Dealing with Alienware

Randomtask

I did a little searching, and I didn't notice a topic on this subject anywhere.

I was dumb and dumped a shit-ton of money into an alienware laptop. I accept that this was a stupid idea.

I could have lived with a mediocre laptop and been fine. If the fucking thing worked.

A year after I got it, it started overheating. It took from February to May for Alienware to figure out what the fuck was wrong with it. During that time, the screen's backlight also burned out. Man, I didn't even know that COULD happen. There was shit on the screen, but you couldn't see it. I had to hold a light at an angle to save all my shit to an external hard drive.

I asked several times during this process for either a new computer of comparable price or a simple refund, to no avail. I also asked for the advertised on-site service, which was not provided.


And now, it looks like I'll be pulling out the flashlight again. The backlight on the screen has gone out once more.

The system has never been able to properly dissipate heat, as well. Even on a flat surface, the fans can't keep up. It gets SO hot that the plastic is fucking discolored.

All I REALLY want from alienware is a refund on this. Getting a little extra in compensation for dealing with this bullshit and being dicked around would be nice, but not expected.



So, H&A, any personal advice not to be construed as legal consult in any form, shape or fashion by the parties herein involved?

Thanatos

Is the laptop still under warranty? Was it still under warranty when you initially began complaining?

Call them. Be polite. Explain your situation. Be polite. If they say that they can't help you, ask to speak to their supervisor. Be polite. Have I mentioned that you should be polite?

You'll get much further with these people being nice than yelling, and throwing up a shitstorm.

Randomtask

It was under warranty, though I doubt it still is. I actually paid to extend the warranty by a year because the trouble started towards the end of the warranty that I had.

And yeah, I'm always very nice with the people on the other end, because they're just minions working for teh cashz0rs. They might be under orders to fuck me over, but it's just their job.

I'll try calling them again now, but every time I've done that, it doesn't go anywhere.

Thanatos

If the supervisor can't help you, ask for their supervisor. You can keep going up the chain for quite awhile.

You could also try turboing, but I'd go with this first.

Randomtask

Gonna give it a shot. I'll let you know how it goes, Than.

ElectricTurtle

Although you should certainly pursue Alienware's support, if they refuse to service it and the warrantee is out, you need to clean the heatsinks and fans with compressed air and then see about replacing the backlight. Laptops tend to overheat with age because they have very little space for airflow and after it fills with dust it drops the heat transfer from the sink to the air to a fraction of what it should be. Unfortunately most people don't recognize the signs or the problem and end up doing long term damage to the components through continuous out-of-spec heat exposure. Laptops are much more sensitive to this sort of thing than desktops due to the reduced size of the heatsinks' surface area available to dissipate heat into the air and decreased airflow through small spaces (most laptop fans move only half as much air per minute over less than half as much surface area).

Alienware like most laptop companies do not make their own hardware. They buy from overseas vendors (original design manufacturers) and then drop CPUs, RAM, and HDDs into the otherwise complete chassis to order. If you can find out what company originally produced your laptop chassis, you can find replacement parts like LCD backlights for potentially less money than if you went around looking directly for an "Alienware" replacement part.

The best way (IMO) to go about that would be to google for your laptop model + the name of various ODMs such as Clevo, Uniwill, Compal, Quanta, Arima, etc. and see where things intersect.

TheKoolEagle

I don't know what alienwares policies are on returning things but definately do not ask for compensation money for them selling you a shitty laptop.

given its a shitty laptop but asking for them to pay you more is definately not a good way to go.

Deusfaux

hope you paid with a credit card, maybe you have an extended warranty though them or can initiate a potential chargeback

Revolutionary

I must agree with Thanatos. Even if the employee is acting righteous he doesn't want his boss to have to raise an eyebrow at him.

On another note, thank yourself that you didn't smack your laptop until it functioned like my friend did.

He then spent $1400 (Australian) buying a new computer which was marginally better than his previous laptop, when it worked, anyway. Its only real advantage was a boost to his video card.

Randomtask

Yeah, Alienware's not budging.

For reference, the part that is busted is a part that has been fixed before.

I think I'll try to find a class action lawsuit, or just sue them in small claims court. Don't they have to appear in small claims or I win by default?

Thanatos

Randomtask wrote: »

Yeah, Alienware's not budging.

For reference, the part that is busted is a part that has been fixed before.

I think I'll try to find a class action lawsuit, or just sue them in small claims court. Don't they have to appear in small claims or I win by default?

I would try turboing, first. See if you can get ahold of the e-mail address or phone number for one of the VPs of Alienware, or their parent company (aren't they owned by Dell, now?). Write a well-worded e-mail, explaining the situation, and why you're unhappy with their product. Be exceedingly polite.

If that doesn't get you anywhere, then start thinking about legal recourse.

Pheezer

Small claims court isn't necessarily a free ride to cash. You still need to appear, make your case and provide evidence of their neglect, and a reason why you're entitled to anything in the first place. You'll want to look into free legal resources for as much advice as you can get. And by legal resources I don't mean this message board, or any other.

If you show up, present a solid case with evidence and a reasonable claim, with reasonable demands (stick to material losses that can be illustrated by evidence, and have said evidence, plus court costs because guess what it still costs money to file), and they aren't even present (as they likely won't bother to show up), you have a good chance, probably.

imbalanced

I feel your pain. I really do. I was on the first wave of "gaming laptops" from Alienware. I got fucked. Hard. I've come to accept that there's nothing you can do about it and just move on. Now I have a Fujitsu Lifebook tablet, and while it doesn't game very well with its integrated Intel chip, it DOESN'T FUCKING DIE IN 30 MINUTES, DESTROY TWO DIFFERENT BATTERIES, OR OVERHEAT.

Fuck Alienware and their laptops. That's one mistake I'll never make again.