Complain about a product or service

Alienware - Tech Support

Joyce of Pekin, IL November 11, 2009

We purchased an Alienware laptop for our son for his 8th grade graduation in May of 2005, spending a little over 5,000. The long and short of that is this, Alienware had this particular laptop more than we did, and finally after sending and resending this computer to be repaired for various problems, they agreed to replace the entire system with the system we now have, this occurred within one to one and half years time. The replacement did not come free as it should have, there was no even exchange, we had to spend an additional 500.00 to get some of the same things that had been upgraded and needed to be installed on the newer computer, m7700. This computer worked alright for about a year and it was soon after receiving it that we had to send this one back for repairs also. The monitor would not light up, the computer would not turn on and the list goes on and on. Mid year 2008 we had to resend the computer back and after months of waiting and many many phone calls with no answer regarding where the computer was and what was wrong with it, finally several months later, we were told the part that needed to be replaced, was not made by alienware anymore and the company was trying to find one...several months later the computer was returned to us, AFTER Christmas, it is now less than a year later since the computer was returned and it is broken again...

I contacted Alienware and was informed that the computer I purchased two years ago is no longer sold by Alienware so they will no longer repair it, claiming the warranty had run out in July of this year they are no longer liable for those things that do not work on it, even though the computers have not worked from the day we received it. I attempted to explain that this has been an ongoing issue, since 2005 with the computers we have purchased and returned to them and someone there needs to be accountable for this problem and the junk they are charging an arm and leg for. I was given the website address to a company who "might" have the part we need. They did not offer any kind of solution other than a website and was then cut off by the tech person. This is ridiculous, this company charges an enormous amount for their computers but their product is greatly defective, how is it that I can have two computers from this company within a four year time period and both of them be so beyond repair in such short periods of time, with no offer of remedy offered by the company. There comes a time when they have to be made to be accountable for the junk they are selling. My son now has a computer that I am still paying for but does not work, with no way of knowing if it can be fixed, with the claim by Alienware that they do not make this computer or it's parts anymore. I know this sounds like rambling and there is more to this story, but it's so much easier to talk about it rather than type it.

Carol of Swampscott, MA October 28, 2009

I ordered this laptop for my son on March 26, 2009. Received it in April (1 week after the promised delivery). It was not working properly-power button was faulty. Sent it back within a week of receiving it. Was sent back 3 weeks later with parts missing (no disk drive). I've been on the phone with technicians, supervisors for over 6 months. All parts sent to me were incorrect. They had the nerve to charge me for parts I sent back. They sent out a technician to my house twice to install the "correct" parts they kept sending me-the parts were ofcourse wrong and the technician finally ordered parts he thought were needed.

He tried for a third time to install the "correct" parts Alienware sent-it still didnt work. They had me ship back the laptop. They sent it back to us in two weeks in even worse condition then what we sent it to them in-blue screen-completely not working. Three weeks ago I shipped it back. I've been on hold with Alienware for many hours over the past few days trying to find out whats going on. They assured me someone would get back to me within 48 hours (no one did).

Finally today, after being on hold for over 2 hours, I insisted I speak with a supervisor. I waited on hold for another 1/2 hour and they put Eddie on the phone. He said someone from the "specialist" department would call me back with an update within 48 hours-he had emailed them with my info while I was on the phone with him. I asked him who is this "specialist" that would be calling me back. He said he could not give me a name-it was company policy he could not give out his identity. I asked him if this "specialist" was FBI or CIA and was undercover or something for the government and thats why it was such a secret, or if in fact this "specialist" is just another ploy so they can pretend they are doing something about their lemon laptop they sent me. I think this company is the worst company ever and I highly recommend anyone thinking of purchasing any of their products, to think twice.

charles of zachary, LA October 22, 2009

I purchased an Alienware Area 51 Destroyer edition earlier this month. The item arrived DOA. After spending more than a hour on the phone with their tech support- I was advised it was the motherboard creating the problem. Alienware shipped a board replacement which I received one week later. They would not overnight or ship it any quicker.

After receiving the board and replacing it I still had the same problem. I spent even more time on the phone with their tech support. I was then advised that something must be wrong- gee how obvious can it get?!?!?! I was then urged to return the entire computer to their repair depot at my expense... ?!?!?!?!?!?! My obvious reponse to such was no- I will not wait months for this thing to be repaired as well as be out the shipping expense.

I asked to please process a RMA on the item to return it. Their response was according to terms & conditions I was required to pay a 15% restocking fee even though the item was defective. Oh and pay shipping as well. Then I was advised I would have to wait 48 hrs to be contacted to get permission to return the item from someone else within Alienware...?!?!?!?!?

Well 48 hrs later instead of receiving a phone call I received an email from a javier_arango@dell.com.. He urged me to please troubleshoot once again. If the problem could not be resolved I could return it to their supervised repair depot where he would personally check the repairs. If I would not do that then I may be able to return it at a 15% restocking fee according to terms and conditions.

No resolution still!! I replied back to him explaining my disgust and discontent with the product. And asked for a full refund which I probably will not receive. Buyers Beware!!!

Ronald of Fairhaven, MA October 17, 2009

Called technical support three times. I was disconnected twice and on hold the third time. Dell used to have good technical support when it was in the United States, but now that its in India, they suck. Dell is on the decline and I can see why. Acer has passed them in sales. If Dell doesn't get customer service back in the US, I see them going away. I have had the computer for two days and I am unhappy. I know at this point and alot of people ask me,will not recommend Dell. I bought a fast gaming computer for speed, it takes over 5 seconds to go from one internet page to another. Slower than the computer I'm replacing.

Roger of Thousand Oaks, CA September 10, 2009

The product is an M17 laptop, price 4,925.20 ordered 11/26/2008.

Brief description of issue: The system has not performed adequately. I started by having to reinstall Windows. I ended up reinstalling it 5 times, losing data and time with each reinstall. The computer often would not boot without using the recovery disc. I spent many hours with your tech support staff. One of the hard drives failed and was replaced. They also recommened Norton anti-virus which does not run on this 64 bit system. They did not install it but they charged me for it anyway. I had to send it back for a refund.

This summer the other drive failed. At this point I was directed to send the system in for hard drive replacement and system diagnosis. Alienware received my system on 7-27-09. In six weeks time, the customer service department has been unable to determine when hard drives will be available to install. I have had to call countless times to ask for a status update. I have never been contacted with one. Each time I call, I have to provide identification information twice, and be put on hold twice, since there is no direct contact phone number available for customer service. Five times, Eddie Ramos (employee ID 00377) failed to call me with an update when he said he would. He is a Supervisor. I told Alienware I would accept any two 500 GB 7200 rpm drives or better, since they could not obtain them from Seagate. As of 9-10-09, they claim they are expecting a shipment of the hard drives next week. I'm not sure if I should believe them or if it is just another stalling tactic.

shar of Bethesda, MD June 11, 2009

I purchased a M17 Alienware laptop a few months ago. It arrived with most of the barebones defective. Called Alienware the first day and worked with them in good faith only to have them toy with me til the30 days was up. I remember the M17 didn't see my 2nd HD and having Alienware tech support give me a long speech about it being the HD's manufacturer's fault and not theirs. After he finished, I reminded him the 2nd HD came from Alienware. there was ABSOLUTE SILENCE! still no resolution was offered From day one all "requests"for a replacement or refund were ignored. Finally they offered a new replacement if I agreed to first reformat the laptop to see if that would resolve the problems. It didn't! To my shock, Alienware denied ever making the offer for a replacement. I was so furious I responded with 'DEMANDING" a replacement. would you believe, Alienware now claims there is no mention in their notes of my ever "requesting" a refund or replacement. Their only notation is of my "DEMAND"which was on the 31st day! Thus refund and replacement are no longer an option,. Alienware, equip from what I heard used to be great quality created by gamers for gamers and the word was they took pride in what they produced and pride in creating customer satisfaction. I don't know when this changed but now [with Dell as their new owners] they are imitating DELL"s old deliberate schemes of sending defective equip disguised as NEW equip. Been there! Done That! I am here to tell you, even if you are lucky enough to receive perfect equip. the M17 is disappointing and uncomfortable to use. Sad because it sure is pretty. the M17 Keyboard re-design is a design mistake that should have been corrected before being released to the public. the keypad has the decimal point place placed at the opposite end from any & all universal keypad layouts. this may not be an issue to most ppl, but if you do accounting, the keypad is useless. However, it becomes an issue for everyone by taking up valuable keyboard real estate and forcing THE KEYBOARD key spacing to be constricted and awkward to use. the keyboard keys are so tightly cramped because of lack of space, typing is awkward and its impossible to not keep hitting a a wrong key. PALM PRESSURE PLAYS HAVOC WITH SCREEN the keyboard is set so far back from the front edge you can place an dessert place between the front edge and the beginning of the keyboard. Hence, making it difficult not to have the heat from the palm of your hand detected by the touch pad while you're typing. This causes unexpected and frequent havoc with your screen. again this is a design defect that should have been corrected before being ready for sale to the public. The screen blacks out frequently. don't know why! even with 4gig of RAM I am constantly getting "Out of Memory" messages or unable to save file because of insufficient memory. I'm not alone, extensive online research shows hundreds of lawsuits against alienware for deliberately sending defective merchandise to consumers instead of taking the time to have them fixed properly first. The State of California even took back control and responsibility to protect its residence by applying California consumer protection laws over Alienware's equip that arrives and resides in California. California consumer protection laws now take precedent over Alienware's home state of Florida's protection law. Alienware also has a secret clause in their warranty where you waive your right to defend yourself. can't remember the exact words, but if you' search you'll find it. I depend on my laptop for my living but can't rely on Alienware or this M17 laptop

Bruce of Chester, MD May 27, 2009

purchased 2 identical Alienware laptops in july of 2003 for my twins going to college. area51. about 6,000 each with 4 year warantees. They both had identical problems over the 4 years of overheating and shutting down, etc. They were in and out of the shop several times, leaving the college students with no computers for several months at a time.

At the end of the 4 years, neither system was working, and alienware stopped making the parts for them and I forced them to replace them with a new system. They replaced them with their low end latop. They wouldn't allow me to purchase a warantee on the new ones, and now one of them has a burned motherboard.

Since we are out of the original 4 year warantee, they are doing nothing about the new replacement laptop that only lasted a year AND, I can't even pay to get it fixed because, again, they stopped making parts for this one as well. I emailed the CEO, he fwd to one his subordinates to tell me NO. No help or support for a one year old Alienware M550i-R3. My suggestion to anyone reading this...don't spend the extra money for the Alienware machines. they are disposable, like a Bic lighter.

aimee of Fort Lee , NJ April 27, 2009

I ordered a new hard drive. They sent a used and damaged hard drive. I paid a tech to come in and install it, only to find out it was used. I feel like they are a company that has comitted fraud! Then they send me another one supposed to be 2nd day air. 2 weeks later I still have not gotten it. They told me they sent it to the wrong address, and when it was re-routed we refused it. This is not true! This company has so many lies! The ceo won't get on the phone and they are very RUDE!

Tina of Bellevue, WA April 24, 2009

I purchased a Ailenware laptop for playing games. This was the most expensive laptop I had ever purchased. I was led to believe I was buying a top of the line computer. Sadly, I was very dissappointed. The laptop was broken coming out of the box. When ever I unplugged the computer it went nuts. The volume control began to turn itself up and down every few seconds on its own. Then it began to turn itself off at will or would just freeze up all together.

I went to the tech area of their website and found many complaints about the same thing. The tech people's response to the volume control issue was that they knew about the problem but didn't have a solution to the problem. They told other people who were haveing the same problem that they would get back to them once they had a solution. The first complaint I could find on this problem was 10 months old. Other customers were complaining about how they were sending their computers in multiple times for repair with no success. When I wanted to just return the computer they forced me to pay the restocking fee on their broken computer. I was told that I had to let them try to fix it if I didn't want to pay the restocking fee. This is black mail as far as I am concerned. I should not have to pay a restocking fee on a "BROKEN COMPUTER".Especially, since the tech people say they have no solution for the problem. Ailenware says they do a 200 point inspecion on their computers. What are they inspecting?

Gary of Sumter, SC April 17, 2009

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