m18xR2 Accidental damage. Need some information. ( Drowned ).

Hey guys,

The worst thing happened. My beast drowned. Yesterday thanks to my clumsiness i spilled almost a whole mug of coffee. I shut down the beast, cleaned what i can and called dell immidietly. I am expecting a guy at Monday to come and collect my beast for surgery.

On that note i have a few questions.

Do you think there could be major damage done ?
I have a 3pipe heatsink as addition ,but its purchased from a 3rd party company. Should i remove it?
Should i take pictures of my laptop in case they ruin it in the depot?
What is yhe most likely outcome of this situaton? I have accidental damage protection. Thats why i didnt touch anything.


Also, anything in addition i should know ?

Thank you

 

If the heat sink is not the original, I would put the original back in. In case they give you a new system, or end up swapping parts out, you might not get it back.

You could take pics of it, but I'm sure they can't ruin it more than you did . The outcome would depend on how much damage was done. If it needs a new motherboard, they'll probably just replace that. If multiple components are damaged, depending on how many, you may get a new/refurb system.

Either way, I hope you get it resolved soon.

 

I'd agree with that.....revert your machine back to 'stock everything' if you upgraded various components. Taking photo's can't harm - I would do exactly that, just incase a repair is carried out vs. a replacement and your machine comes back scratched or dented - you then have the condition prior to going to the depot documented.

Was the machine on at the time? - did you react quickly? - did you upturn the machine and turn it off & unplug it right away? - those actions may have prevented the liquid getting further into the machine....only you will know what happened and if it maybe just died right there and then......

Other than that, I don't think there is anything else that you can do - you'll more than likely just have to return it to the depot for repair assessment and wait for the outcome of that assessment. If it's repairable, within a reasonable cost to Dell, then that's what they will do....if they deem it not economical, they will initiate the replacement process.

Good luck with it, keep us posted on what happens....and don't fret too much...I'm sure it will all come good. Sit back, and have that coffee that got spilt!

 

Haha, that coffee comment

Thank you for the info guys. I will do as you advised, i wasnt very fast at reacting ,but i did whatever i could.

I will keep you posted and i indeed hope everything gets sorted out.

I heard about all the scratches and dents that people get after a depot return thats why i asked if i should make pictures. I clean my laptop every day and i insist on it being pretty and awesome ! Ocd eh..

Thanks again.

 

Nothing wrong with being OCD! - I think 99.9% of us are OCD with our babies!

 

Depending on the damage they'll either replace it or fix it. If it's unrepairable they'll send a replacement PC with the same specs or better (if same are not available). Make sure you put it back to stock. That way you won't loose any of the things you have added to your beast with time.

 

Thank you Mr. Porras.

Yesterday the laptop was taken with a courier. I removed my SSD and Corsair Ram ,but i left my 3pipe heatsink inside ,because i really did not want to fully open it. I was worried i might inflict additional damage somehow.

I guess i can say good bye to my heatsink ,but thats ok.

I am waiting for a call/email with further info on my laptop now.


Thank tou hof the help guys and i will keep you updated with the progress.


And BF4 beta just came out :/ argh..

 

Well, now we just need to wait until you get it. Let us know how everything goes!

 

If you do get a replacement without your triple, I know a Dell man 'who can' - if you need another, just let me know...I'm sure I can hook you up with one.

 

steviejones133, Email me please.

 

Why don't you just PM me....

 

I can't mate, new member so I'm not allowed yet

 

If I can PM you, you can PM me....just click on my username and select private message....

 

lithiumm will get pm privileges at 11 pm EST tonight unless the database update time has changed.

 

Thanks Brother tijo. I sent him a PM earlier explaining that, along with a couple of links to review.

 

Thank you Stevie, will do.

Last time i had it shipped from US in order to get it cheaper. Waited a month to receive it

By the wasy, is there a way to check the status of my repair in the Depot ? i saw there is such option for the US Depot, but i dont see one for UK ?

Thanks a lot guys !

 

PM received/replied to.

As for the heatsinks, I'll do my best to see if I can lay my hands on some - they would be brand new with Dell paste on 'em. Can't promise a lead time, but should be a LOT quicker than a month!

 

No problems Stevie. Any help is appreciated

Quick update: As of now the repair process on my laptop has started and i will be waiting for info from them regarding if its actually repairable or not.

Lets hope it doesnt take much time

 

I imagine it won't take long to work out if it's FUBAR'd or not

 

Haha, i hope so as well

I still remember the dieing screams untill i was able to react and shut it off.

Nightmares still haunt me ...

 

Hey guys,

Quick update: I spoke with Alienware today and they confirmed that i am getting a brand new replacement machine from the new model.

I must say i am very excited to have the opportunity to have the new model in my hands. I love the new design and i will treasure it !

The tech i spoke with sent a swap order and i should be expecting an email/phone call from them with config info in the next few days.


I must say huge THANK YOU to everyone involved here and in their office. The costumer service was amazing. They updated me every step of the way and answered everything i needed to know.

I am glad to be a part of that community. I knew i am making the best choice getting an Alienware.

I will keep you updated with what config they will be replacing it with !


Cheers,
Hristo

 

Congratulations, Bro! - that's great news!! - keep us posted about the spec.

Now you'll just need to invest in one of those "cup's" for your coffee's when drinking near the new beast (you could even customize it with an alienware sticker LOL! j/k)

 

hey Stevie,

Hahahah... will do. I would even get one with lights and usb kettle ! I will pimp it for sure

Last week i was accepted on a very good job in Bulgaria so next week i will be flying there. Unfortunately the laptop can be delivered only to UK so i have to arrange a transport to Bulgaria after that..

Other than that, everything is rainbows and unicorns for now

 

Hey guys,

Major update. I received an offer which i accepted instantly. I must say Alienware offered an amazing machine and i am trully grateful. I cannot explain how happy i am to be able to have a machine as good as that one. I love the new design snd the specs im getting are amazing.

Huge thank you to Alienware and to all of you guys. It means a lot and i am glad i chose this brand.

Here is the awesome config i am getting :

1 Alienware 18 BTX Base Mod
1 4th Generation Intel(R)Core(TM)i7-4800MQ processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w/
Intel(R)Turbo Boost)
1 18.4 inch (467.36mm) WLED FHD (1920 X 1080) TrueLife Display
1 Anodized Aluminum
1 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
1 1.5TB RAID 0 (2x750GB 7200RPM) + 80GB mSATA SSD Caching
1 Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BD-ROM, DVDRW, CD-RW)
1 330W A/C Adapter
1 8-cell Lithium Ion (86 wHr) Battery
1 UK 250V Power Cord
1 Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M with 4GB GDDR5 - NVIDIA SLI Enabled 1 5G WiFi Broadcom 4352 802.11n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0
1 5G WiFi Broadcom 4352 802.11n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0 driver
1 Internal UK/Irish (QWERTY) Keyboard

 

Woohoo!!! - Congrat's Bro - that's an awesome replacement machine!! :thumbsup:

Now just gotta wait for it to land!!!

 

Hey Steviejones, when will you come back to the mothership? Are you waiting for the next 18 version 2?

 

Don't know for sure if I will. Just biding my time, waiting, lurking......until the time is right......or not! My £GBP aren't gonna change any time soon, and patience is a virtue as they say.....

 

I see...i hope you didn't lose faith in Alienware based on your bad experienced from AW...

 

Well, Dell certainly did me no favours, so it is hard to want to jump back on board. Don't get me wrong, I think the machines are great and I would love to own one again. However, there is a huge part of me that is saying "No way, José......"

Dell finally admitted to me, via email from the Executive Support Team, that they DID downgrade my replacement offer. The reasons they gave me were pretty preposterous and included things like "You had already had two replacement machines" - yes, I did. First one was a week or so after my initial purchase landed, and the 6990m's suffered from the overheating/cold boot problem. Dell arranged a new machine, that landed and was DOA, so they built another. So yeah, that does equal two machines, but it was hardly my fault and hardly anything I could control.

The second "reason" was that the offer of low spec to replace was based on the depreciation of the components in my original purchase.....the exec. team were arguing that my "older" components were now no longer worth as much, and as such, why should Dell replace something like a second generation CPU with a third or fourth generation CPU......

I tried explaining the "like for like or better" ethos - not my fault that Intel do not make Sandybridge CPU's or that Dell do not stock them nowadays.....in which scenario, the scenario of "better" should kick in - but only on a "as close to as possible" basis. For example, my 2960xm would be comparable, I feel, to any current generation Extreme CPU - that is why those chips carry a hefty premium, a premium I had originally paid for. Nah, Dell looked at it from the point of view that my 2960xm had depreciated, was no longer worth much, and offered spec's in accordance with that mentality.

Same went for GPU's.

After being on these forums for a good few years, I can say with complete honesty, that I have NEVER had such shoddy treatment. I've never seen a replacement proposal as bad as what Dell offered to me. Yeah, they gave me my money back, which I had to struggle long and hard to get, but would that refund amount cover a "like for like" new machine? - nope.

So, yeah......not exactly a big fan of how Dell treated me. I have been in the process of escalating it further since I received the refund, and as I said, they have admitted screwing me over....possibly looking into a way of compensating me over a new purchase somehow.....we'll have to see how that compensation works out....that will be the key factor in wether I buy another Alien or not.

Sorry for the long post.

 

Hey guys,

Since i received the email with the config which i accepted, i havent heard from Dell since.

I sent a few emails asking some information for a tracking link and all that ,but no reply.

It has been a week without any information. Is this normal ? And who should i contact in order to get any info ? I am in Bulgaria at the moment and i cannot call them.


Cheers,
Hristo

 

It might take some time. I have had two replacement units, and it took a few weeks for each to be delivered. The delay is often due to some part in backorder. If you receive the email with a conferamtion you are getting the replacement and a reference number for your case, there's nothing you should worry about. Just be patient. You said that you are in Bulgaria at the moment, which means you expect the replacement to be delivered somewhere else? If you cannot call just contact them from this link: Email Dell Support Choose Bulgaria from the country tag on the upper left corner, select Order status and click to Continue. They are usually pretty fast replying.

This is the phone number for Dell International Support in Bulgaria: 00800 1104478

 

They normally take 2 weeks to get shipped, then its a week from there so maybe they will get back to you next week

 

Thank you for the info guys.

I am in Bulgaria at the moment ,but the
Laptop will be shipped to UK. Dell explained that they can send the replacement only to UK.

I will see the links.

Thank you again