Avoid alienware!! Learn from my mistake

So I use to love Alienware and I have spent thousands on there computers over the years but because my recent experience with Alienware, I will never buy one again. If you are considering buying an Alienware, do yourself a favor and DON'T.

I bought a used Alienware M14x that was less than a year old and within a few days of owning it I was forced to contact customer care because of dead pixels in the screen. I sent it in for repair and was told that they could not repair it so instead the computer would be replaced.

After a long wait, I received a refurbished Alienware 14 as a replacement. This computer was in poor condition strait out of the box. It had a chip out of the metal cover of the lid.

A little over 90 days has passed and the computer has gotten very little use yet still it has major problems. As of this righting, the computer’s GPU/graphics card had gone out, the power jack on the back swings wildly indicating that it is coming loose from the mainboard and there are pressure mark defects on the LCD screen.

Despite all these issues and the short amount of time that I have been in possession of the computer, every customer service person I have talked to has promptly told me “there is nothing to do because the computer is out of warranty” and refused to help me any further. They left me with the set in stone rule, “If it’s not under warranty, then you will pay out the nose for the repair, even if it is our fault”. And with that revelation, I encourage everyone considering and Alienware or Dell purchase to find a different company to support.

It is now clear to me that the $430 I will need to pay to get my computer fixed is more important to Dell and Alienware than a happy and loyal customer.

These where my last words to Dell's Executive Customer Support Team,
"The computer that I own now is less then a year old and if it had not needed such extreme repairs so early in its life, it would still be covered. In essence, you where able to pass off a defective piece of equipment to me and be able to remove the warranty on the computer, to my determent and then require me to spend almost half the value of the computer just to make it work again. Like I have said to your Tech Department, I am learning that Alienware and Dell are an immoral company that everyone should be aware of. Have a nice day."


A Letter To Dell and Alienware

And I would like to add that, as of today, the wifi adapter has also gone out. I now have no wifi either. I believe that this is all caused by the ac connection on the main board coming loose and frying components. And Alienware does not care at all.

 

Firstly, I'm sorry to read about your experience. I would say that it is not the norm - on the most part, Dell/Alienware service and support is very good, however your experience indicates otherwise.

Secondly, I don't know the full history of your scenario - I'm presuming you bought a used M14x that had a short term of warranty remaining, right? - that machine had some issues that Dell tried to address via a replacement 'refurbished' machine (which is their right to do) but that machine has had further issues. At this point, I don't know if you made Dell aware of these issues prior to warranty running out - you mention that 90 days had passed....is that 90 days without informing Dell of the issues?? - if you had notified them, then they should be on the hook for addressing them - if they were unaware and the warranty lapsed, it's on you - unfortunately. Any warranty that the original machine had should be transferred over to the replacement - the replacement does not carry a new extended warranty.

In defence of Dell, they are under ZERO obligation to repair your machine if you do not have warranty. They have already upgraded your 'second hand bought' M14x to the newer (and probably superior) AW14. Actually, it sounds like in one sense, they have thrown you a 'lifeline' by allowing you to renew a lapsed warranty at a reasonable price AND carry out an expensive repair that would actually cost Dell more than it would you - if you have a GPU failure, that means a new motherboard and they run a LOT more expensive than the $430 they are asking for in exchange for repairing your 'out of warranty' machine AND you would get an additional 12 months warranty support inclusive of that $430 tag to fix your machine, which I think is pretty damned good - considering the cost of the motherboard itself..let alone the fee that Dell would have to pay the technician (as they are outsourced field tech's not technically employed by Dell).

I guess that it all boils down to your issues being raised whilst the machine had warranty. If that is the case, Dell should man up and remedy things for you. You've obviously already reached the executive support team who are normally the last port of call in a crisis situation. I'd maybe advise (if you haven't already) pursuing Social Media by Tweeting @DellCares and/or @AlienwareTech - I've seen and received excellent support from these avenues.

Oh, and regarding the jack on the 14 - it's not a fault, it is like that because the jack is not soldered onto the motherboard like the 17 and 18 - it is removable and is only held in place by a single screw. Mine (and many others) is like what you describe, with a lot of play in the jack when plugged in and it will move about from side to side - it is not a cause of a problem, perhaps it could be considered poor design, but it should not be an issue for hardware failure. The port itself is connected to the chassis with that single screw, and in turn, the port is connected to the mainboard via a cable which also has enough slack in it so that any movement in the port itself would not loosen the connection to the MB itself.

 

I'm lucky that my country has a 2 year warranty law on every electronic device. SO even if I choose a 1 year option, I get two (thought the 2nd year is not next business day, service at home).

But I'd recommend you to simply pay for the extra warranty. And that advanced next business day support is amazing. The expert comes at your house, fixing what has to be fixed right at your home, and meanwhile you can ask anything you want, since they are expert, they can give you very useful tips to use your computer clean. I had the very 1st model of the m14x. Those models had bad cooling in general, so I let them change it once, since it was still under warranty, but it only had a change for a week. So I get used to my CPU getting around 85 degrees. It's still working like a beast. And now After 3 year of use I will sell this and get myself a new one (though perhaps not alienware, because of the lack of a new alienware 14). and have warranty most of the time.

 

Thanks for the info on the power jack. It eases my mind a bit to know that is just bad design and that it is not about to just pop off and cause major havoc.

You hit the nail on the head when you said Dell is not "obligated" to do anything. They are not, it is out of warranty and has been for 2 months. But at point in time, what they do when they are not obligated too is what determines what kind of company they actual are and how they view me, the customer. I have had similar experience with other big companies, the ones that cared and took care of me anyway (Apple and Amazon) have won my bushiness for life, which should be the goal of any company.

When this whole debacle started I just wanted the screen repaired on my M14x, which was a great machine and is still running today, it got shipped out to a new customer, instead it is replaced with a computer that is set to catastrophically fail quickly leaving me to foot the bill only a short time later. If this had happened 9 or 12 months after I got the computer and I had been able to put hard gaming time on it then it would not be a big deal, but this happened within 90 days and with only a few hours of lite use. And that is why my next $2k+ computer buy will go to another company.

That is an AWESOME law, I wish we had that in the US. I also have had AW do the next day in home repair and it is pretty killer but boy you really have to pay for that service. With AW I think it is worth having them under warranty all the time because all 4 Alienware laptops I have owned, broke. But this AW 14 is by far, the worst.

 

So, let me get this straight in my head.....after you got your machine replaced with a NEWER and BETTER model, that replacement ran into some issues, which is unfortunate - but can happen. Did you raise those issues with Dell immediately? - if not, why not. If you did, I don't see why they would be refusing you warranty service, as the machine would have still been in warranty in such a short space of time. If you sat on those issues, didn't report them and let the warranty lapse OR let the warranty lapse and THEN the issues started, then I know this is gonna sound harsh, but you have no-one to blame but yourself. If after owning 4 Alienware laptops and experiencing them ALL fail did not inspire you to effect/take out more warranty, then that's kinda strange to me.....I'd be wanting MORE warranty to make sure I was taken care of if anything happened again....you can't 100% rely on good will of companies when they are all in the business to make money - it's good you experienced great out-of-warranty service with other businesses, but like we agreed, there is no obligation and therefore you should - in my humble opinion - not start a rant about how badly you feel you have been treated. If someone torched my car and knew I had no insurance, I would not expect someone else to foot the bill.......same can be said here - my fault for not having the insurance. You even admitted liability in the thread title by saying 'learn from my mistake'........if it was your mistake, why make a fuss over it?? - just deal with it.

Bottom line - if Dell/Alienware have offered you (kindly, I might add...) the option to re-extend your lapsed warranty, repair the machine for you AND give you that extra peace of mind for the next 12 months, all for $430, I'd be snatching their hand off and not creating a thread about how to 'avoid Alienware'....to me, that offer IS a great example of 'out-of-warranty' service - they ain't gonna fix it for free, my friend - especially when the parts/labour for this kind of fix (at Dell prices) would normally run the customer closer to $1,000 I imagine. I don't know if you have a GT750m or a GTX 765m GPU, however, a board with the latter - even a used one off Ebay - is gonna run expensive - here's an example:

OEM DELL Alienware 14 R1 Haswell i7 Motherboard NVIDIA GT 765M 2KVD5 / LA-9201P

Just my two cents...I know it sounds harsh - and maybe I sound unsympathetic to your plight - but the truth often does hurt. I do feel for you, because no-one likes something like this to happen....I've had my fair share of Dell problems over the years as well, so I CAN sympathise. Of course, if you had raised the issues/concerns immediately with Dell, I am totally behind you and would expect Dell to remedy them without fail, as they are obligated to offer you warranty service.

 

Newer? Yes. Better? Absolutely not because it is dead, for the second time in it's short life.

And it did not just run into issues. You make it sound like a headphone jack broke. The part that broke constitutes almost half the computer and also some of the most expensive parts. This is a catastrophic failure on a 9 month old computer that has already been busted so bad that the previous owner had to send it back within 3 months of owing it.

And the issues just arose, I called AW the day I discovered it. There was no sitting on the issue.

I was also lied to by AW customer service and told that I could buy more warranty even if it expires, I inquired and was told that it was not actually possible.

I would have loved to buy more warranty except I had spent all my money on what I thought was a high quality, top of the line, elite computer and presumably I would be safe without warranty for a few months until I could buy more.

I have also learned that I can't rely on getting my moneys worth. When I spend $1000+ on a computer, I expect it to last way longer then a few hours.

Tell ya what, I run an airline and I sell you a ticket to New York from Seattle but on the way the plane breaks and we land in Chicago temporarily. On the way back on the plane I tell you that you have to buy a ticket from Chicago to New York even though you already paid for it.

I bought an expensive computer with the expectation of being able to use it for a good amount of time without it dying. I didn't get what I expected or paid for and I don't think it is unreasonable to expect some service on such a sub-par machine.

But if they had, I would be happy and they would have kept a customer instead of turning me into a life long enemy and loosing all of my future buisness.

I did.

Again that word. "Obligated." A good, customer satisfaction orientated company that has any interest in keeping the business of the inevitable customer with an unforeseen bad situation, won't hide behind that word, like Dell and Alienware do. "Do not help, unless we are obligated" should be the motto of this company.

That's my 2 cents. Actually, its a hell of a lot more then that because I have already lost hundreds.

 

I agree with everything that has been said, though there is a solution to this problem and there were better ways to resolve it.

First off I don't care what your personal preference is when it comes to brands and computer manufacturers, there is always a percentage that are defective despite the quality control/production process or care that goes into a product. If you're the unlucky one to get a defect it's your responsibility to get it taken care of asap. I had a similar situation with an Asus where it was sent in for repair and returned with the wrong graphics card and no power adapter. If I didn't complain and look into direct contact to get my problem resolved then I don't think it would have been. Though in my situation I kept in constant communication and was able to resolve my issues.

You can read about it here

As for your original situation you should have just replaced the screen yourself (they're about $50 for compatible screens on ebay). I don't understand how dell doesn't have new screens, or can't order a screen for you but sending in the computer for complete replacement should have been your last option. As for the situation you're in now you can probably find a good company to reball the graphics chip and fix the dc jack on your motherboard.

Here's a couple links that may be able to help you, they run diagnostics and replace components on the board. Dell technicians would run simple diagnostics and replace the whole board. This is due to the fact that most technicians don't know what they're doing and Dell doesn't want to pay higher rates to more knowledgeable technicians. This is the norm for most computer manufacturers, they just trash the bad part and replace with a new part which costs the customer a lot more in the long run.

Dell Alienware M11x R2 M11x R3 M14x M14x R2 Motherboard Flat Rate Repair Service | eBay

or

Dell Alienware M11x R2 M11x R3 M14x M14x R2 Motherboard Repair Service No Video | eBay

Just ask the seller if they can repair the graphics, possibly reball the gpu with lead solder and fix the charging port. It should be a lot cheaper than going through dell and you'll have a warranty again. I realize it's not the correct model (you haven't specified which model you have now), though the process is the same and the stencil for reballing is easily acquired.

Good luck with the repair, when/if you get this machine working again I think the trouble will be worth it.

If you have any questions let me know.

 

I did not mean better in terms of functionality, I meant better in terms of specifications - I imagine the replacement had superior graphics and processor to your older M14x.

I agree - I used the word 'issues' as a blanket word to cover all your concerns/problems. It is unfortunate that the machine has had what seems to be a bit of a chequered history in terms of repairs, however no one has a crystal ball to predict failure - that's why having warranty is such an important factor - especially when these parts run into several hundred dollars. I doubt that Dell would have knowingly send you a replacement that was a lemon as returned machines are refurbished to a certain level - it's obviously very unfortunate that parts have failed again in a short space of time, however, I believe that to a degree, this is beyond Dell's control.

That's good that you did. Maybe I'm getting confused, or it is not clear. You said you raised the issues right away, but were these issues present upon arrival of the replacement and you addressed them there and then OR did they arise later, as you seem to point out that it was 90 days, and by then your warranty had lapsed:

You've obviously spoken to reps that know nothing, which is unfortunate. I dare say it is lack of knowledge rather than being lied to, although in your circumstance I can see how it might come across as a lie to avoid responsibility. You CAN renew expired warranty as I stated. Check out this link - it is for Dell UK, but I imagine the same applies in the US: Dell Warranty and Service Renewal | Dell UK

It is well worth noting that Dell do NOT have to renew a lapsed warranty AND include repairing any faults that are exisiting at time of renewal after lapse. They would probably be well within their rights to charge YOU the full price for an out of warranty repair and then charge you the premium for the re-extended warranty on top of the fix price.

I appreciate financial circumstances can lead to avoiding purchasing extended warranty. It's unfortunate, but even high end products can fail without notice. I imagine there is not one high end product on earth that has a 100% non-fail rate, and that's not just computers - it could be related to all sorts of things ranging from a Rolls Royce to a Rolex. Thinking one is safe is the same as taking a gamble.....there are no guarantees that you won't get bitten.

I agree. Again, see the above point. There are no guarantees on how long ANYTHING will last before it fails. We can only HOPE that they last a long time and be prepared for the times when they don't - that doesn't matter if it's within hours or months. If one is prepared (eg. warranty) then one has nothing to worry about. It is when one is NOT prepared that things like this can happen.

I think the key thing here is WHEN did the issues happen and WHEN did you notify Dell. If both happened whist under warranty, then you should not have a problem and you should NOT have to pay ANY additional fees to get your machine fixed. If the issues arose after the balance of the original warranty had expired, then you are NOT covered - no matter how long you feel an expensive computer should last. Maybe I am wrong (please correct me if I am) but I am kind of thinking that the issues were not immediately present upon you receiving the replacement and you took a somewhat calculated risk on NOT renewing warranty because you felt that the expensive computer you had purchased would not fail. Those issues then appeared, but you had let the warranty lapse before notifying Dell...when you DID notify them, even if it WAS immediately as the issues arose, it meant that you had no warranty left. I can only assume that is what happened, because if the issues were present as soon as you received the replacement, any person receiving such a replacement would have notified Dell immediately upon receiving the machine.

I'd expect my flight to be covered under the Airlines insurance or the cost of my ticket and/or my travel insurance policies. It is their fault (even if unknowingly) that they broke down and it is their responsibility to get me back home without additional charges. They failed to provide a service (on that particular flight) which I would have paid for, and my payment for my ticket etc should cover any eventualities DURING that scheduled flight. You would have also paid for a service (warranty) or had the balance of what the original owner purchased, that provided you with cover during that 12 month period, but that service agreement was for a finite period of time and it lapsed, leaving you without cover for failures.

I doubt that there are many businesses that will repair an out-of-warranty product completely free of charge. Yes, it would make many people happy if this was the norm, as no one would ever need to buy extended warranties. Whilst you can hope that a company looks on you sympathetically should the worst happen, you cannot expect them to - even if you become a life-long customer off the back of it. I think from Dell's perspective, they have offered you a 'good will' gesture, because they could quite easily have said to you "Sorry, Sir - you have no warranty, you will have to buy the board from us at a cost of $899.99 (guesstimate) and cover the installation fees of $149.99 (guesstimate)" - instead, they have offered you the repair (out of warranty) AND the benefit of an additional 12 months warranty for only $430.00. To me, that is a good will gesture.

Again, raising the issues with Dell immediately is a good thing - the bad thing is if you raised them immediately, but were out of warranty - in which case, it's rather irrelevant and a moot point.

They ARE helping. They (Dell) are helping you to get an 'out-of-warranty' machine back up and running at a reasonable cost. Take a moment to think how much buying an extended warranty is BEFORE it lapses - it's probably a couple of hundred dollars for 1 year, at the very least. In essence, Dell are allowing you to renew the warranty on a faulty machine that has no warranty left, do a VERY EXPENSIVE repair for you, AND give you 12 months additional cover for not much more than the cost of extending the warranty had you done so before it lapsed.

No one can deny that it is extremely unfortunate to have such failures and issues as we all expect (or hope) that our expensive machines last longer than a standard 12 month warranty. I actually think that if Dell offered a TWO year warranty as standard inclusive of the cost of the machine, that would be a rather unique selling point for Alienware AND it would show that Dell stand behind the quality of their products without a shadow of a doubt. However, currently they do not offer this and your machine had 12 months coverage which ended and Dell are offering to get you out of a hole.

To me, that's pretty exceptional service.

 

From what I know, you can extend a expired warranty. But first, your machine has to get inspected by a technician they send first, to see if it's in working condition. Then they will grant the extended warranty.
If you tell the Dell reps that, you are having a problem with your machine, SO you want to extend the warranty; Especially if it's a catastrophic one as you described. If I were Dell I wouldn't grant you the extended warranty too, because the cost of repairing your computer can easily over the amount you pay to extend the service.
So the question now is, when you discovered the problem of your replacement machine and notified dell, was that after the one year warranty? If it wasn't under warranty anymore Dell has no responsibility to give you the service.

How does this logic stands? It's your own assumption not Dell's claim. I can assume everything I buy will last for a thousand years. But if they don't I can't sue them with a statement like this right? Your machine didn't live up to your expectation, bad luck. You made the wrong decision of not having a longer warranty so it's yourself to blame.

 

Everyone can learn from this mistake. And that's what NOT to do before whining about a brand in a thread. I do feel for you the feeling sucks but you need to look at yourself in the mirror and recognize the dummy and who to blame. You bought used. Problem 1. Noone to blame but you. Did you ask for specifics? detailed photos? did you ask about dead pixels etc? They don't just magically appear after 1 year etc. Then you have an issue, they send you a replacement machine.. and then you have a problem and it sits for 90 days? In 90 days the time it took for you to drop one load on a toilet could have been spent calling alienware within your warranty period and having your issues resolved.

Alienware is awesome. Don't be like OP. Everyone has learned much today.

 

I'm not sure what your diet consists of, but my calls to Dell clock in at around 30-45 minutes.

May be time to consider a fiber supplement