restock fee..... Extortion?

So I just had a heated conversation with the cancellation Rep from alienware and I noticed something while talking to him, his reasoning for not waving my restock fee were completely bogus (least in my opinion). The reason he gave was that they offered me a repair / replacement computer for the crap one they sent me.

Nowhere in their warranty, under the return section, does it specify the conditions required for a restock fee to be charged. It just says "may be applied". Isn't that illegal, for them to charge me a fee because they offered a service instead of a refund and i refused?

It seems like they are forcing me to give them some sort of money for getting a crappy computer and not wanting it anymore. my choices are either keep it and get it fixed / replaced (they keep my money) or return it and they get a restock fee (they get to keep 323 dollars). I don't see anywhere in their warranty where they state conditions for a refund and / or a restock fee. all they say is that it may be applied.

i know there must be something wrong with my thinking. and that i am missing something. but it still doesn't seem right in my head that they can do that.

what am i missing?

 

well, you could return it. then, there are two options.

1) get a perfectly working machine back and be happy.

2) get a broken machine back (but with new warranty), which means you can give it back without restocking fee.

 

i know that i can do that, but that would take too long. alienware likes to **** around alot and takes way too long to process things.

 

How do you think AW is getting their profits from?

As most if not all seems to send em back at one point...

 

Please keep in mind that when you order a system, you agree to the "Standard Terms and Conditions for Sale Agreement". Within our Terms and Conditions resides the warranty.

https://www.alienware.com/Profile_Pages/Customer_Terms.aspx

 

IMHO, this is what you get for buying a terrible brand of overpriced pieces of crap.

 

well they could build good machines.....

i'm just talking about their policy, why is it legal to do that?

and james, nowhere in the warranty does it state conditions for restock fee. why is it ok for your company to not give me conditions when the fee would and wouldn't apply. it seems like it is at the discretion of the employee i am dealing with.

 

send it back until they are blue in the face, then

http://www.computerlemonlaw.com/rights.html

 

thats useful, but i don't have the time for that, If i could order my new computer NOW i would, but i just got 1300 dollars taken from my account cuz of a check that i thought had cashed already.

anyone wanna lend me 1300 dollars?

 

so James, as a possible customer in the market for a new laptop, when i buy into a laptop can i request the following terms?

1) bill the manufacturer for my time put in to "home remedy" the system under the express and written instruction by the tech service of the manufacturer, at an hourly rate that i get paid in my normal job? because if i am instructed to do this or that, i am basically doing the manufacturer's job, no?

2) if i send my machine back for repairs to the manufacturer, yet i need a computer to work, hence i pursue a "rented" or "leased" option, can i bill the manufacturer for the cost of temporarily replacing the machine?

3) most auto manufactuer's lemon law states that 3 times repeat of same defect will categorize it as a lemon... so is there such a standard in your laptops?

seriously, very cheap and un-professional of AW to hide behind a wall of legal fineprints to screw the customer for the final 15%...

there are instances where restock fees apply... but this is RIDICULOUS...

 

the thing is they can charge you the restock fee once you have sent it in a few times, as you can prove it's faulty by design.. then if they try to charge you make em bleed as you can take them to court.

 

Agreed, i am on chat with a rep right now asking for a written source of when the fee does or does not apply and she WILL NOT ANSWER ME. nor will she refer me to someone who will.

this is all seeming pretty illegal to me.

can someone please prove me wrong?

 

hehe good one

But then again with all the positive comments AW are getting one would hope they fix stuff soon or things start to blow up.. but as sorry I have to say this, ppl let bling impress they seem to sell.

 

It will apply e.g if you send it back because you don't like it and so on.

If you send it back 3 times as it has faults, then they will have some legal challenges if they charge you...

 

don't chat, call. or write emails. i'd suggest calling. it's much harder to ignore someone if you're actually talking to them.

 

well i will, right now.

i'll let you know how it goes.

 

yes, bling, fashion, trend, popularity, peer pressure... will blind people to overlook and become complacent with a sub-par system... but seriously... this is ridiculous...

seriously, AW, i'm curious... get your legal department and find out if they can agree to that one and THEN i will seriously consider a m17x...

furthermore... i dont know what the consequences of the following paragraph will be... but being a schmuck who likes to say and then think...

i'm curious as to what NBR thinks of the situation.

i understand that certain cases do seem "isolated" but to the extent that many people, including myself, base their purchase upon review of a said machine on NBR... i'm just curious to see what they think of the situation...

sorry if i offended anyone...

 

i can understand someone just getting it then not wanting it, but for one like i had then that is a bit ridiculous.

 

I think AW wants to prevent people to return their laptops if they are not happy... This for me is already quite bad, as you have no way to test the laptop before you buy it and you, as a costumer, should have all the right to return a product that does not satisfy your needs or complies to what you were promised.

Next... I can't at all understand how is it possible AW still manages to win money for shipping defective products that simply make theirs costumers loose time and patience. In the end, they should be paid for damage to their costumers, not the other way around.

Fortunately, in Europe costumers have "more rights". There's no restocking fee and you can send it back if you just don't like it.
Unfortunately, although you are completely covered in reason and it's completely revolting that they want you to pay 15%, legally they do state that you have to pay 15% if you send your laptop back.

I would recommend you to get it fixed not to loose the 15%. It's that, or some other alternative route, like hiring a lawyer.

 

You still think org's really care, ppl normally in a position like a CS are underpaid, metrics are wrong and most don't really give a toss, some CS do, so not all bad.. some info will never be logged in the system, I proved so once in court as I had all on tape... so write, not even e-mail as that's easy, letters with proof from the post office that they have been sent, this tend to work very well in courts, you have done and acted professional..

I would like to not that AW's CS, I have only seen them here, seem to put in the extra effort, so the point over is based on general experience.

 

i'm no legal expert, but i think that in the US, federal law says you can return a defective product for a full refund. and i'm certain that federal law overrules "AW law"

 

I have one thing to say, BBB!!!!

 

Would be fun if someone with the right legal background got an AW and the whole restock fee could be tested in court as a general consumer protection issue.. AW being quoted, like you see in the movies, Judge, please referrer to stirfriedsushi vs. Alienware, case number hdr4389348, Texas etc..

just saying........would be very fun indeed

 

For the costumer's sake, I hope you are right.

If anyone was put before this situation... Who would want to go through the trouble of having to send it back, losing time in repairs, etc etc...?

 

Specially when they would say... Stirfiedsushi vs Alienware!

 

I just got off the phone with a girl. she told they do have a policy about the restock fee but is isn't written down. they won't give it to the consumer until AFTER the buy the machine. (direct quote BTW)

i got her to email me a list of all stipulations and options that the tech support department has. once she sends it i'll post it for yo guys. but i bet it will just be info that we already knew.

 

well, the lawyers will jump in and make a settlement to "silence" the opponent with a deal... and a NDA... so... um... sorry, no Eryn Brockovich...

sadly, quite reminiscent of my Ethics & Morality class in NYU... Ford Pinto... guys remember that?...

i gotta stay away from this forum... i'm getting quite upset...

 

I will take legal action against this if i have to, i do want to go to law school so this is good practice. LOL

i doubt i'd actually sue them unless they were doing something really illegal. but i am going to investigate this further.

meanwhile i'll send my compy back for replacement and hope not to get another lemon.

 

I was thinking of using the good old "", but yes that would not have been the same...

 

nevermind...

Sushi, did you get my PM?

 

that lady hasn't emailed me yet. what is going on???

 

dude, have you been in communication with any of the AW staffers in NBR in regard to your case?
if so, you probably will not be receiving any e-mail that they don't want made public...

 

James said he couldn't help me. Idk what is going to happen but i talked to my cancellation rep and he said the fastest option is to refund. replacement is an entire new order, and repair takes even longer.

 

you know what, i think i may just build myself a PC.

 

I don't really think AW is doing anything outside their right here. I am sure they have a very long policy which you agreed to -- just like any other company. Even I, who have never bought an AW, know about their 15% restocking fee which pretty much applies unless there is a reason for it not to (not it doesn't apply unless they can give you a reason why it should apply, as you are acting like it is). I think you're dissatisfied so now you're complaining and quasi-threatening them.... and again, that is what you get for buying that overpriced GARBAGE.

 

im not threatening. i am asking them for info on when the fee doesn't apply, which they won't give me.

 

Quasi-threatening
"maybe I will bring up a lawsuit"
"I guess I will just not buy alienware and build a desktop"


They don't have to tell you when fees don't apply, here is the essence of the policy:
When you return a laptop, for whatever reason, expect to pay a 15% restocking fee. If the service rep feels you should not have to pay it, you won't. Otherwise... you will.


If you keep pestering them, they might void the restocking fee. But then you'd just have gotten it by whining, not because you are right.

 

Hope they change their minds and don't charge you that restocking fee, just keep putting pressure on this.
Just one advice if youre going to call them or something try not to get angry and yell at them, cause normally when customers do that reps tend to avoid helping you. good luck dude

and I thought this was a mature ppl forum... (in psychology somethimes we reject the things that we want but we can't ever get)

 

You can call me immature, but don't claim that I want an AW and that's why I'm trashing them. There are plenty of notebooks I can't afford, and an AW is one of them. But why would I buy that when there are better notebooks for less money? I try to push people away from AW and towards Sager because it's a much better value. If I got a free AW on the terms that I couldn't sell it, of course I would use it... but honestly, I'd be embarrassed to use it in public. Know why? Whenever I see someone with an Alienware/Macbook Pro/Other overpriced notebook, I think "wow, there is someone who cares more about prestige than performance." ...And I don't think highly of those people. That, or they're just trying to be trendy/are misinformed. And that's generally not good either.

To make a suggestion along the lines of "you're jealous because you can't have it" sounds more immature than anything I said here.

 

Not every system can be built perfectly, Alienware does their 200 point tests on the computer, and if it passes they then ship the computer. I am almost certain if there was any problems during the testing they would have took the computer apart, found the problem and fixed it. BUT, problems still happen. It is then up to Alienware to try and fix the problem that is affecting your computer. You should atleast give them a chance to fix it, and then if it is still not fixed after the 2nd or 3rd attempt then you may have a better case for getting a refund.

 

That's a really immature statement. Just because somebody's buying an Alienware or an Apple laptop doesn't mean that they care more about prestige over performance. The m15x was/is the fastest 15" notebook on the market and was the only one with an 8800M GTX/9800M GT (they're the same card) for seven months, which is three times faster than what other 15" notebooks had. The m15x is also a great size for a 15", the Sager is a lot bigger than the average size of a 15" notebook. Plus, Alienware added SmartBay (double the battery life with dual batteries or double the HD space with dual HDs) and BinaryGFX (switch to integrated graphics for better battery life) to the m15x, which you still can barely find on any notebook. The m15x also has a much better design than the Sager, and only costs $300 more. One overlooked thing about the m15x is that Alienware uses the same LG screen in every m15x shipped, other manufacturers use different brands so you have a chance of getting one of the better/worse screens.

The MacBook Pro runs a different (and better...) OS than any other notebook out, and is the only 15" notebook that you'll find Mac OS X running on, legally. It's also 1" thick all around, compared to 1"-1.4" thick from their competitors. The screen on the MBP is also the best screen that I've seen on a notebook by far. The PB/MBP set the standards for notebook design, almost every, if not every, notebook designed is based off of Apple's amazing design.

The notebooks you mentioned aren't really overpriced. There are cheaper notebooks with the same performance, but when you pay extra for a m15x or a MBP you're getting a better notebook than the competition, it just depends if the notebook's extra features appeal to you. There are a few overpriced notebooks out there, but you're not only paying extra for design on the MBP and the m15x, you're also paying extra for exclusive features and size.

 

Alienwares, in my opinion, are not of good build quality. I've worked on plenty of them at my job, and they always are way flimsier than any 3000 dollar notebook should be.

I'll agree that the m15x is one of the few AW's worth having, but as for apples - OSX is not superior, I have just as many Macs as I have PCs and it really is not better. People claim that it is because it's based on Darwin, but if you want a better OS... use Darwin (no - scratch that. Use FreeBSD or Slackware). Not the bloated and crapped up version of Darwin. There are way more 0-day's released each month for OSX than for Vista, and Vista is way less secure than XP.

There are very few legitimate Macintosh owners, most people are going to Mac because of Apple's aggressive marketing, and because it's becoming the trendy thing to do. If you can give me a valid reason for why your system was worth it - as you just have (if an m15x owner gave me that explanation, they'd get my respect). But usually what I hear is "it's better." It's better? How? Because it was more money? Yes.



Oh, and it's funny how the OP calling a restocking fee extortion gets so much agreement, yet I'm the one getting called immature.

 

Just wanted to add, when the m15x was released it had no competition on earth (and it still doesn't). It's true the m860TU is another 15-inch notebook with an 8800M GTX/9800M GT card, but this is not the ONLY special thing that made the m15x different. It still lacks of the features MICHAELSD01 listed that may not be that important to you, but they sure are for others.

 

you been to this part of the forum have you?
you have seen all the issues?
The problem is not the 200 test, the problem is that the design is flawed and it is not flagged to to their management.

 

well informed and not flaming post as the one you are replying

 

I think Hep is being overly presumptuous. Not to single him out, for the record I don't really agree with the thread to begin with. Maybe some of us just like our brands for different reasons? Maybe we just want to support them by buying their wares in hopes for higher quality or continued good work in the future? I for one, like Alienware. It's obviously on the more expensive side but it does have it's exclusives. I'm rather pleased with my m15x, with only a few minor issues. I think that, if you compare the number of people that bought the m15x/17x to the number of people that also bought it and are complaining about isolated issues, you may find that on the whole they did a pretty good job. There are still plenty of people who don't go to NBR, so keep that in mind as well.

The fact that the 9800M GT is not much better, if it is even better, allows the m15x to stay highly competitive and I think AW really has a good thing going here. I put my money and trust into them for the hopes I stated earlier.

 

I would have been sitting here with one at more or less max config if it's not for the lack of quality, I am getting one beast and I want it to be like a macbook pro, or and old IBM/ Sony business line.

This is why I flame them somewhat, as this is almost like hand built cars vs. Japanese cars.. once the hand built car starts to fail, you need to sell it fast

But so easy to fix

 

From what I've heard from some people on the forum that asked people that have big positions at Alienware, they all consider the m15x to be a failure because of its' build quality. One quick look through the forum and that really shows. Maybe we'll see a new 15" soon, hopefully the Breed teaser will lead to a new m15x.

 

Now that would be something!

I know some "left" AW, have all the "right people" "left" yet?

 

What...? ten char