My Alienware Nightmare

I have owned three different systems from Alienware. I have always been a fan of their systems and what they have done. My first gaming notebook from them was the Area 51 766. I still have it in fact, and it works fairly well. After that, I got the Aurora 7700 in 2006. The only bad thing that happened was the keyboard somehow shorted out on certain keys. I hooked up an external keyboard and was still happy with it.

Then I got the M15x in March 2008. It worked great for a year, and then my youngest daughter spilled water on the system in March 2009. Unfortunately water damage wasn't covered under the warranty, which was dissapointing but understandable. I had no problem with that. Up to this point however, I had read all previous posts on alienware tech support, sending systems in for repairs or upgrades, and despite the negative feedback, I always was a proud owner of my alienware systems. They never overheated. They never cracked. Nothing. I had an unfortunate incident.

Unfortunately, Alienware has THE worst tech support/Customer service I have ever seen. When I sent my system in, I asked that since a lot of the parts were going to be repaired that I would like to upgrade my hard drive to a 320GB, my video card from the 8700 to 9800, and to have my keyboard light up like the rest of the system did. At first I didn't have the money for these repairs and upgrades, so I asked if they could hold on to the system until pay day. I must have talked to three different tech support guys by this time, all of which seem confused in what they were doing. I got a lot of "hold on for a few minutes" to check something. It was very difficult to understand most of them. I always got the sense they had no experience in dealing with computers what so ever. It felt like I was talking to the same three guys huddled in some small shack in the middle of Mexico. I dreaded calling tech support everytime with this issue.

Finally I had gotten a hold of someone that not only spoke good english, but took care of my request and ensured that everything was good to go. I paid for my upgrades. Initially they almost sent me the system back because they didn't want to hold on to it any longer, even though they had it less than a week by that time. But this guy sympathized with my situation and even gave me a discount on most of the parts since it was already a year old system. So I paid on 1 April and everything was good. Or so I thought.

I called on a weekly basis just to check the status of my laptop and to ensure that the upgrades were actually happening. What burned me up is everytime I would call, the guy that I would talk to would say, "let me see what's in the notes.... ok, uh..... I see here you are having repairs done.... I don't see anything about upgrades...." eventually he would FIND the notes, but this got irritating as it would happen EVERY TIME I CALLED. Three weeks pass by.... I call to find out that they are waiting on the hard drive I requested to get to the warehouse. Three weeks. To get to the warehouse. Because they didn't have it on stock. It's like.... if I had known that, I wouldn't have ordered it!!! I would have gotten a different one!!!!

Finally, May 5th, my system arrives back at my house. Only to find out that I received my old 8700 GT video card, a 223GB hard drive, and my keyboard does not light up. I was furious. On top of that, the "My alienware pc information" file on the desktop says on it that the system has an Nvidia 9800 video card in it, was tested with drivers and all, and gave benchmark results. But I verified through the device manager and dxdiag that it was in fact an 8700. I just could not believe it. How is it they held my system for that long- waiting for a hard drive that I requested- and didn't even put it in. Or any of the other upgrades that I paid for. So I called alienware pissed off. I requested that they send me a system with the upgrades I paid for because I did not want to send my laptop back in. The guy I talked to said they could not do that. They wanted me to send this laptop back in and he indicated they could fed express it back to me. I laughed at him and said hell no. I then asked if they could ship the parts to me that I paid for and I would attempt to put the hardware in myself. They apparently are willing to do that.... but I shouldn't even have to.

I just am in total shock. This was the very reason I called every week to ensure that everything was going smoothly. Despite all my calls and emails, they still F*cked it up. I will never buy alienware again due to their lack of support. I felt like I had to jump through hoops to get what I paid for.

Ok I'm done Ranting!!!! Don't buy Alienware!!!!

 

That doesn't surprise me at all. With the exception of 1 good phone call from Alienware, I've had nothing but poor support, obviously other people will post here praising their support, but there is quite a lot of poor support from them and they try to get away with things they shouldn't. I speak from experience with my desktop and laptop.

 

sorry to hear of your troubles kmansp.
been there,done that and got the tee shirt, and that was back in march last year.
it sounds like its got even worse with the transition over to dell.
hope you get it all sorted very soon.
you might even get a free tee shirt or mug if your lucky.

 

I dont think Dell took over CS when he was repairing his laptop. They Just took over for like 2 weeks ago I think, by Dells XPS CS. They are actually great! Dells XPS CS is dare I say almost better then Asus's CS. The guy I spoke to was actually from the US, spoke prefect English and even though I took forever with my question he was still nice and claim. Most of all EVEN though he is Dells XPS CS he knew more about alineware systems and policies then anyone I have ever talked in alinewares CS. Alienware on the other hand... Well I got a story written somewhere on this forum of their ty CS. There Roswell CS is apparently pretty good(never tried) but everyone else I get the impression dont even know what they are selling or talking about. They just read it of there computers and if that doesn't answer your question? to bad you an't getting an answer.

 

I'm sorry about the mishap,

but still they offered to send you the parts just because you don't want to send it back in to upgrade, what more do you want??

 

Sorry to hear about your luck and your unusual request.

Like I've said before to first time posters who only come here to vent, If you had been a member of this great community you would have had access to some very helpful Alienware Reps. Your situation may have turned out much differently for you.

I think their is a good chance things got screwed up due to your very unusual request: I want to upgrade some things but I don't have any money. Could you just store my property at your facility until I do? Who knows?

fwiw, good luck to you anyway.

 

Unfortunately those horror stories happen everywhere.

Funny how some first posts are of people venting. Bet we never hear from them again.

 

Its not a strange request at all, it just shows lack of communication in the Alienware CS department with the Tech CS.

 

I just had an issue that I couldn't resolve last night.

He was knew what he was doing and it showed. It took about a half hour to go through all the steps he had me take but in the end my problem was solved.

It's funny how folks manage to find this site after they become inconsolable.

 

First, sorry, that system wasn't upgraded, even you paid, but:

That's the best joke I've ever heard. You didn't want to send your system again, but additional you wanted a new system with the components you requested?
Wth you think? They just send as a compensation a new system, for free?
I don't think any company would do that. Good luck

 

I agree with that, the Tech CS I spoke to the other night was extremely helpful, guided me through everything, even joked around a little bit about computer stuff, however it still stands that if what the OP said is true then there is a evident lack of communication between departments.

 

Do you know you can thesething buy yourself pretty easy so why you want a technical support to do it for you?

 

I regret this mishap and our failure to upgrade your graphics card. Please PM me your Account/Email so that we can contact our critical issues team to rectify this for you.

Have a nice day!

 

Thanks Rose,

I think it's safe to say we all appreciate you being here.

 

Actually I had to ask if they could ship the parts back. Originally they wanted me to send the system back. But to answer your question of what more do I want? I want the parts I paid for to be correctly installed in my system when I pay for it. I mean, this all feels like they got a bunch of monkeys running the department over there, from tech support all the way to their repair facility.

 

And that is exactly why I called on a weekly basis to ensure there were no misunderstandings. I called to verify that they didn't just repair and leave the old parts in there, but to put in the new ones I asked and paid for.

 

Yeah, I vented. It's my first post here. You got me there. But I came here because this is where I have read similar issues over the past year and it has a lot of good information for software updates for my system. Nobody forced you to read my venting if you didn't like it though!

 

If you've been here for the past year it seems like you would know from countless posts thet the A.W. reps here help many, many people with their problems?

 

Don't get me wrong, people venting is usually very entertaining. Stick around here more and you'll probably get better support/advice from members.

 

Actually I didn't think there were official alienware reps on these forums until I saw one respond here today. But what does it really matter? The end result would have been the same: the parts would get shipped to me. As much as I appreciate Rose's response- I really do- the damage has been done.

 

crap happens, nothing is perfect, but the fact they keep trying even though something went wrong is a sign of good CS, I think a lot of people forget that.

 

Send it back in then. Nothing is going to be done by complaining and just getting angry. AW-Rose wants to help you.

 

We have all said we are sorry to hear of your unfortunate experience and an A.W. rep (Alienware Rose) has stepped up to the plate unsolicited, to do whatever she can to help you out. I don't know about you but I'm pretty impressed by that!

Even though they are doing everything to correct the situation, it seems there is nothing they can do at this point that will satisfy you.



@Rose,

Thanks again for all your help. It is greatly appreciated!

 

Ha, yet another "Nightmare" Alienware story. Seems like these are comming up more and more.

First off I'd like to say, wow how the hell did AW drop the ball so hard?

Sounds like they took three weeks to transfer a file and send it back.
Second off your lucky they send the parts, I not sure if Dell/Acer/anyone else does that.

Thirdly, is AW's customer support center in Mexico? I've noticed this alot myself, can anyone confirm this?

Fourthly(and lastly) will you be buying AW in the future? I'm interested to know if you'll go back despite this turn of events.

 

I do believe .Dell will send you spare parts for you to upgrade yourself if you request it. A lot of Sager/Clevo resellers will do the same AFAIK.

Duane

 

AW CS used to be american /costa rica based but now dell has taken it and they use Dell's CS ...pathertic

 

So it's probably in Texas?

 

where ever dell has its CS :wink:

 

I've seen 3 "nightmare" stories in about 2 months. I bet that's less than 1% of the total people that have bought an AW within that same time.

 

If that, like NO OTHER companies have nightmare stories...

I say, contact Rose, get them to send the parts ASAP and do the upgrade yourself....it's not difficult at all...

I think the "buildup" of frustration and stress here is from the entire incident, including the spill, which would have broken my heart if this was my machine...

Hang in there and let Alienware sort this out and you'll have a brand new Alienware to play with

 

dell xps support is the shiznit. I've never once been NOT taken care of. All english (sometimes australian if its late in the evening), and the local ONSITE tech will call the next day to schedule a time to work on the computer. And they do ship parts if you tell them you can fix it yourself, like say an LCD or a keyboard, or say in my datacenter: hard drives, raid cards, etc...

If DELL truly takes over AW's PATHETIC and i mean PATHETIC (from like 2002-2006 - when i and some friends all owned an AW 766 and/or 7700) tech support and includes say transferable warranties, complete care, and the ability to extend the warranty to 5 years total (which dell does)... I MIGHT even give them another shot. I remember the sager 47xx i owned and their 3rd party warranty thru magnavox or someone was EPICALLY pathetic so much more so than AW. they took their support in house and it seems much better according to my friends. AW needs to do the same thing, cept its like the other way around.... lol.

 

I think the thread-starter has a good right to "vent" he phoned the morons on a regular basis because he was worried that they would f**k it up, he knew this was a possibility by the way they answered his calls and couldnt find or understand his notes.
Im planning on having upgrades done in a couple of months and I hope it goes well.
I have a few friends who swear by Dell support(they all have XPS, like jah2323)
You have to remember that we are not talking about £300 notebooks...we are talking about £3000....the CS should be Gold standard and we should rarely ever hear these stories.
I do love my M17 but some of my E-mail responses from Alienware to simple questions frightens me. (not to mention all the "dont buy Alienware" videos on Utube) but Im trying to make my own mind up on the issue...its the first US company Ive dealt with and I plan to keep spending stupid amounts on these PCs for many years to come, I hope they sort it out.

 

Sorry to hear you've become so frightened tonytoff. You mentioned you have a few friends who swear by Dell support. I assure you, there is no shortage of people who are very satisfied with A.W. support.

It seems people tend to focus on the horror stories without realizing what a miniscule percentage of customers this represents.

The vast majority of Alienware customers are very happy.

It's funny that you would mention Youtube. Go there and type in Alienware and there are literally hundreds of videos made by happy A.W. customers. The videos you mention are few and far between compared to favorable videos.

And cmon, the OP self damaged his laptop, sends it in to be repaired which it was. And then says..........Um, hey dudes, It would be really cool if I could upgrade some stuff but, well, um......I don't have any money. But would ya mind going to the trouble to store my property somewhere, and you'll have to make a paper trail and chain of custody of course, and as soon as I get some money you guys can upgrade my rig also?

If the OP had requested the upgrades at the same time he had CS arrange for the repairs to his rig, ie only one work order number, and didn't need special pawn shop/storage type services till he had funds, I doubt there would have been a single issue.

Speaking for myself, I would never make such a ridiculous request of a company. I would have waited till I actually had the money to buy the upgrades.

It's obvious to me that Alienware's support department is very concerned about customer satisfaction as can be seen by the ever present A.W. reps that not only monitor this forum, but do whatever they can to assist their customers.

You didn't say if your fears are based on a bad experience you have had tonytoff or if your fears are simply based on a very small percentage of unhappy customers.

I for one will rest easy as all issues I have ever had have been promptly and effectively resolved by the A.W. support staff.

 

About 2 years ago I called alienware cs for help. It was a week after my m9700 was shipped and sli wasn't working..One of the cards were defective. I called up and a lady picked up the phone. No english whatsoever. I told her the problem and she would pause 1 minute in between responses to me(she was reading off the computer in front of her on what to do) After minutes of hell with this lady she transfered me to some guy who spoke pretty good english. He told me that I had to send in my temps running 3dmark05 with sli and one video card, temps and scores....Now why would Alienware trust a futuremark product to prove a video card is a defect..I was puzzled.. but I did it and eventually was told to send my laptop in..Got it back in a month with 2 new 7900gs cards

 

I like all the complains about non-English speaking tech/customer support people and how they kind of make it seem like a pure-Alienware problem. Try calling any other tech/customer support, 95% of the time it'll be someone you can't understand.

As for the original guy's problem, I wouldn't let that single experience kill your views about AW. It was a pretty odd request, it wasn't a simple "you sent me this defective piece, please replace it." As Rob said above, asking them to upgrade parts that were broken because of a water spill, while not having the money for them, isn't a request that would be entertained by a lot of companies I'm sure. Not saying they handled it well, but really, it was an out-there request.

 

The non-English speaking tech support IS Alienware's problem..Even before they signed off to Dell this was a problem. Many manufacturers have tech-support out in other countries yes you are correct with that but whats your point? It is cheaper for the manufacturers that way hence this being their own fault when customers can't get their problems through to them. Its a 50/50 chance like always when calling support to get a descent person to help you out.

As for the original guy's post, I would have asked for the same thing. How is it a ridiculous demand. Why send out your system twice when Alienware already has it. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone..In his case it was 3 birds..

 

Yes, it's an AW problem, but it's not a pure-AW problem, pretty much every company has hard to understand support people. My point was that people are kind of making it seem like "OMG don't buy AW because their tech support is impossible to understand!" when in reality, most other companies have the same problem.

It's a widespread problem, not unique to Alienware, that's my point.

 

So make it clear instead of posting right away.
kmansp's problem is due to Alienware's lack of organization.
Noone brought up other companys' service department. Why should you. Everyones talking about Alienware and the tech support doesn't and shouldn't shy people from buying from Alienware. Noone tried to push people away either, we just speak of the truth, they are slow. Slow in both the sales department and the service department.

Hell I would love to have an m15x not for performance because what I have now is just as powerful but the pure looks of the laptop. Alienware wins over consumers with cosmetics. Just don't expect 100% satisfaction when something goes wrong with your laptop.

And you said its a widespread problem....It is a widespread problem because everyone chooses THEMSELVES to have tech-support outside of the states. Alienware chose this, therefore all blame is on them...It's not like a bunch of manufacturers formed a Union to start tech-support overseas...Everyones independent....

 

I thought I did make it clear by saying "not a pure-Alienware problem." I can't guess how everyone will interpret what I say, everyone is different, don't fault me for that.

I only made the point because the OP and everyone else who complains about it makes it seem like that's one of the reasons they have for leaving AW. I'm pointing out that leaving AW won't solve the non-English problem, that's the only point I was trying to make, not about companies choosing to save money or anything else.

The blame is on AW and every other company that does it, I'm not refuting that fact. Again, my only point was that steering clear of AW will not mean you'll never have to deal with foreign CS again. I promise, that's the only point I was making with that statement, nothing to get upset over.

 

Alienware is known to produce laptops that have problems. Many come out good and many bad its a chance. Yes every other company is the same but Alienware so far is complained about more threw forum history.

No ones getting upset lol my gf has an m9700. Great laptop no complaints at all..except for a loose screen hinge. Still trying to figure out how to tighten it up, it wobbles back and forth a good inch now.

 

I'm not certain I agree with that point, motok. Yes, some alienware comps have issues - but all companies have issues with their products. Yes, some of alienware's product lines have issues (I'm thinking M15x hinges) but other product lines from other companies also have issues (I'm thinking Asus G1S line heat/GPU/mobo problems).

It all comes down to this: negative customer service and rants attract more attention in general. I don't want to actually check this, so I'm not going to say it's a fact, but I bet you if you went to any website out there for any product, you'd find folks with horror stories. I know that for the computer sites I've leafed through and the software support sites (the two I most frequent on the net) there is ALWAYS at least one (and probably many) thread about "OMG this sucks never ever buy this from these guys!!"

So, yes, take it with a grain of salt. There are folks out there who, unfortunately, get a bad system and bad service. I wish it didn't happen - and you can probably minimize your chances of this happening to you by thorough research, looking for reviews, etc. But the presence of bad reviews/rants/etc. doesn't always mean a serious problem - more often it means a vocal minority.

(For that matter, the absence of rants/complaints doesn't mean a great company - it could mean a comapny who is just more aggressive in deleting bad stuff off their forums! )

Here's the reader's digest version: ya pays your money, ya takes your chances!

(Oh, and if you're REALLY lucky, you stumble across a neutral site filled with knowledgable enthusiasts who are willing to help with issues - like, say, this one!!)

 

More like biased.

So... in conclusion its okay to have a $3000 premium brand's notebook to have the same problem with a $1000 notebook (Physical/CS wise)? Hm...

Sure learn something new everyday.

 

I agree people tend to give a lot more attention to whoever screams the loudest, unsatisfied customers in this case. People always focus on the minority.

nic, this is the Alienware forum. It is not the Hate Alienware forum. When people have problems, other members practically bend over backwards to help. Want a more "neutral" view according to you? Go to the Mac forum and start complaining there about AW. You sure will get tons of neutral responses....

I personally never had a problem with non-english speaking CS. They have all been very helpful. Most even joke around and chit-chat with you. Perhaps if people took more care of their $3,0000 computers, they would have less problems.

And about the $3,000 comment nic. I would have to agree. I guess a $50,000 Mercedes, because of its price wouldn't have the problems a crappy $30,000 Honda will... oh, wait... hmmm....

Edit: And about the main problem in this thread. A computer company is not there to babysit you or your finances, really. They are there to sell computers. Get the money, and then upgrade... Make an unusual request, then be prepared to get an unusual result.

 

dude thats exactly what I said in lamer terms lmao.
Their are may forums out their for Alienware. This one to me seems like one of the largest.

 

Its a 50/50 chance to get a non-english speaking cs.
And this post itself is about the orignal post-er's problem not people hating on Alienware we are just telling him that their are others with the same issue also and others without. Just chill out and stop attacking each other its a forum, debates trying to prove yourself right over another will end up going on forever.

 

You are absolutely right War! +rep

I keep seeing this analogy of "well I paid a high price so I expect more". And you got more. More High end hardware in a premium package. Ya bought a $50,000 Mercedes with all the performance and luxuries. Pretty sure Mercedes doesn't have the longest or best warranty in the business.

If the OP hadn't damaged his Laptop, he either would have sent his rig in to be upgraded when he had the money or he would have bought the parts to upgrade himself, again, when he actually had the money!

Since he did damage his laptop, and also wanted to upgrade, he should have waited till he had the money to upgrade and then sent it in.

Or he should have had it repaired, then either send it back in when he actually had some money to upgrade, or planned on upgrading it at home when his wallet wasn't empty.

Alienware isn't a pawn shop or a hamburger joint waiting for Whimpy to gladly pay them Tuesday. They are a business.

I see zero culpability on the part of Alienware. I see the fact that Alienware Rose has stepped up to the plate here as above and beyond the call of duty.

The OP said Alienware F***** it all up. IMO it's the other way around.

 

Maybe. Or maybe not everybody's talking about it. I've let slip a certain amount of... shall we say, bitterness? over the past few months.

For example, I'm still dealing with Alienware support, and I'm currently on: system 2, repair attempt 6 (I think, not including the replacement system as an attempt), month 5. A lot of the repairs have taken about 1.5 weeks, and nobody from Alienware contacted me for two weeks until today, even though I made about 8+ attempts to contact them (one online update, three voicemails, one regular support call, three+ calls without voicemails). Unfortunately, I'm in Critical Issues Team (CIT) hell - i.e. nobody in "regular" customer support (or Roswell, when it existed) can handle my case - only the one (or maybe two?) CIT members assigned to my case. They work 9 am to 6 pm ET, and since I'm in PT, that makes it harder for me to contact them.

So don't assume that just because people aren't screaming their lungs out that everybody's happy, either.

 

Whats wrong with your PC Sogarth?? which model is it? is it still under warranty?? just wondering of course!

 

I'm sorry to hear about that Sogarth. I can't imagine what you are going through.

 

Wow Sogarth,
That sounds aweful. I know I'd be tweaked.