How many Replacement systems have you received?

I am currently waiting for a brand new system replacement,
I wondered how many others have had them? and how many.

Ive had a few but would love to know if thats unusual.

 

None, I have had some parts replaced, but for the most part I can generally fix whatever. Have yet to actually get a system replacement from Dell. That includes my Inspiron 1720 which I bought July of 2007. That Inspiron has actually never even needed a call to Dell and still going as strong as it was on Day 1. I let my brother have it and it still gets used for hours a day, everyday. Not to mention I used it every day.

 

Ive had a few but not willing to say yet want to see how the poll goes!

 

Wow, already 2 votes at 8+. Now I see why extended warranties are so expensive.

 

I have voted so I know one of those high ones is acurate!

 

More than 10... I doubt that somehow...

 

I have only had two both a desktop and a laptop were refurbished. A m17x R1 exchange for brand new build, wife's in sig and a Aurora for a Aurora ALX. Thats out of 9 refurbished systems I have bought and then sold which I would say isn't bad.

 

Ive had 9!

and I promise they were all genuine problems and not fraudulant or in any way manipulated in bad faith!

Inspiron 9100 , over heating lcd screen red hot and started to smoke!

9400, graphics card failed, replaced failed again part not available replaced system.

xps m1710 graphics card failed replaced failed system swap twice!

m1730 graphics card failed!

m17x r1 DPC latency and other errors

m17 r2, dell service engineer bricked it twice resulting in 2 replacement systems

m17 r3 (please work!)

thinks there are some others i have forgotten about!

 

Wow, I thought I got a lot of replacement systems, but some of these members put me to shame.

I started with an inspiron E1505, then went to an XPS M1710, then an XPS M1730, then an Alienware M17x-R1, then an M17x-R2, then another M17x-r2. Haha, working my way through the lineup

 

Worst. Luck. Ever. Do not waste your money on Lottery tickets.

 

I dont as i never even get one number!

 

I had an M1710. after 2 years and 9 months, it had issues! So we got the
GPU swapped out. twice. then the whole motherboard and CPU. That didnt work,. so i complained and got an M1730. it was brilliant! for 20 days, then blue screened and died.. So after 2 years and 11 months, i got a FULL refund!

People criticise dell, but i got 2 replacements and a refund. My friends that went with Rock direct are STILL fighting to get them repaired!

 

4 Here.

1st was dead pixel.
2nd was defected speaker.
3rd was defected gpu.
4th is perfect - so far so good been using for 2 months.

 

3 XPS 15's. First one had 2 loose screws rolling around the battery area.(returned for refund) The second looked like it was assembled by a hungover disgruntled employee. (returned for refund) The third was good.

1st M14X is good so far but only 3 weeks old.

 

Wow I knew it wasn't just me, 2 xps14s,4xps15s both 501&502x 3 m14x 2 m17r1&2 and about 30 repairs also to boot.I must admit some could have been repaired but the techs they sent did worse damage than a child would've,the last tech replaced my m14x motherboard he said wow nice pc what kind is that?!?!Lol I swear I'm not embelishing at all.But my m11x besides a hinge issue I never had a single major problem.I can believe over 10,but there's gotta be some that aren't necessary,just don't trust a repair,sometimes.

 

holy crap, why do you all continue to go to dell?

 

@kakureru Because there are 15 bad situations listed here out of 11 million computers sold by Dell... And most of the users here will continue to buy due to the warranty. There are some bad experiences, but the good experiences far outweigh those. You have to think about the sheer volume sold and take that into account when reading the horror stories here. Very few happy customers get on here and rant about how they never have issues (-:
Look at Ferrari for instance, they have to do warranty work on 26-28% on their cars first year. Awesome cars but pushing the envelope has its risks... Things break.
The AW machines also push the limits of hardware. However the warranty work done first year is only 6%. I had to do a report on statistics last year so I did these two since I was in the middle of warranty work myself. I expected it to be a lot higher, like 30% at least, but I was very surprised...

 

People tell me Dell CS is terrible to deal with, but I beg to differ. The only reason one buys a Dell over any other system is:

1) warranty (how many other businesses will send a tech out to your house everyday of the week to fix something the NEXT day?);
2) relatively up-to-date drivers on the main FTP for preconfigured builds.

I've had several systems' HW go bad, and they've eventually been replaced. As much as people like to trash the modern day PC, Dell's warranty service alone puts Apple lack of customer support to shame. They don't put you on hold indefinitely, and they actually care about solving your problems. Look up some reviews. Apple has some of the worst support in the industry.

And I would venture to say that Alienware has the best out-of-the-factory cooling for a high-end gaming laptop of any brand. It also helps they're made out of aluminum and are literally cold to the touch, something the high-end Clevos/Sagers/Compals will always struggle with, though I respect their cutting edge specs.

 

1st one : Windows problem
2nd one : Graphic card problem

Be sure they pick up their old systems tho.
They were trying to sue me because i still had their systems with me, even tho i called them several times and asked "Are you going to pick up the old system or should i send them to you"?
Fianlly we got that solved out and it was a misunderstanding but still...

 

@GetFound
Thank you for those statistics dude. I've always wondered what percentage of users actually have problems with their machines. Wish there were more statistics comparing reliability of different manufacturers too. Because reading forums like these, I wouldn't feel like buying from ANY of the manufacturers, lol. Of course it's because people come here either to complain or seek help with a problem. If the machine works fine they don't have much reason to post on this forum.

 

My original was an XPS M1710 that went flying out a window in a car crash. I got an XPS M1730 as a replacement, and I still have no idea what happened to that one, just that a lot of the internal components got fried somehow. Got the M17x-R1 that I'm running with today from that, had it for almost two years now. =)

 

I bought my first in September of 2009 for about $2,400. It was an M17x-R1 (Core 2 Duo).
Nine months later I got an exchange to a M17x-R2, (i7-820QM) about 9 months later again, I got an M18x (i7-2720QM) as an exchange. This past October 18, I received my next laptop: M18X (i7=2760QM.

Every one has been a nice upgrade from the previous. The best was the M17x laptop from R-1 to R-2. I got dual ATI 4870CrossFire X cards over the single nVidia 260m, a blu-ray reader/writer, a faster processor, a couple other minor things.....a $1,100 upgrade!

Plus, I got to keep the power supplies, hats, etc..... I ended up selling the power supplies on EBay and make a couple hundred back total (just for the M17x systems).


So, ONE laptop bought, FOUR systems I have owned....I always have an up to date computer thanks to Alienwares flaws!!

Thank you Alienware!!! =)


-MK

 

i am battling with dell now re overheating m17xR2 probs arghhh! this a replacement for a m1730.

 

I don't have any problem with Alienware laptop. The price on these machines are very expensive but customer service is top-notch.
2 Alienware M18X SLI GTX 460
2 Alienware M17X R3 (Sold one)
1 Alienware M14X (Sold)
1 Alienware M17X R2 CF ATI 5870 (Sold)

 

Lol, I've only had one bad Dell, after that I gave up on them. It was a hassle for me to wait and get a replacement for something that had been a known issue (8400M GS issues), not user error. They also ended up giving me another laptop with the same GPU, and sure enough that one broke within a year. I would think once you get to a certain point, you would give up on them.

 

Your point is well taken, because nobody likes having a technical problem. Problems can arise and parts can fail on any brand of computer and that is never a pleasant experience.

The reason many of us don't give up on Dell has to do with their exceptionally great warranty and service. Nobody else offers an equivalent warranty. Having to send a machine off to some repair depot stinks. The Dell Complete Care Next Business Day On-Site repair option with accidental damage coverage is killer. Receiving a replacement machine with equal or better specs is not uncommon once a machine reaches end-of-life, so the warranty fulfillment process sometimes includes complete system upgrades to the latest technology.

With the Alienware line in particular, the phenomenal build quality and cosmetics exceeds anything else that is available from another vendor... at least that's the opinion that many of us hold, and it keeps us coming back again and again, just as the warranty does.

 

Quoted for truth ^.

 

I bought my first Alienware almost two years agom it was a m17x r2 with dual 4870 vidoe cards in it. I had several issue with the video card sover heating and going out. The last time the replaced them with the 5870's. That worked for abotut 2 months and they died. So alienware thought that it might be the system board. They replaced the computer with another r2. I did get a upgrade from the 820 cpu to the 940xm. So I was not complaining. I got that it lasted about 8 moths and the video cards started doing the same thing where the crossfire would not work and then i could not tuen on the system at all. the come out replace the card again, the tech that came out broke the led cable in the keyboard. The last time a tech ever touched my laptop.

After that I called and then talked to a supervisor in the stech supprt dept and they offered to send me a m18x not arguments from me I was just sad that I loose my RBG LED screen . But since I have not had a issue with my 18x and I love it.

By the way I still have the blue ray burner from my orgininal m17x r2. I have had to replace it everytime my self from the previous replacement.

 

Me, too... I don't understand why the M18x does not have BD-RE drive as an option. I'm not willing to settle for an ordinary BD/DVD-RW combo. The capacity of BD media is really nice.

 

My replacement m18x is being sent shortly and my m17xr2 has a BDRE drive. can I swap the drives and send back m17xr2 or will that void warranty?

 

No, it will not void the warranty. I did this with the knowledge and consent of Alienware. For whatever reason, the Panasonic BD-RE drive that came with our M17x R2 is no longer available from Alienware. It's a shame... excellent drive.

Anyhow, this is my third M18x and I've had to do this from day one. I also have to keep swapping out the Intel Ultimate-N 6300 3x3 MIMO because they keep shipping me systems with the inferior Intel 6200 2x2. I'm not about to accept downgraded hardware, but they cannot seem to get it straight. They shouldn't be downgrading specs on a system exchange... even the less important specs.

 

I asked them but they just said alienware doesnt have BDRE anymore. Didn't say if I could or not. I guess they wouldn't know and if it fails down the track It will be replaced by the normal BDRom drive. Not sure I want to open new the m18x yet lol

 

1. Asus G1 Very Very Old laptop ( first gaming laptop ) but still working for like 4 years
2. Acer Aspire 5920G ( Dead GPU, but got fixed and back to normal again )
3. Dell Studio XPS 1645 Works Fine, no errors
4. Asus G74SX-A1 No errors, works Fine, just give it as a present for my brother
5. Alienware M17X-R3 My newest System , 3 weeks of use and got broken, and yes.. another GPU problem again.. it's got Smoked and smells bad, but fixing in progress by Dell,

None of them Sold, because i don't want to, lol... and btw going back to use my very first laptop, Asus G1 since the M17X-r3 on it's way to be repaired

 

since this is a alienware thread...so 02 systems

-one replacement for the 460M and 2720qm M17
-one replacement for the 6970M and 2720qm M17 (i got my 460M refunded and went to the 6970..but with pending issues AW just shipped the 2760qm and 6990M)

the rest are a DV5T (never got returned....still works.... and the Acer AOD 150...which takes a lickin' but keeps on processin" and the MBP 13" ...which is simply apple

 

My answer to the OP is .....too many.

 

and yet, when given the option to refund or replace..guess where the majority population (?here) ends up with .....

 

Just once, but if you ask how many video cards I have gone through, that's going to be up there. Crossfire setups replace 2 cards at a time, sometimes the mobo. lol

 

Seems that getting replacement GPUs is not so easy any more. They always seem to be on backorder.

 

One replacement so far. My old M1330, after dozens of part replacements (HD 7x, motherboard/heatsink 7x, battery 1x, mousepad 6x, adapter 1x, DVD drive 2x, keyboard 1x, screen 1x) finally went up in smoke so Dell sent me a new M15x (live in Canada and Dell has a policy of no refurbished machines here). I've had have it since April 2011 and already the hard drive has crashed 4 times and been replaced 4 times, the DVD drive failed once and the motherboard replaced once. The one time I've sent to the depot they sent it back with the front palm rest sticking out. I don't know whether I'm just extraordinarily unlucky with Dell products or if they just make POS machines. I'm thinking both. Thank god I got the extended warranty.

 

I rly wanted to like AW, I really did. But after receiving two consecutive lemons ( M14x ) I'm done w AW. Hopefully they let me refund this second faulty ( Bad GPU, BSOD, Bad wireless card, stuck keys ) unit and Apple Macbook Pro here i F'n come!

 

The quality control Dell has at it's warehouses is mediocre at best thus its not surprising to see such a large amount of machines being faulty.

 

We don't know how many Alienware systems are sold each year, or how many of them are found to be faulty. My guess is that the percentage is actually small, or they would not be thriving as a product line.

We do know, based on human nature, that people who experience problems often tend to seek out a venue to have their voice heard or "get even" with the company that made a mistake. This can create a perception that is completely off base in reality.

I don't consider their quality control any worse than any other company that has systems assembled in China. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement, because there clearly is. The quality control needs to be improved at the third-party vendor level, (which I believe is currently Compal). For example, the M18x ships to the consumer from the vendor in China. It does not go to Dell's Round Rock/Austin facility or the Alienware facility in Florida for inspection or testing prior to delivery. I assume the same applies to the rest of the Alienware laptop line-up.

This is where buying from a reseller can potentially lend added value to the purchase. If the reseller actually receives the machines first, and places all of them through testing and tweaking, the possibility of the end-user receiving something slapped together in a haphazard manner in a Chinese assembly line can be reduced or eliminated. That comes at a cost.

The Alienware product line tends to push the performance envelope more than the ho-hum hardware you can get for Alienware competitors, and that increases the chance for something to not go as smoothly. With their phenomenal advance warranty options, the issues that sometimes arise from quality control represent an inconvenience more than a massive problem for the end-user.

When this thread was first created I sort of cringed and wondered what the underlying motivation was. I almost deleted it because we don't need a platform for disgruntled venters here at NBR. We also don't need a thread that is a troll magnet. Regardless of the original intent for the thread, what all of these system replacements actually demonstrate is the Dell really does care about its customers and takes care of them when something does go wrong. Would it be better if system replacements were not necessary? Of course it would. Would it be good for Dell to treat its customers the way their competitors treat their customers? I am so glad that they don't. They would not keep coming back, like the majority of Dell's customers do.

Truth be told, I presently own a far better computer than I started out with because of multiple system exchanges, and I am a very happy Dell/Alienware customer. I own a more awesome beast than just about anything available for purchase in the same class in a competing brand name. I'm not alone and my opinions are shared by many.

Spoiler

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/612883-alienware-praise-balance-things-out.html - http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/613878-m17x-r3-praise.html

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EDIT BY BB:

Due to repeat moderator action, this thread is now closed. Trolling is not permitted here -
see forum rules.

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