Alienware customer support nightmare.. will never buy another alienware again! - Page 2

Oh no, screws are one thing, time and suffering, punitive damages....oh my!!!!!
35 cent screws could turn into a free laptop with the right lawyer!!!

Hee, hee, hee. I'm beginning to take a liken to you archalien...though every bone is vibrating...if Judge Judy even sniffs a lawyer all down up in there it's on!!!

That's my way of saying peace to you and your's archalien...with chicken feet on the door step...

Humble Pie jammin' on eleven...oh yeah with Peter Frampton!!!

Zoid

I'm in the market for a new laptop right now, and was about to pull the trigger on an Aurora. I guess I can check alienware off the list, and start looking elsewhere. I know most places don't have stellar customer service, but your experience is simply unacceptable.

I'm the one that actually owns this laptop. My husband left a lot of details out in his original post, but now, I just don't even care anymore.

I just wanted to say that when I had this opportunity to send it back I was ecstatic. I was so happy that finally SOMEONE was listening and it seemed they were interested in actually getting it done right.

I wrote down everything that was wrong with my laptop in great detail. I emailed it to James, the one who was "supervising" my case, and I printed out a copy and placed it inside the laptop for the technicians to see as well.

My husband often made jokes about all the things that were still going to be wrong with it when I finally get it back, and I played along sometimes but overall, I really felt like this was going to be a positive experience. James seemed like he was actually going to "supervise" the process and make sure my problems were really going to be fixed this time.

I cannot fully express the level of disappointment I felt when my laptop was returned to me in an UNUSABLE condition.

I just had to register to chime in on this discussion.

I am extremely surprised that Alienware would have these kinds of serious unaddressed issues. The fact that they market their products to a more "hardcore" user base should automatically imply that their customer service should be up to the standards that we would expect, both as users of their technology as well as people who don't mind paying top dollar for the "best" available.

Honestly, I hope that they can get their act together and simply replace the entire unit for you. The way it looks now, you might end up spending about the same amount of money shipping it back and forth.

I understand your frustration, but again don't give up. I've seen a few cases like yours where everything works out in the end and everyone is satisfied with the conclusion.

James is a great guy, but he's a support person at the call center. The depot is not in the same building as the call center so all he can do regarding supervisory capacity is monitor the progress of your repairs on his computer.

If you're still dealing with this situation, the next person you speak to at Alienware request that your situation be escalated to CIT (critical issues team). They're a special unit of support for cases that unfortunately don't go so smoothly, and they have more leeway to make sure your issues are resolved to your satisfaction. They're located in Miami and can monitor directly the repair and testing of your laptop.

While it's frustrating to have an issue that takes more than one attempt at repair, unless you're in Canada, Alienware pays shipping and all costs related to any warranty work that is required.

I've used the depot twice now on two of my six Alienware systems. Though they weren't problem free, I'm more than satisfied with the resolution of my issues. My desktop visit was problem free, and it was returned in better shape than I sent it with new memory, a new panel and all new lighted fans. The laptop visit, though it wasn't problem free, ended up with me being very pleased with the resolution.

Again, though it may be frustrating, continue to pursue resolution of the issue and it will be resolved to your satisfaction.

They paid for everything with my warranty claims...

I've always kept the original packing materials in case I need to send it back, and they will email you a print out label to cover shipping costs. I've never had an issue or paid a penny for any repairs or support.

It sounds like it's too late to satisfy you anyway, so what exactly is it you're after?

Excuse me? Too late to satisfy? I've had to deal with these exact customer service issues for 2 years now. For two years I've been sending it to them and they've been sending it back with the SAME unfixed problems. I think my husbands frustration and loss of faith in this company is justifiable. James is also not from the call center, he IS from their Critical Issues Team in Miami. On the other hand I'm very happy you haven't had the same issues with their service, am I out of line thinking I should deserve that kind of treatment as well? That's all I want, I want to be treated like a customer and get my laptop working the way it should have been working when I bought it two years ago. Now I just got off the phone with James, and he is sending me another label to send it back to them. He said he did indeed look at it and it was in working condition when it left. So either something was damaged during shipment or it's further evidence that my motherboard needs to be replaced because it's killing everything. I told him that I know my motherboard needs to be replaced just based on the fact that everything was failing: the two dead batteries, bad monitor(s), multiple replacement of the hard drive, bad wifi card... so if they didn't replace it I was afraid everything they did replace this time would be dead in 6 months and I'm back to where I started. He told me they would replace the motherboard. So I'm printing my label right now, and I'm off to pack everything back up. (Trying to stay positive here.)

Excuse me?

You've expressed quite clearly that even if it's repaired it's too late for you to be happy. It's one thing to state your displeasure with your support history with Alienware, but your posts clearly say you're tired of the whole mess, it doesn't say anything about resolution. I was just curious what you were after, another repair attempt, a new system, or a refund.

It's not AW's fault you feel you need to pay for an "expensive" laptop box when you send it in. The packaging the laptop is sent in is designed for the laptop. Again, I've dealt with depot and it's not cost me a penny, but then I collapse my boxes and keep them if I may need them in the future.

Sounds to me like you should have learned with the first return to save the box...


Sorry, AW-James is someone I've known for a long time at the call center, and he's a good rep. I wasn't aware of a "James" at CIT in Miami, so I apologize for trying to help you get the help you seem to want, or not...


Did I ever say either of you were "out of line"? I was asking what it would take to satisfy you at this point, didn't know trying to help was being out of line.

AW has no reason to send you a less than fully repaired laptop on purpose, so if you're implying they aren't fixing it right intentionally, that's ridiculous. Obviously it does them no good to keep paying to ship your system to Miami, so I'm sure they're not happy they haven't been succesful at resolving your issues either.

BTW, this forum isn't an official AW forum, it's just a bunch of customers. I can understand stating your frustration, but we're more geared towards helping out with issues if we can.


That may very well be. It could also be your AC adapter, the power supply on the mobo, the wiring in your house, bad luck...


I'm sure he noted it and they'll look at your system again when they get it. The majority of customers "know" what their issues are also, but unfortunately in a lot of cases the customers are wrong...

I hope I'm not out of line to suggest this to you... I would ask James if you can send in the AC adapter to be checked. They can have spikes of voltage that can fry different components like you describe, especially the batteries. It's rare, but I've seen a couple cases where the AC adapter turned out to be the problem.

Also, in your warranty it says if a reasonable amount of repair attempts have been unsuccesful, the customer is entitled to a replacement system, or a full refund at AW's discretion. If indeed you've been dealing with this laptop for two years with multiple visits to the depot, and you're dealing with CIT, it may be past time to bring this to their attention and demand a completely new system to make sure whatever is causing your issues is no longer an issue.


Nobody here is your enemy. While I appreciate your frustration, I'm just trying to help. I hope this repair cycle is succesful for you.

I do not have the desire to pick apart your post and address the multiple issues you have brought up. I'm not here to fight with you. However I do want to address two things:

1. If I thought Alienware was intentionally sending back my laptop unfinished I would have just come out and said that. Everything I have said is exactly what it means, no implying or guessing required.

2. Yes, I have been dealing with the same problems for two years now with multiple returns to their factory - each time being returned with the same problems.

Also, THANK YOU<3 for bringing up the warranty replacement/refund. It completely slipped my mind and I'm searching for my warranty information now to read more details about it.

And one more thing, I am happy that Alienware is trying to get it right, and James is wonderful.

Mrs. ASFx....Not much I can add, except I sure hope they get it right this time!

And...I love your Avatar...that's the best one I've seen here.

whut shazza??? my av is the sh!t !!!!

Your posts remind me of a Kids in the Hall sketch where the guy was complaining that he wanted his bill for his meal twenty minutes ago. There was nothing anyone could do, he just kept saying he wanted his bill twenty minutes ago...

I think Arch and Hammer should get together and go bowling..........

Still waiting for it....

I had to register to post in this thread. I had a similar issue with support but it did work out in the end.... Well TBD actually.

A little background on my occupation, I travel for work so I spend 3 weeks of a month on the road as a software installer. The reactions I get from my coworkers and the clients when I show up and haul out this beast of a laptop is worth the money spent alone. I spend a lot of time lugging this thing through airports and such week after week, but it is worth it.

A little under year ago I received my Area 51 M7700. I opened the box and was in awe from the start. After about 2 or 3 months I started having issues with the video card. I called support and they were helpful and sent me a new NVidia 6800 GT Go card replacement. The card was causing blue screen errors until the laptop warmed up, basically until the heat caused the connectors to expand and make decent contact. At this point I was happy with the service and went on with life with only a few hours of my use interrupted.

My next problem came about a month after that I had a hard drive go out. A call to support resulted in a new drive shipped out and about 4 or 5 days of use lost, and the time taken to reload.
The third issue came about 6 months ago when I get to an install and I haul out the beast and hit the power button to get a message, Operating System Not Found!. At this point I started getting a little upset about having a third problem with this expensive machine. A call to support resulted in an RMA to send it to the repair facility. 4 days or so it arrived at the repair facility, 2 weeks spend replacing the motherboard (this is the fault they narrowed my problem to) and 4 days or so to get back to my house. I happened to be on an install at the time it arrived so it was another week before I got to the house to test it. I dig it out of the box to find the 4th issue. So about 5 weeks lost to date.

At this point I am steaming, I spent all this money to have this thing in-op. I called back to support with my 'Operating System Not Found!' error, yes the same one as before. They go through the support "choose your own adventure book" to get to the point that they think it is a hard drive (again), so I have the guy send me a drive and the cable (just incase) and talk him into sending the parts overnight. This results in the drive being in hand in a week, they have to 'order' the drive before they can ship it. So I get the drive try all combos of drive and cable to get the same result as before. I call support yet again, and I am furious, but I learned a long time ago that you get more flies with honey than you do vinegar. I calmly describe my problem and ask to be escalated to a supervisor, I spent about 3 hours trying to get escalated to someone that could authorize a replacement machine to no avail. I wind up settling for another RMA (over night shipping instead of ground) to send my laptop back to the repair facility again. So between the week for the drive and the additional 3 weeks of shipping and repairs I am now out 9 weeks of use. I finally received my laptop back working.

So off I go using my laptop happily for another 4 months until I get to yet another client to find that hitting the power button only lights up the power LED. No BIOS, no powered screen, nothing, other than the power LED and brief flicker of the hard drive indicator. At this point I am passed being angry, I dutifully call in to support again for my new "choose your own adventure" script and obtain an RMA to return my laptop again. I asked the support tech to pass me on to Customer Service. I get a CS rep and immediately ask for a supervisor explaining that it is no reflection on him. I get put on hold a few minutes to have him come back and tell me that a supervisor isn't available, so I decide to bore him with my history (as I have everyone reading this ) resulting in him offering to see if a supervisor is available now. After being on hold a couple minutes a supervisor comes on the line. So I start my story with him but I make it a brief summary, he asks me to hold a few minutes while he reviews my support history in the system. When he comes back on the line I was shocked to hear "I am going to transfer you to sales to make a new order, we are going to give you a full refund for your previous order."

I honestly thought that I was going to have to fight tooth and nail to get this, but they offered it up without any pressure. This made me very happy. All I had to do was box everything that came with the original order and send it back via a prepaid FedEx label (at this point I haven't spent anything but the time on the phone for all the repairs). It took me about 5 days to gather everything up, plus a week for shipping and about 4 days to process the return, my order should be out of phase 1 sometime next week, I ordered a brand new Aurora M9700 (after reading HH's, Shazza's and Witchdoctor's reviews/threads, excellent work and thanks to you all) it convinced me that this is the right move. I believe that the issues I had with my m7700 were heat related and after reading reviews I am convinced that the m9700 will not have the same issues. I should have it sometime before Xmas (Merry Xmas to me!! )

In short 1 video card, 1 hard drive, 3 motherboards, and over 3 months without my machine = replacement (in my case anyhow). I have read other places about people with similar problems with the m7700, my opinion is in spite of the power the m7700 has, the cooling design isn't very good and I hope that the design of the m9700 will eliminate this issue for me. I HAD to use an external keyboard when gaming since the video card heat was too much to keep my wrist on the rest, and I definately could not use it as a "lap"top since it would get way to hot to rest on my lap without a notepad or something between it and my legs.

So the moral of the story is to keep at it and they will make it right. You just have to have enough patients to get that far. All in all I will have lost about 3 and a half months of use, but they have done what they can to make it right. I am looking forward to the new machine and all the ooh's and ahh's from clients when I lug that thing out. I am certainly looking forward to the SLI version.