m15x hinge busted....AGAIN!!!!

Hello everyone,

I received my m15x in Jan. 2009 and my right hinge busted in less than 2 weeks. I sent it in and after about 3 weeks of waiting...finally received it back in March. It is now April and my hinge (left side) has cracked. This issue is supposed to be resolved right? I'm sorry everyone, I am just very heated right now.

 

Sorry to hear about your bad luck.

Man, you need to send it right back! I'd also ask that the time spent at A.W. for repairs be deducted from your warranty period.

This seems to be a design flaw. IMO I'd ask for a refund. Doesn't seem like their repairs are working.

 

I had the same thing with my m15x, I bought it in feb 08. it went back three times, twice for the hinge issue. Aw extended my warranty 90days. Now I got a credit from AW. They wont issue a refund unless you're still under 30-days from your purchase.

 

If it were my 15x I'd demand a refund or file a claim in court and provide every post here about this to show what a common problem it is with this model. It's not hearsay since they are first hand accounts. How many times should a laptop be sent back (at great inconvenience) for the same problem. Seems like you stand a good chance of hinge failure after the warranty. What then? Just my opinion.

 

That really sucks man.

It's terrible that Alienware continues to burn consumers with this flawed chassis, when the company should have spent the necessary R&D funds to redesign the m15x hinge a long time ago.

Where's the class action lawsuit? It's not as if NBR members are the only people suffering through this.

 

Hello Rob and everyone else on here,

I did call on Monday and demanded a refund. Customer Service transferred my problem to Customer Advocacy. They got in touch with me today. I spoke to a gentleman who downplayed my issue saying, "not everyone experiences this issue" and even said, "it's not like the computer is fried...it's just a panel issue..." This is complete nonsense. He even denied my request to speak to his supervisor or manager. He denied my request for a refund saying it was over 30 days old, so you guys are right. But still, how would I have known this issue wouldn't be resolved even after I had it "fixed" the 1st time????

I bought up all the points that you have said Rob, and all He could do was tell me, "let's wait and see after you have sent it in." I wanted them to at least extend my warranty cuz why should I be paying for something that isn't my fault??? I dunno guys...I appreciate all your concern though.

If it wasn't for you all, I have no idea what I would be doing. I also bought this from the Navy Exchange website. They were giving me a hard time with that too.

 

Wow,

I'm really sorry to hear that. It's a hard one to deal with. I only hope after it's "fixed" this time that it stays fixed. If you do plan on litigating, make sure you're writing all this down.

Good luck buddy!

 

Before you send it in, call and confirm that they have replacements in stock, otherwise you could have a long delay in the turnaround.

 

TO EVERYONE WHO WISHES TO FIGHT ALIENWARE IN COURT REGARDING THE HINGE ISSUE.
you cannot win this. I did my research on this issue for a while. Mine was at the repair facility for over 2 months. You have to abide by their warranty.

Remember it's a LIMITED Warranty not a full warranty. in Limited warranty AW does not need to follow the federal warranty laws (Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act). Whereas if they offered Full Warranty on their laptops, then after 2 or 3 attempts AW would need to offer you either a refund or a replacement unit. That applies only to Full warranty which Alienware does not offer.

it states in their warranty that you can only get a refund if you're under the 30-days limit.

And as the above poster mentioned, It rarely matters if you call ahead to see if the parts are in stock. (For me this is true). First of all, if you ask about the parts being in stock, they might tell you that they will check into it. By this they mean that they will call the facility and inquire about the parts, The facility can take 3-4 days to return the call to AW about the parts, then AW will take 1-2 days to call you or have you call them about the parts.

The repair facility and Alienware don't share the same parts inventory system. IF you think they can just look on their computer and tell you how many parts they have at that particular location, you will be wrong.

Let me know if you have more questions

 

Got mine in February, I decided to put two elongated metal "U" clips I made my self on either side where the screen attaches to the rest of the laptop. I placed black electrical tape on the inside of the clips so as to not scratch the case and the fit is pretty snug. So far, nothing has happened to my hinges and I don't really worry much that they will break since the metal clips are bent in a "U" shape that basically squeezes the two parts of the screen together at all times.

 

Hi Larn,

Can you post pics of those "U" clips? I am curious to learn how you made them.

 

Imagine folding a square piece of paper the length of your finger around your finger and forming a long "U" shape *'long' as in the length of your finger* . That's what the clips look like. Basically, the clips are the width of the screen edge and just a little bit taller than my finger as it lays horizontally flat on a surface *want to stay under the rubber thingies at the bottom. The clips should be as thin as possible to fit between the screen and the main part of the computer, but strong enough to HOLD together the front and back side of the screen. My clips are strong enough I can't bend them out of shape without some struggle.

I made 2 square metal strips and then bent them with pliers and used a hammer and a somewhat rounded rod to hammer out the bottom parts of the "U" so that when I place the clips, they fit pretty snugly in place: not perfect, but it works and that's what counts.

I put black electrical tape on the inside of the clips *just one strip on either side of the "U" to protect the polish on the laptop. I just took them off to check if there were any scratches and there is only one tiny scratch, but that's nothing compared to another scratch I got on another part of the computer the first few days I had it, don't even know how I got that one.

The only places that might get scratched are the area underneath the hinges, but nobody is ever going to look there, except maybe Alienware if they have to change our your screen or something.

The clips are not pretty, they detract from the beauty of the design, but I'm not worried about that, if it keeps my hinges from bursting open. I'd show you some pics, but I don't have a camera. Hope this helps a bit.

 

add yours to the list HERE
a lot of people dont know this but after you send it in for repair your 30 days return policy starts again.
sadly here in the uk we only get 10-14 days return policy but at least we dont have the restocking fee.

 

Is this problem in the design of all their laptop chasis (i.e. M9750, M17, etc..)? Does it happen after heavy open/close use? Or you open it gently day after day and it goes pop? Wondering if I need to worry about mine.

 

as far as i know its mainly with the design of the m15x.
ive not seen any coments about other AW computers but that doesnt mean their not out there.

 

When I got mine back, all they did was replace the aluminum sides along the actual LCD. It's thicker than the original ones, and is supposedly stronger, but I really haven't noticed anything being stronger.

 

To the person posting advice on civil action, you are most definitely incorrect. Not only can you sue for your money back, because the device was shipped with a known problem and the business did not rectify the issue, but you can also report the problem to the BBB. A consumer has the right to purchase a new item without it being faulty, the only thing you need to do is prove that it is a known issue and they still have yet to fix it.

On another note I'm surprised they did not refund your account or at least give you a credit to provide toward another computer in their lineup.

 

Hey poliuy,

I'd say you have a good case. Document all posts from NBR regarding the hinge issue. As I mentioned before, this is not hearsay as they are first hand accounts. If you do go forward with this an attorney will want affidavits from said posters.

Even if you don't go for a class action lawsuit (everyone effected) you should just do a civil action. This will provide you with the remedy you seek as well as establishing a precedence in this matter. Then the work is alredy done for everyone else.

A.W. is no doubt aware of this problem. My guess is they are hoping nobody will bring action against them before they revamp the lineup.

This would be really bad news for them. They've done what they can to try and fix the hinge problem but it seems like it can't be completely fixed. It appears to be a design flaw from the manufacturer of the 15x chassis. So they could potentially be looking at giving refunds to anyone who wants one. I don't know if they would try to prorate it or not. Their remedy would be to bring litigation on the manufacturer of the chassis. In a way, A.W. got sold a lemon, at least as far as the hinge goes, too bad they didn't step up to the plate and begin litigation themselves so they could take care of their customers. Might even have been a little good publicity for them.

It's unfortunate. I'm sure they had a meeting about this where the attorneys and bean counters decided it would be fiscally more fruitful to ignore the problem. They may not have seen this coming but they could have done better.

 

Yup, I was thinking the same thing rob. When he goes to court, which he can go to small claims and he does not need an attorney, make sure to bring your laptop, proof of purchase and proof that you mailed it back 2 weeks after you recieved it, proof that you called and spoke with representatives and any emails you may have, if you do not have any emails I suggest emailing them now and waiting for a response. Like rob suggested you could get affidavits from other owners, or you can bring in reviews or complaints on accreditted websites, like cnet etc. That should be about it.

Also when you go to file in small claims court most businesses do not even bother to show up, granting you a win by forfeiture. I've seen people who sued their credit card companies for upwards of 10,000 dollars and won. It would be safe to assume that if AW doesn't refund you immediately, they most likely will not spend the money to send a Attorney all the way out to where you live (Attorney fees for big corperations can range in the 10's of thousands). So the cost of even going there to fight your claim would hurt them more then just giving you the money. Even so, if you do win still file with the BBB, businesses like theirs should not be sending out products they know are faulty.

 

You'll want to look into jurisdiction in this matter. I'm not sure if you have to file where the item originated from or if you can file a claim locally due to it being the place you ordered it from and to where the item in question was delivered.

Even though the post here are first hand, I think you're gonna need the affidavits for whatever posts you submit to the court. We know the posts are actual but the court won't.

If you only want your money back, contact A.W. with the case number and court address etc. after you file a claim. They should relent at this point in exchange for you dropping the suit.

If you want to pave the way for others, then let the suit go to fruition. However, since this is a civil action in small claims court, if at any point the company decides to correct your problem 100%, you are compelled to accept as there are no further damages.

You will get 100% of your money refunded. It's documented that the hinge broke during the initial 30 days so you won't have any restocking fee whatsoever. In no way would Alienware allow this issue to go to trial. They aren't going to slit their throats and allow precedence to be set with regards to the 15X hinge defect.

 

Hello everyone,

I haven't been on here for a few days b/c i sent in my laptop to be "fixed." I am using a computer at work and just saw the new posts to this thread. Thanks for the heads up Rob. I really want to do something about this problem with alienware. If litigation is the only means for alienware to take this issue (and others) more seriously I am definitely on board.

I have never sued or taken any civil actions before and am wondering if anybody would give me more info on how to go about it. I have heard it can be costly and time consuming, so I need to know what I am getting into. Thank you all for the input. We'll see what happens.

 

It can be, you need to go to your local courthouse first, from there they will direct you in the way you need to go, or you can hire an attorney, fees should be like 1500, but you could potentially sue for up to 7000 in some courts (not sure what your small claims courts allow.)

 

yep same happended to my but my warr. ended 12 days ago but they said if i send in pics than they might send out shipping labels to take care of it. but i had to get pretty mean with them and im not one to get on your bad side.
jb

 

I say we all band together and put all of our cases together...it is not right....i am so upset... this stinks ...im serious, lets band together!

 

I am with you my brothers! Seeing as how Dell is taking over Alienware, I feel like our issues are just gonna get worse. No more Roswell and now CS from God knows where...it just seems like a nightmare in my opinion.

 

Hey guys,

I don't know if this will help, but it could help generate some publicity. Maybe you could do a larger campain to emberass A.W. into taking some action with you hinges.

Check out this unhappy Macbook Air owners video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWqH...olving-skills-a-knife&feature=player_embedded

 

haha that vid made my day...

 

Awesome video, I liked that as well.

 

@pbrguy217

So how long has it been for you? It's been since April 15 that I've had my lappy.

 

waddap dhoang,

I received my lappy end of January of this year and within a week, the hinge busted on me. I sent it for repair about the first week of February and received it back beginning of March. After about 2 weeks, the hinge busted again and I again, sent it for repair about middle of April. I am just currently waiting for it and contemplating what will happen next....

 

thats sucks, dont worry though as there are alternatives. Unless, u just have to have a shiny alien face on your laptop