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Alienware Build quality vs wear and tear?

post #1 of 19
6/27/06 at 4:05pm
Thread Starter 
Just got off the phone with customer service and not happy. I have a question for you. Is it normal wear and tear if your key board rubs marks on your LCD or is it a design flaw? My previous Dell, HP and 5500M never had a problem. My 7700 has had a problem from day one and alienware doesn't care. This is the main reason I left Dell, because of lack of service. Seems like the slip in quality is already starting to transfer between the two companies.

I talked to a supervisor and he asked me while I didn't leave the protective pad in between the keyboard and screen. I told him I did see a warning any where about it and he said it was common sense. I told him it was common sense that when I pay $3400 for a laptop it should be put together so the parts don't rub.

Has anyone else had this problem or is it my POS 7700m?
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post #2 of 19
6/27/06 at 4:43pm
my keyboard does not rub on my monitor, so no
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post #3 of 19
6/27/06 at 5:04pm
Thread Starter 
Just wanted to add. I did buy the extended warranty, I've been having problems with the CPU fan from day one and my laptop showed up with scratches on the inside surfaces from where it rubbed during shipping. I can honestly say the 7700 is not my as well put togther as the 5500. I would not recommend this machine to anyone. In fact, I travel about 250K miles a year for work and I plan on spreading my CS experience to everyone I meet. I do get a lot of questions about my machine, now I can people about this lovely experience.
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post #4 of 19
6/27/06 at 5:51pm
Send it back for repairs, you're still covered by warrenty

Yes, AW tech support will try to pull some shoot like "why didn’t you keep that protective paper between the keyboard and screen, even though it's not in our documentation, isn’t that common knowledge!"

but so will Dell, HP, Sager, ect...

When you call, remember who you are speaking with. Technical support is for Technical support, they don’t care how happy you are with your machine, they are there to fix technical issues and will not be much help in your case.

Customer support is for exactly that, and customer relations is there for exactly that

But spreading the word that a computer technician did not perform the job a customer support/relations rep is not the way to go…
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post #5 of 19
6/27/06 at 6:31pm
Thread Starter 
I knew I was just talking to a CS rep and I was not dealing tech support. (I actually called in just to make sure they had recieved my machine.) I was not getting anywhere with a first level CS guy and asked to speak with his supervisor. Again, no support. He said if I had issue and wanted to speak to his boss send an email to customersupport@alienware.com, but they would tell me the same thing that it is normal wear and tear for the screen to rub on the key board. So where else do I go from there except to the boards where I made my decision to buy my second alienware laptop.

Let the buyer beware the extended warranty doesn't cover design or build quality issues.
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post #6 of 19
6/27/06 at 6:47pm
Thread Starter 
I forgot to add: I was told the 7700 was a mobile desk top replacement and not really designed for laptop/notebook use. So all you power user beware. Your machine is "designed to sit on desk" not be taken with you on trips per the CS rep.
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post #7 of 19
6/27/06 at 7:32pm
I don't think there is anything normal about screen damage from contact. Normal wear and tear for a screen will be the occasional fingerprint to me.
That is alot of miles to put on a laptop, I have been a roadwarrior for the past 10 years and have seen many laptops bite the big one.

They do make protectors that are put over keyboards. It is like a thin piece of felt or something. This is to protect against accidental pressure on the screen while closed i feel.

I am in your corner...
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post #8 of 19
6/29/06 at 5:25am
I have chafe marks on the laptop where the screen has rubbed away some of the paint. The little rubber stoppers around the screen are too flush with the lid ... bad design in my opinion.

I now put a thin packing sheet between the keyboard and the screen when closing the lid. This has prevented any further chafing ...
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post #9 of 19
6/29/06 at 9:15am
That shouldn't have happened man, I would keep pushing. I'd say speak with customer service and if that doesn't cut it, push on to their supervisor. Just keep pushing, that seems like an isolated issue but definitely one they should fix for you!
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post #10 of 19
6/29/06 at 9:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Herkav8r
I forgot to add: I was told the 7700 was a mobile desk top replacement and not really designed for laptop/notebook use. So all you power user beware. Your machine is "designed to sit on desk" not be taken with you on trips per the CS rep.
Duh lol when did you figure that out, when you say it had a 17in screen
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post #11 of 19
6/29/06 at 6:10pm
Thread Starter 
It is heavy, but I look at as part of my daily work out program. Besides, not many machines can play graphics like the 7700. It is one of the few creature comforts I can actually take with me.
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post #12 of 19
6/29/06 at 6:27pm
That's not acceptable at all. If they sell a machine that closes, and don't say something like "Oh yeah, if you dont put this protective in the way, the screen will mangled" then they need to make sure that the screen doesnt get broken/damaged by doing something (A) the laptop is designed to do and (B) they don't tell you not to do.

Keep on at them, use the above argument and whatever else you can think of, just keep asking to go higher up the chain until you get what you want.

If this doesnt work, go to whatever the US equivalent of the Better Business Bureau is (makes sure companies dont screw people). Having a screen that gets marks is not accpetable, nor is it normal for a 7700.
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post #13 of 19
7/5/06 at 9:41am
Yeah, I feel that keyboard ware on the screen is unacceptable and not normal wear and tear. It causes quite a bit of damage to the screen from a assembly or design flaw with the notebook. If they are touching, it's going to happen if you close the screen, weather your travel or you don't.

I don't have the problem with my HP, but I have seen some Toshiba's with that problem. I couldn't stand working on a laptop with the screen a dulled up from the rubbing.

I'm getting a MJ-12 m7700a notebook thats due for delivery tomorrow. I'm hoping this will not have any screen rub with the keyboards. Does anyone how has one know if it has a problem? I'm going to have to lug this notebook to classes.
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post #14 of 19
7/5/06 at 1:53pm
Get something to put between the screen and casing surrounding the keyboard. The oustide edges of my screen rubbed the paint away where it closes on the palm rests and up the sides to the speakers. This happened in less than 4 months, so get some sort of microfiber fabric or that packaging stuff that comes on LCD monitors and TVs and cut a section out that fits around the front screen latches and covers the entire thing.
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post #15 of 19
7/5/06 at 2:06pm
I have one of those packing things that came with my 15.4 laptop screen, would that be big enough or too small?

So, it's the screen and casing, and not the keys leaving marks on the screen. That's better then the screen getting all messed up, but I still want to keep the paint on the laptop. Is there anything more permanent you can do, like get getter rubber stoppers to keep that from happening?
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post #16 of 19
7/5/06 at 8:44pm
I'm a happy 7700 owner for over a year now. I have never had any issues with the keyboard touching my screen. If I did then alienware would be hearing from me the first time I opened it up and seen any scratching. Get on the phone and never stop calling about this issue, someone will cave in and help you out because I think its wrong to purchase something that is flawed. Check the rubber dowels at the top of the screen and see if they are not doing their job, if thats the case and its been like that since you've had it then I believe the company is responsible. Just my two cents and hope the best for you.
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post #17 of 19
7/5/06 at 9:53pm
Umm I would say YES! it's a design flaw. I've had my Alienware for three months and over half of that time has been at the sepot fixing things. I just noticed a few hours ago that I have these teeth mark like spots on my display. Wear and tear my arse!
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post #18 of 19
7/6/06 at 6:31pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the support. My issue is working its way up the food chain. I will keep everyone in the loop. Again, I do like alienware and this is my second laptop that I have bought from them. I just think that since this was one of the first 7700 built it might have had some of the initial quality challenges.
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post #19 of 19
7/16/06 at 12:20am
Thread Starter 
Let's face it the 7700 was not designed that well. My 7700 just came back from depot. The screen was not fixed and the senior rep that was supposed to get back to me never did. If someone has the mailing address for the higher powers please pm me. In addition, when the laptop was shipped back to me, there was no protection placed between the keyboard and the screen. According to the service rep it was common sense to put one there. I love double standards. The consumer is expected to do it, not company. Of course it only took about 3 weeks to get my laptop back and I go to start it up today and the darn thing won't even boot. Time to call support again. Lucky me.
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