

So the staff called me and said that after this repair (my system is currently in the engineers workshop) if the system still fails then it will be a whole unit replacement.

 

Thats great news beef, hope it was the outcome you were looking for ....

 

hope so stevie, lets wait and see, will keep you guys posted

 

My R1s specs are in my sig, when I ordered it I only got 4gb RAM and the 8gb is aftermarket from newegg. The actual system cost would have been a few hundred dollars less as I did get 3yr accidental warranty.

I have actually configured the R2 they are sending me and cost-wise it is a slight bit cheaper as they have lowered the price of several components from when I ordered my R1. Like when I ordered my R1 I upgraded to 1333 RAM but now there is no option and you get what their build sheet calls for. The cost difference between my R1 and the R2 is only maybe $100 or so, so I saw no reason to try and get them to upgrade my wi-fi card or anything in the R2 they are sending me. I think the cost of the R2 with equal warranty and specs they gave me comes out to just over $4400. So the system would be about $4100 if you subtract the warranty.

When I sent my email off the corporate I stated that I was torn between building my own desktop or buying a really powerful laptop for mobility, hence why I went with the M17x. But because of the issues, mainly the power stutter, I felt like I wasted my money and could have built a much better desktop so I wanted a system that ran properly or a full refund. I use this thing for my classes as well as my career so it was important that it ran smoothly and as advertised. Got a call that same day and the rep who has been working with me since has been great, if only the day-to-day reps where as helpful. I was so sick of the runaround and them basically telling me the only thing left that could be causing the issue was that I installed the drivers out of order so need to reinstall windows and let them install my drivers. This I was not happy about because of how stupid of an excuse it was and how long it takes to reinstall and then configure my art programs.

 

Seems like everyone is finally getting their problems resolved Glade to see it.Funny how each group that go's thru here ends up the same way.. resolved.

 

Maybe dell still wants to please its customers after all. Seems like it just takes time, some short some long.

 

Just had my proposed new replacement specs thru.....not really happy as the only difference is 6gb ram as opposed to 4gb........i must say i was expecting more from Dell by way of recompense given my troubles.....again i find myself "gutted"

 

hey stevie,
Is your proposed specs the one in your pm? Btw may i know if your system was originally in nebula red? Why not continue asking nicely? Might get the problem solved? Good luck!

 

The system in my signature below this is what i originally ordered and currently have....thhe only proposed change was to up my ram to 6gb - hardly inspiring or fitting given the nightmare that has been my experience so far......i am absolutely appalled at the offer to be honest. Might just take my money back and run.....had enough of Alienware already....

 

@stevie
You honestly can't expect them to toss free major upgrades at you can you? You have an R2 already, a pretty good one I might add, I would be happy with the 6gb RAM upgrade. They can't upgrade your video cards, screen, disc drive, or wi-fi card since those are all maxed. Your processor is already the 720 so I don't see them upping that to a 820 or 920 since that is a $450/$1050 upgrade respectively or replacing your HDDs with SDDs.

My "upgrades" and most the others here are not actually true upgrades but R1 to R2 replacement equivalents. I would have loved to have been offered true upgrades but just getting cooperation on a new replacement system of equal specs was great in my eyes.

Just my 2 cents but they are working with you and offering a great replacement since your system is already great. I've dealt with almost all the computer companies and I can tell ya Alienware/Dell has done great once I got someone from corporate on my case. I hate that it came to that but regular tech reps seem worthless for anything beyond guessing and ordering parts. I've had horrible luck with most other pc companies as well, other then Apple but thats because I've not had to call about anything on my MBP. I say give them a chance, see if the new system works for ya the way it should.

 

Rockwell B1 makes since, lets not forget that we are here to get broken systems fixed. Not to get presents from Dell as upgrades. If you say you only want your system working and they are trying than they are. Now that said if they agree you have been wronged and you have, they offering to compensate you is fine. Also if you feel hey Rep I think I should get a little more how about a i7 820, say so speak up they can only say no. If refund is what you want tell him, he won't know unless you say. Good luck on the out come.

 

@stevie

I understand the feeling gutted. I understand the frustration and feeling cheated when you drop a large sum of money on 'the best' and it isn't even functional. I went through months of waiting and wondering and then utter disappointment when I got a repaired system with the exact same problem. I waited longer for my laptop($4900) than people buying refurbs and getting answers or replacement systems in mere weeks. It is like the stages of greif. The denial, the anger, the despair.
In the end I got my money back (replacement was not an option). Even that saddened me because I loved my laptop when it was running. For recompense I got a big percentage off my new purchase because of 6months of crap. I ended up buying two for the same price I bought the original.
There is just no other laptop that is built this well, even with the problems. My first AW even had problems with its Nvidia drivers making games like Witcher impossible to play, but new drivers were out in 2 weeks time and all was well. (Til it committed Alien-i-cide and fried itself.)
For me, I tried to configure other brands and none were affordable or configurable with what I needed. Short of getting a Dell workstation built for 3D rendering (thousands more than AW) I needed another AW.
You may have other options based on what you use your laptop for, I didn't. The upgrade in RAM is not such a bad deal for your troubles. It may seem paltry to you but at the same time they are sending you a new replacement. I would get them to throw in NBD shipping for free.
In the end I must admit Dell did refund me every penny I was owed and my laptop was over a year old by the time it came to that. Not all companies will do so. I could be waiting for an M17X R1 that Dell decided to configure for me. Instead I'm waiting for exactly what I wanted.

 

@Rockwell B1
You know what, I personally DO expect them to go over and above to please customers. Take me for example. I asked for more and I did get more. Do I feel greedy? No, I still have to deal with a month downtime with out my laptop,and have had to waste my time to fix their issues. Dell's doing a good job, but they shouldn't have these issues to begin with.

 

Hi all,

Just to elaborate slightly on why im not happy with the suggested proposal (and i do appreciate its not about getting free gratis upgrades) we are talking here of a compensatory gesture of good will, this i know.

However, if i look at the offer made, in the US, its an option costing $200 or roughly £130 in gbp.....although on the UK site, it costs £180 gbp so $280 usd.

My point being is that that is not even close to 10% of the total cost of my system. Bearing in mind, these figures are the cost to the customer and not the cost to Dell to buy in....its even less that im being offered in real terms....i wonder how much it does cost them.

Yes, i am disappointed with this as i thought they would treat a first time customer better to ensure repeat business rather than offer such a small gesture. As you guys can see from my spec that the only things left to play with were cpu/ram/HDD in reality and out of those 3 options, i have been offered the very lowest of the low and thats what upsets me....kinda like Dell are saying....well, we will toss you a bone but thats all your getting....

I hope i dont sound ungrateful becasue thats not the case...i was expecting more empathy and in return for that, a slightly better proposal.

Also worth noting, we all know that the new intel processors are out soon because bios a06 had built in support for the 740/840/940 , in which case, prices of current cpu's is bound to fall....if i were pertaining to upgrading my cpu to say,an 820...surely that no beyond all possibility? the new cpu's are bound to take over from those currently available on the Dell websites, just a matter of time. Then, all the x20's will no longer be used would be my thinking.

I have mailed back (not nastily) but just to say i was expecting something "more" and i have yet to hear back.....

The whole thing does really make me think of just getting a full refund and not bothering with Alienware whatsoever which is a shame as i too love my laptop and yes, want it to work but i am also a strong beleiver in due compensation when it is due - and i think it is in my personal instance.

 

Mind me asking what they offered you and what you ended up with ?

 

@stevie
Like Alienwolf said, just ask them to upgrade your CPU. The worst that can happen is that they will say no. If they do then ask for an upgraded Hard drive. All you can do is try and explain why you feel justified in doing so. I am not saying you aren't justified, however a rep might feel more inclined to do so if you explain the situation. (for the millionth time)
Good luck

 

Hahahaha....i like the "millionth time" thing......ive lost count of explaining to different folk......im gonna wait for the mother ship to get back to my email after my offer, see whats said and take it from there.

Im not all about getting my system maxed out for free "just because"....i know that will never happen in a month of sundays....i just want some more "understanding" in the way of something better than whats on the table at the minute.......

 

Well. They just canceled my replacement and are sending me another one because "they're not doing the customizable nameplates anymore." My replacement that I was supposed to receive TODAY is now due on the 27th. I'm kind of upset this is supposed to be an almost brand new machine and they canceled it because of such a trivial excuse.

 

to this

to this (which is my final build, i'd rather have more cpu power over a ram upgrade or a blu ray burner.):

 

Thats terrible.....my heart goes out to you.....no matter how small anyones issue is, the mainthing to bear in mind that it isnt trivial to whom its happening. I hope you get your case sorted soon.

 

So, in effect , you got two rungs up the cpu ladder from 520m 540m to finally 620m (around $150)

Upgrade screen to 1920x1200 ($200)

Upgrade gpu from single 5870 to x/f 4870's ($275)



I may have missed something out but even by the above, thats around $625 in upgrades for your problems.....puts my offer to shame in respect doesnt it....i was offered 4gb to 6gb ($200) only.

 

Bear in mind that this is his 3rd machine, thus more time that he's had to spend with customer service. I would have no doubt you'd receive more "compensation" if the next machine you receive also has troubles.

 

Geby sweet set up hope its a stable and long lasting system
Xalgon was the system shipped already if you were to get it 2morro? Or was their something more holding it up? Had to dash your hopes thinking it was going to be there 2morro.

 

No this is my for my first machine. Those quoted builds are what they offered me. Took me about 3-4 days to get my final build. Just say no if what they offer you isn't want you want (stay reasonable tho). Worked for me. I told them what I think i deserved and stuck to it. I know a lot of you people think "oh hes greedy" "dell is doing what they can"...I don't care. They wasted my time, and my patience and they should compensate. I had a good rep, and he dealt with my situation perfectly. Still got to wait at least 3 weeks to get the replacement.

Thanks alienwolf.

 

So Geby, you havent gone thru 3 machines, you are having THIS replacement in lieu of you one and only system??? - i could understand what icklu had said if you have had to go thru several replacements.....

Im not being greedy at all....i think that what they have offered me (4 to 6gb) isnt quite up to par.

Given the fact that it WONT cost Dell anywhhere near what WE see when we look to build a system ($200 usd on website) i would estimate that a 4gb to a 6gb upgrade would cost Dell maybe $100 tops given their huge bulk buying capacity as a global market leader.

This being said, $100 equates to around £65 gbp for me......hardly a sum that i would call ample compensation for such a high end laptop with many issues - given my system cost well over $3000usd and the sleepless nights i have had worrying myself silly about wether or not im going to be stuck with a lemon AND with no help whatsoever from Dell - up until now and it was ME who had to do the research to get to this point....no one at Dell even offered me anything remotely resembling help.

I would dare anyone to disagree with the above. (obviously with respect!)

 

Oh, no, it was supposed to be arriving today. It did not even ship. They just called before I posted to tell me that they canceled the order because of the lack of custom nameplates. And that they're doing a whole new order because of this.

In my opinion? It's ridiculous. Three months out of the box and I'm waiting a month for a machine that doesn't have a huge gap in the hinge. Not even counting the internal errors.

 

@Xalgon - Is this cancelling of the nameplates for all M11X or just the R1? I ask only because I just finished ordering an M11X R2 and got the custom nameplate yesterday. I would consider getting a second opinion on this with a different tech unless they explained in detail how this held you up. Logically I would think they could offer you a stock nameplate until one was created or at least given you that option so that your system would be shipped.
However, I have found that no matter what company you deal with, logical solutions are not always standard procedure. And Stevie is right. Nothing is trivial to the person going through the process.
@Stevie - It seems like a million times for sure. By the time I got to the Critical Issues Representative, the previous tech. rep's would ask me to hold while they reviewed the case. On average it took at least 30-40minutes to do so. It was nice to finally have just one person to talk to and NOT have to explain every time. Let us know how it goes.

 

I surely will let you all know......im just hoping (maybe beyond all hope) that i will get a better offer of compensation/upgrades than whats on the table at the moment. Surely to god all my stress/hassle/inconvenience has gotta be worht more than a 2gb upgrade considering i can do that myself aftermarket for a heck of a lot less than Dell charge.

 

Hey folks....

Allright, long time no see. The good news? Am finally heading back to the States after doing my studies in Germany (which means YAY fixing M17x R1-that-was-purchased-in-the-States-issues).

The bad news? Have been trying and trying all I can (e-mailing the rep who recorded my DPC and temp issues, filling out the escalation page which gives me an invalid case number because apparently it's closed, and starting the entire calling-and-being-transferred-598329382938 billion times loop again) and still can't seem to nail down anyone actually willing to work with me on moving towards replacing my current system which for all intents and purposes has been a brick for night on six months trying to do anything other than use my desktop.

Any and all suggestions or forms of help as to where to proceed from here would be much obliged, especially from people who have already found someone willing to help you work through these things. I would really like to get this worked out some time in the next month before I actually leave the Continent so that I can have a solution waiting for me at home.

As always, thanks to everyone in advance. Cheers!

 

What the tech told me is that they shall be discontinuing the custom nameplates now. And I BELIEVE this is someone from Corporate - this person has spoken to me a few times previously.

But they could not change the order to accommodate it for some gods-forsaken reason. They have already canceled the order and placed a new one. I am not amused.

 

There is a post by Rockwell B1 on page 103 of this thread thhat helped me out a great deal.....it contains some information which "suggests" whom you should contact to try and resolve your issues.
I found it very useful so far and i hope im not breaking any NBR rules by pointing you in that direction.

 

@Praetorian77 - PM sent. I agree with Stevie. Considering the length of time you have had your issues, those powers that be, should help you out quickly.

 

Well my replacement R2 is on the truck and should be here sometime tomorrow whenever the Fedex Express guy makes his rounds here, it says before 3pm. Once I have it the way I like it (getting rid of RAID and taking care of updates and such) I'll be sure to let y'all know what I think.

As for those of you still dealing with this issue, just remain calm and keep a clear head. You all know the old saying 'don't shoot the messenger', well that's what the reps are. Once you do get someone to take your case and use their brain on it rather then the tech playbook as I like to call it, you'll get things taken care of in no time. I and several others have provided tons of help here and if you want feel free to send a PM my way and I'll offer what more I can. But the best advice can be found in my pg103 post like stevie said, that will get you one quick resolution in my experience.

 

I know I came very very close to just telling them to shove it. I was sooo fed up and feeling a fool, screwed out of my money.
But I am soo glade I didn't this R2 is the best, nicest, greatest, system I have ever not even close to having.
And I have had a lot of them. Being 60 I have had them all commodore 64 thru now. Hate to see some one throw in the towel and never know what they could have had.
Love this thing..

 

Wow there has been so much that has happened in the few days I've been out of here busy and sick! Glad to hear everyone is getting a resolution to their problems.
@Infernia-You finally got that smiley in your sig! Congrats! You definitely deserve it!

 

Just got a e-mail and a call saying my replacement R2 is shipped.

 

congrats Geby

 

Nice can't wait to hear how it runs

 

hey guys,
Have you guys heard dell talking about changing the i7 processor options? I saw that the i7 processor options in dell.com.sg were changed to 740qm, 840qm and 940xm. any updates?

 

noticed that the american website (dell.com) have not changed their processor options.

 

I would imagine it will be very soon as the A06 bios release had support built in to it for 740/840/940 cpu's - i dont know when Dell will introduce them but its a 99% certainty that they will do , otherwise, whats the point of providing support for them via bios?

I too would love to hear from anyone who has info on this as it may be worth waiting for....

 

Totally excited about it! Maybe if i get a replacement i might get these processors O:

 

They probably will throw them into the mix soon if there has been support added for them. Though personally it is not something I will be worrying about since from what I know, which is only about the 9xx line, the gain isn't that great and in fact the 920 seems to be able to OC more and isn't just starting to gouge for price. Which if this is true then I would suspect the same from the other series chips, each one is only a slightly higher multiplier then the x20 version anyways.

 

If you are into OC'ing, the only cpu for you is the 9xx anyway as the multipliers are locked on the lower versions so i read....therefore, anyone who doesnt OC would benefit slightly from 133mhz cpu clock speed.

Worth it? - anyones guess but i heard the price difference is negligable - around $22 between 820/840 - here: http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2010/2010062101_New_Core_i7_Mobile_CPUs_introduced.html

 

That slight speed increase isn't that noticeable in my experience. Also it may only be listed as a $20 difference on the Intel site, but actually getting your hands on one as a consumer seems to be more like a $200 difference from what I have seen listed. You may be able to find good deals on ebay when x40s start to show up but sites like newegg list the difference as almost $200 so I'm sure Dell/Alienware will be right there on price as well if not more.

I say if you can possibly be upgraded to a x40 it would be worth it but for what I am sure Dell would want for one I don't see just a tiny speed increase worth it. Others may disagree but I could see that $200 going to better use elsewhere.