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area-51 7700 bad cpu fan

post #1 of 36
3/8/05 at 12:39am
Thread Starter 
Recieved my new 7700 and it has a bad small cpu fan. Since Clevo and not Alienware actually built the system I don't really want them cracking the case to fix it. Seems risky to me. Haven't been too impressed with their tech support as I could not seem to make them understand that it was the cpu fan and not the system memory fan that is making noise and hanging. Yeah, the system memory fan is accessible through a panel but you have to crack the case to get at the motherboard. A bit of bad luck yes but this seems to me to be a problem between Clevo and Alienware and I should not have to suffer for it. Alas, they insist on charging me a 15% restocking fee even though I got a defective system and want to return it. Just looking for some advice. Any suggestions on how to deal with them?
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post #2 of 36
3/8/05 at 11:03am
Contact the Better Businees Bureau; I did
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post #3 of 36
3/8/05 at 11:35am
Thread Starter 

Bad CPU fan

Did you contact the BBB in Dade county FLA or your local BBB? Also, did you get your money back including the 15%? I contacted my credit card company and they said I shouldn't have to pay the 15% OR the shipping on a defective product but of course Alienware would not comply.
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post #4 of 36
3/8/05 at 12:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Todzilla
Recieved my new 7700 and it has a bad small cpu fan. Since Clevo and not Alienware actually built the system I don't really want them cracking the case to fix it. Seems risky to me. Haven't been too impressed with their tech support as I could not seem to make them understand that it was the cpu fan and not the system memory fan that is making noise and hanging. Yeah, the system memory fan is accessible through a panel but you have to crack the case to get at the motherboard. A bit of bad luck yes but this seems to me to be a problem between Clevo and Alienware and I should not have to suffer for it. Alas, they insist on charging me a 15% restocking fee even though I got a defective system and want to return it. Just looking for some advice. Any suggestions on how to deal with them?

Are you saying they did not offer to have you return it, let them eval it to be sure your correct, then repair? The repair policy is stated clearly on the AW web site and if this is an issue where AW can repair/replace the part then theu will do so. If you choose not to go with that option then it does state that you will be responsible for the 15% restock fee
I really doubt AW support said you have no options but to accept that as it is
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post #5 of 36
3/8/05 at 1:52pm
Thread Starter 

Bad CPU fan

I stated
"Alas, they insist on charging me a 15% restocking fee even though I got a defective system and want to return it."

Why should I let AW "Fix" a brand new laptop that had issues right out of the box? They should have tested it like they claim they do on their website. My laptop was assebled and shipped in 24 hours instead of letting it run for 24 hours to see if it has any problems like other complanies do. So much for the 200 point quality check they promised! I would call letting them fix it "Factory Reconditioned". AW wants to put all of the risk on the buyer. AW did not build this system, Clevo did. All AW does is slap in some components that are accesible through panels on the back. AW has never been inside the case itself. AW has never toched the processor and I am not going to let them. It's not like I had this system for a few months and then something went wrong. It arrived defective. I have not even gotten to play any games on it as I was afraid to burn out the CPU.

AWs policy and terms on line used to state the a 15% restocking fee MAY BE applied on returns. When I complained about this they changed the website but I purchased under the first pretense. There is a big difference between MAY BE and "are subject to". Also, it is not that I am dissatisfied with my laptop, it is defective.

How would you like it if you dropped 3 grand on a new laptop that you waited 4 weeks for delivery on only to pull it out of the box and find out it has a problem? And then you call and have to talk to someone in Customer support that screems at you and all the while you know that if you return it they will take a month to get it back to you and it will no longer be in "Like new" condition.

AW says I must return my laptop in "Like new" condition in order to get a refund minus the 15% restocking fee but it is not in "Like new" condition. It has a bad cpu fan! It would seem to me then that the spirit of the return policy was for buyers remorse or unscrupulous buyers, not for defective equipment.......
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post #6 of 36
3/8/05 at 2:44pm
I understand your upset, I spent a few hundred more for my 7700 but I did read the return/repair policy prior to purchase and what makes you so sure this would not have happened if you purchased from someone else..it is a bad deal but one AW does have the option to correct and I would PM one of the AW reps from this board and tell them the situitation and what your feelings are and see what they can do for you....as a side note, since that policy is in writing the BBB will take your complaint but can do little else as that is their policy as stated on their web site for all to see when a purchase is made but again, you will have better luck with one of the AW reps here and you might just get a ending that you can live with..give them a try
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post #7 of 36
3/8/05 at 3:21pm
Thread Starter 

May be subject to a 15% restocking fee

Sir,

Please read my posts carefully before responding.

The warranty on line states a restocking fee MAY BE applied. This implies that there are times when a restocking fee is not applied. So I am just wondering under what circumstances that is. A reasonable assumption is that a restocking fee would not apply if your system does not arrive in good working order.

I also stated that when I complained about the discrepancy on the terms and policy statement on line they promptly changed it but I purchased my system under these pretenses. I have copies of the original pages I viewed when placing my order so I have proof if I need it. I am not a fool but apparently I am far too trusting.

Please stop telling me what AWs rules were when I purchased my laptop as you obviously don't know or don't care to.

Trust me, I read AWs policy statements VERY carefully and the only reason I was willing to purchase from a company that charges a restocking fee is because the statement said MAY BE APPLIED. I figured that covered me if I recieved a bad laptop.

I work in IT. I have in the past and currently do administer and develop ecommerce sites.

If you reply to my post again, please speak to the facts I have brought forth.

Also, What make me think this might not happen if I ordered from someone else? Sager has a 100% refund on returns in the first 30 days. You can return for any reason, not just defective equipment and only pay shipping. Alienware wants me to pay shipping and eat 15%. They also screamed at me on the phone and were extremely rude. They made my wife cry....

The sad thing is two of my coworkers were waiting for my sytem to arrive before ordering there own and now they are looking at Dell. Had my laptop arrive in good working order I would be battling Kilrathi instead of posting here!
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post #8 of 36
3/8/05 at 3:42pm
NO I do not work for AW but since you have chosen an AW forum to voice your problems I will reply to whatever I want..so you say something is wrong, send it back and let AW check it first to confirm before you come to an AW forum and flame AW..you may be lying or caused this issue yourself and if you had been a reader here for any amount of time then you would be very aware that we have AW reps on this very forum as I stated in my post. Your disfavor with AW's 15% restock fee is between you and AW thus your posting your opinion as to what AW should do with your 7700, without them even seeing it is foolish. I also see your only posts here are to vent your issues with AW for all to see..do you think we can do anything more than the recommendation to seek out one of the AW reps who, if you had taken the time to read other posts here, have resolved many issues far more serious than yours. Good luck and I hope it is resolved to your satisfaction as you are in the vast minority of 7700 owners with problems that AW is unable to handle, but all we have is your word and your apparent unwilliness to send it back to be checked to comfirm the issue prior to this flame of AW


Oh, the MAY BE APPLIED is at AW descrition and not yours..they need to see it first but that is just common sence
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post #9 of 36
3/8/05 at 4:16pm
Thread Starter 

15% may be applied

Then why didn't they say "Please return the laptop and if we confirm that it does have a bad cpu fan we will credit you account"? Instead I get a rude person screaming at my wife that we WILL pay the 15% restocking fee and the shipping no matter what? The first person we spoke with also refused to let us speak with a supervisor until I asked for the 5th time. Then he kept us on hold until they closed for the night. Not real encouraging. They even want me to return my free t-shirt and mouse pad, gee wiz.

Also, how could I have broken this myself when my documentation clearly states that if I remove the CPU cover I void my warranty? The cpu fan is inside the case right?

I already have an RMA number and am shipping it back tonight.

Don't get me wrong. I think the laptop is way cool. I am probably going to reorder the same exact machine from Sager to minimize my risk.

Also, if AW reps get on this site I would be happy to hear from one of them. That is what I was hoping for but every time I post and then try to get back to my job a get a notice that you have posted again telling me to return it and let them fix it. I have told you exactly why I am not willing to do this. Asking for a refund on a defective machine is not an unreasonable request.

Please stop yelling at me. My life sucks bad enough as it is right now.
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post #10 of 36
3/8/05 at 4:28pm
I had a bad fan, too. It started chirping less than 2 minutes right after powering it up the first time. It sounded like a wounded little bird was caught inside. I immediately sent it back to Alienware despite the 15% restocking bonus.

There may be a bios update under Sager 9860 threads... though I'm not sure if it will help or specifically address your system's problem.

http://notebookforums.com/showthread...highlight=bios

I'm beginning to wonder how lucky you need to be to get a quality notebook without needing to troubleshoot any problems the first time you run it.
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post #11 of 36
3/8/05 at 4:48pm
Todzilla

I do apologize for the experience you’ve been having thus far with Alienware.

Will you be returning the system so we can perform the replacement of the part?

Please provide me with your account info via PM.
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post #12 of 36
3/8/05 at 4:52pm
Now that chirping fan is not really a defect but a small annoyance they will probably fix in a few weeks with a BIOS fix, our 7700 does the same from time to time when idling, but as soon as you put load on the CPU it revs up and works ok.

By the way, the CPU cooler can be changed without "cracking the case" just ask them for a replacement part if its really defective (e.g. does not rotate). Otherwise, simply wait for an updated BIOS.

Atalan
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post #13 of 36
3/8/05 at 5:13pm
Thread Starter 
Juan,

Thanks for responding. I already have an RMA and got an email saying I have to return everything. Can I cancel and RMA and get my warranty back if I choose to do so?

I asked to be sent a new fan when I contacted tech support as Atalan suggested but they refused to send me one and wanted me to return my laptop for repair.

I watched with a flashlight and the fan at low idle chirps, hesitates for a split second and then starts spinning again. It almost sounds like a hard drive writing to disk which is what I thought the noise was until I started investigating. It was obviously making the noise even when I was not writing to disk. Tech support told me I had a bad fan.

Does this sound like the problem the 7700 owners are complaining of? If so, is there a fix in the works?

Why wasn't tech support able to tell me about this issue when I called? I am very leary of them at this point. Sager seems cognitive of this issue. Is Alienware aware of this issue?

Thank you
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post #14 of 36
3/8/05 at 5:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Todzilla
Then why didn't they say "Please return the laptop and if we confirm that it does have a bad cpu fan we will credit you account"? Instead I get a rude person screaming at my wife that we WILL pay the 15% restocking fee and the shipping no matter what? The first person we spoke with also refused to let us speak with a supervisor until I asked for the 5th time. Then he kept us on hold until they closed for the night. Not real encouraging. They even want me to return my free t-shirt and mouse pad, gee wiz.

Also, how could I have broken this myself when my documentation clearly states that if I remove the CPU cover I void my warranty? The cpu fan is inside the case right?

I already have an RMA number and am shipping it back tonight.

Don't get me wrong. I think the laptop is way cool. I am probably going to reorder the same exact machine from Sager to minimize my risk.

Also, if AW reps get on this site I would be happy to hear from one of them. That is what I was hoping for but every time I post and then try to get back to my job a get a notice that you have posted again telling me to return it and let them fix it. I have told you exactly why I am not willing to do this. Asking for a refund on a defective machine is not an unreasonable request.

Please stop yelling at me. My life sucks bad enough as it is right now.

I do honsetly hope this gets resolved for you..I also had a fan "chirp" when I got mine but as I said in another post, mine resolved on its own after about 5 days and has not returned...also AW reps will bend over backward to help you and you will see this soon...just give them a chance to work their majic for you before you settle on the I want my money back and call the BBB...you may be very pleased with the resolution and I know you bought that rig for a reason, it is an excellent product and AW does support what they sell..you will soon see that
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post #15 of 36
3/8/05 at 5:20pm
Thread Starter 
Atalan,

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. Can you get to the small cpu fan by removing the cpu cover. Per my manual, removing the cpu cover may void my warranty however so I have not investigated. AW techs told me only they are allowed to touch the motherboard.
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post #16 of 36
3/8/05 at 6:19pm
Tod,

AW pays the shipping to and from their repair depot. Give them a chance to fix it for you.

Do not take apart your laptop as that is clearly stated as a warranty voiding action.

I do not own the 7700 so I cannot speak to the issues you have detailed...but can attest that the Reps here will do everything possible to expedite your repair as quickly as possible.
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post #17 of 36
3/8/05 at 6:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Todzilla
Juan,

Thanks for responding. I already have an RMA and got an email saying I have to return everything. Can I cancel and RMA and get my warranty back if I choose to do so?

I asked to be sent a new fan when I contacted tech support as Atalan suggested but they refused to send me one and wanted me to return my laptop for repair.

I watched with a flashlight and the fan at low idle chirps, hesitates for a split second and then starts spinning again. It almost sounds like a hard drive writing to disk which is what I thought the noise was until I started investigating. It was obviously making the noise even when I was not writing to disk. Tech support told me I had a bad fan.

Does this sound like the problem the 7700 owners are complaining of? If so, is there a fix in the works?

Why wasn't tech support able to tell me about this issue when I called? I am very leary of them at this point. Sager seems cognitive of this issue. Is Alienware aware of this issue?

Thank you
Todzilla:

The cancellation of your system can be stopped if you have not shipped out anything.

I will promise to look into this fan issue that has been brought up.
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post #18 of 36
3/14/05 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 

Alienware 7700 fan chirp

This appears to be a known issue as I have seen others including AW and Sager owners complaining about it. I believe it is a voltage regulation problem. The noise can come from the large or small cpu fan, which ever one is idling. Sager put out a bios fix but it just makes the fans spin all the time. I don't believe AW has come up with anything as of yet. I believe AW new about this issue prior to shipping my 7700 as I have seen complaints on this and other forums prior to my build date. One would hope they would test for this problem prior to shipping.

I did return my 7700 for a refund but not before a lot of anguish and hoping to here from AW which I have not. I appreciate the insight and encouragement I received from some of the forum members. I appreciate JuanG going to bat for me with AW.

I must say however that one should get good customer service when you call by phone. Instead, tech support wanted me to return a laptop for repair when they do not have a solution for the problem. If I had let them replace my small cpu fan it would have accomplished nothing. We were yelled at when we called customer support to complain. You should not have to come into a forum to rant publicly in order to get a response out of AW. I work 50 hours a week and do not have the time to build and/or troubleshoot a brand new system. That is why I ordered from Alienware. They were supposed to be the best......
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post #19 of 36
3/14/05 at 8:33pm
I havent been on these forums that long but im starting to notice a pattern of muppets buying an AW, having it faulty and then moaning and saying 'oh i want my money back please and you can have a faulty laptop back because i dont want it now'.

I had my 7700 just a few weeks back. When it arrived there was a HUGE section of bad paint so i called their tech support guys. All they asked was for a photo of the damage and then they ordered me a new lid for my 7700. They've also let me keep my laptop while i wait for the new part, and once it arrives they'll only have my laptop away for a few days.

At the end of the day once you agree to purchase something from anyone you enter a contract. I'm sure by using the term 'MAY BE' on the agreement they implied that if its a seriously crazy major unfixable problem then they will give you your cash back 100% with no problems. If however its a dodgy fan it seems totally out of order to ask for a full refund. Send the thing back and get it fixed. Im sure you can survive without you laptop for a few days, or even a week!

If you look at the number of components that make up a laptop i'm sure the odds of something failing are around 100/1. Now if AW gave a full refund to everyone who had a dodgy laptop on arrival then the price of all their systems would be astronomical and nobody would buy them! Stop your moaning. Get it fixed or pay the 15% fee. You entered a contract and AW stated they might give you a full refund. They've said they wont so its tough shite.

PS. How do you know it didn't become damaged in transit after the AW checks? Despite the great packaging all it takes is one lazy posty to ruin your system.

PPS. Anyone thinking about buying an AW please dont hesitate! Every time i've dealt with AW customer services and tech support they've been very helpful and very understanding of the fact that i spent a lot of cash on a system and have always bent over backwards to help me.
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post #20 of 36
3/15/05 at 11:27am
Thread Starter 

Learn to read

How's about actually reading the post before responding?

The fans are A KNOWN ISSUE. There is no fix. Sager released a Bios update but that is just a bandaid that makes the fans spin all the time. How would a voltage regulation problem for the fans occur in shipping? Gee qiz, FedEx done cracked my bios! Why didn't AW get back to me on this problem? Why has this problem been dicovered on so many systems, AW and Sager alike? There are alot of questions here. We deserve some answers.

Should I have returned my laptop for repair, had them replace the small cpu fan when that is not what is wrong with it, and then 4 weeks later gotten my laptop back still with the same chirping/twitching fan problem? Yeah right!

Consumer law differs from state to state so I suggest you do some research before you start discussing contracts.

For your repair unless you are getting special treatment:
3 days at least to ship to AW FedEx ground
10 to 12 days for AW to fix it per their policy
at least 3 days to ship it back to you FedEx ground
Thats 3 weeks at least but 4 seems to be more common from the time you ship for repair until you get it back.
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