Dissatisfied with Poor Quality of Repair

After 3 years, I am still using my M9750 machine which I reviewed here, as the first m9750 customer review (to the best of my knowledge).

Up until April it had been working fairly well. Last July, I experienced video problems, and after a 10 day repair/shipping time, the machine appeared to be fixed.

However, in early May I experienced video issues--specifically, the screen had green checkerboard patterns, 640x480 resolution, and ran extremely hot. I sent the machine in, and it was returned the first week of May, after a repair/shipping time of 10 days.

Shortly after receiving the machine, I experienced a new problem. The monitor had trouble turning on during start up or when returning from standby. In other words, the machine would power on--I would hear the window startup sounds, and could interact with the OS (verified through hearing sounds when I clicked and typed things), but the monitor would remain black.

I reseated both video cards, reseated the LCD cable beneath the keyboard, and tried using an external monitor (my desktop one, which works otherwise), but the problem persisted. I called Alienware tech support, and after expressing my frustration that I had to send the machine in twice in the past 3 weeks, the support agent assured me that the problem would be fixed. I just needed to send the machine in one more time.

I received the machine again this past week. The video cards had been replaced. I powered on the machine, and it worked for a few hours. Yet after restarting the machine to complete installing Windows Updates, I experienced the exact same monitor problem. After a random blue screen, the monitor refuses to turn on.

In just over a month, I will have sent my machine to Alienware three times. I get the feeling that I don't even own this laptop anymore. Rather, Alienware owns it, and I rent it for a week at a time.

I am still satisfied with the first two and a half years of solid performance this machine has provided. I do not doubt the workmanship with which it was assembled. However, I am extremely dissatisfied with the quality of my machine's repair. Sending the machine in is supposed to be a last resort, after having spent 4-5 hours troubleshooting on my own and being unable to fix the problem.

To make things worse, I was told also over the phone that I would not be able to extend my warranty for another year. It will end June 28, so if my problems persist after that date, I will be out of luck.

I am reluctant to allow hardware problems to detract from a company's image, but if this continues, I will be without a laptop in 17 days.

Thanks for the tip, qhn. I used your argument, and mentioned that I need this laptop for my job, but I was unable to get a clear answer from both agents I talked to. They simply assured me that the system would be repaired after I sent it in.

I proposed that perhaps I could exchange my system for a refurbished one, since they were unable to repair it last time. I was told that Alienware would need to receive my current system before a decision like that could be made.

I am very disappointed. For the past month and a half I have been using my 8 year old Dell Inspiron 5100 because it is more reliable than my 3 year old Alienware M9750. Unless this problem is resolved completely, I will be sure to steer clear of Alienware in the future.

Got my m9750 back today, after being assured that Alienware would do extensive testing, and if needed, they would replace it with a refurbished machine.

They replaced the battery & reformatted the machine and reinstalled the drivers.

After one hour of usage, the laptop broke again. Exact same problem--the monitor won't turn on. I can hear the windows sounds, but the monitor won't turn on.

Over the years, I've purchased 3 machines from Dell (4 if you include the 9750) and recommended the brand to at least 10 others, but after this experience, I am never going to purchase from or recommend Dell/Alienware again.

Update:

My system was approved for a "VIP Repair," and after 13 days I was notified that the system would be replaced with an M17.

I have not been told what its specs would be or when it would arrive. It has been 4 days since I last heard from the agent who contacted me. I just hope it works.

All in all it's been almost 3 months since my M9750 was working reliably.