more m15x volume slider craziness

Ok so just to give a brief synopsis of what I've been going through today....

Ordered a M15x from Alienware and was pretty stoked when I got a call saying that it had been delivered and that I could come and pick it up from the office. I was very impressed with the packaging and presentation along with the overall quality of the build of the computer.

However, within minutes of starting the computer and trying to start figuring out the operating system and gadgets (I've been working with XP Professional Exclusively for the past 4 years of college, I'm an Engineer and don't work on Vista most of the time), I started having the volume control pop up and cause everything to chop because it was getting in the way of what I was doing.

I called tech support and was on the phone with them from about 20 minutes after I opened the box until about 45 minutes ago when I started looking for info on the problems that this computer has been having.

They made me:
-Restart the Motherboard
-Remove batteries
-Reinstall the control system
-Reflash the bios

Still didn't fix anything and they wanted me to send in the computer and to have them look at it and see if there was a way to fix it, of course with no guarantees that anything could be done at all. So as far as I could tell they really didn't have much knowledge of this problem and definitely didn't about the fix that you have been discussing here.

I basically went mode on them and my mom who I am financing this computer through (my auto detailing business is of the books), told them that we were going to have everything refunded including return shipping and anything less was unacceptable. I was reasonable in that I stated facts my mom was more angry than anything else.

MY QUESTION:
since the branch that you guys were working with is no longer there, what is the current procedure for fixing the problem and/or who needs to be called at what extension to fix this issue. I have my out with the return, but I do like and am impressed with everything else on the computer, I just have to have something reliable for school or its just not worth it.

Thanks for the help and hopefully something good can come out of this because I missed out on a 100 job this afternoon because of having to deal with tech support. Thanks

MJ

 

Xceler8,

Sorry to hear you have this issue... I literally spent about 6 months working with Alienware engineers for a solution.

Call tech support back and demand to have your motherboard and touch control board replaced at their Houston, TX service center. That service center was working with both me, Roswell and Alienware's R&D department to fix this issue. They were the ones who determined that those parts needed to be replaced to correct the issue.

There is hope however... After going back to them twice, it is now 100% flawless and works exactly as it should have originally.

There is an internal tech note on this issue that was issued by Roswell division... they just need to follow those instructions.

This fix has been done for several of us and it is 100% effective in resolving the issue permanently.

- Denver

 

Is there a number at the TX service center that maybe I can call or at the R&D department because tech support I think is located somewhere not in the united states lol. I'm going to look for the sales person who I talked with while ordering the system since she was telling me that she was part of a small "team" that was outside of the regular tech and sale stuff. I think her name might have started with an R, i'll have to check

Thanks again for all the help on this issue here on the board, and I think that you guys need to be rewarded for your work, too bad Alienware is still shipping these computers out with the same issues from the factory even after a fix has been formulated.

 

Xceler8,

That may be Rebecca... If so, she was the Roswell agent assigned to my case. Most of them were later moved back to their original departments.

Alienware has a call center in Costa Rica... that's where 99% of their support is based. Roswell was in the US. Regardless, they should be able to help you.

I was never given direct numbers to the service depot or R&D. When I was working with them, Rebecca would setup a conference call between us. We spoke several times per week while we were diagnosing this issue.

You shouldn't really have any problem getting them to arrange depot service for this. If you've gone through their checklist, that's ALWAYS the next step.

- Denver

 

Well if that is the case I'm going to give this computer another chance.... So I'm going to go off of your expirience that the computer is worth it and also that you haven't had any problems after the fix. Because I know after the next 3 days they won't take the thing back.

Thanks again and I'm going to go ahead and go through with having them try and fix it.... if its not fixed when I get it back from the depot, it will be returned though.

 

I never understood why they continue to ship out the M15x as is, especially if there is a known issue with the present motherboard, and replacing it fixes the problems. I was watching the slider craziness from the beginning, and I sure miss the Roswell group.