Maximum PC

Just a brief update to let everyone know I'm supposed to be receiving a new laptop from Alienware to replace my disasterous m7700. Will keep the forum posted.

they better give you one that worth 6000 bucks in today's market

Wow, I find it hard to believe that you'd even want a lappy from them at this point. I would contact law enforcement & hire a lawyer & search out my options to put a hurtin' to AW. I'm pissed for you lol

Thanks for posting all of this. I was thinking of possibly buying an Alienware system, but after reading this and many other horror stories, not a chance.

Strike 3 for alianware! ... well more like strike 2000

a friend of mine had a problem with them too. he got a m7700 laptop with dual 7900GS cards in SLI. when he got it, the cards were OC'd so far it overheated and crashed every time he played a game. Naturally, he called them up and told them what was happening. Bear in mind, he's certainly not the most tech-savvy, hence the buying of a computer. They told him to "simply" take the laptop apart, remove the graphics chips, put them in an antistatic bag, mail the parts to them, and wait for 6-8 weeks. of course, he didnt. after much bickering, he finally got them to take the thing back a month later.....

That's exactly why I concur with an earlier poster. That's why I build my machines and not buy them from a supposed "boutique" brand. You'll pay easily double the price ( although, as he mentioned, I've never tried my own laptop as that would be an entirely different beast altogether), and in many cases won't get near the price/performance ratio you'd get on your own. While time might be a constraint ( but hell, my last build I slapped together in about 5 - 7 hours and it has been totally stable the last 14 months), you can save alot of money and heartache this way. As I've said, a laptop is a completely different beast altogether, there are vendors coming out with cases and peripherals in mind for the DYI'er. Maybe your excruciating ordeal could have been avoided this way. Hell, even if it takes double digit hours, isn't that better than the countless amount of time spent trying to get your purchase righted, along with the increased cost.

I bought an Alienware computer. I paid $3400 for it and an extended warrantee. The computer crashed every time I tried to play a modern game on it. I started working with the support people to fix this problem.

The support literally knows nothing about computers. After several times sending parts back and forth I eventually gave up on them fixing it. Sadly it meant that I had to just eat the $3400 and buy another computer. I was sickened, but felt that this was my only recourse.

The insult to injury came 2 days after I returned my last part. To facilitate warrantee exchanges, Alienware requires a credit card number before they will send a part. The last part I sent then, I called to confirm that they had received the part (something I always do when shipping items). They confirmed that they did. 2 Days later, they charged my card for the part.

I called them and they again confirmed they had received the part, and that they owed me the money. Almost 4 months later they still have not returned the money to me. I call almost daily now and keep getting told that they will have an answer as to how they plan on getting me this money in 24 hours… This has been going on since March 1, 2007.

I have been keeping logs now every time I call them, in the event that I may file a lawsuit against them. I have also found out that Alienware makes this route very difficult in that they refuse to give out any contact information as to the proper place to send legal documents.

I strongly urge anyone thinking of buying a computer: DO NOT BUY FROM ALIENWARE YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!!

^Ravenhawk's friend <--[Edit]

Same problem - Alienware just doesn't have good service. I got a laptop for Christmas, and it worked for a week. After that, one of the video cards was over-heating during just about any game I played.

I called them and was instructed to run 3DMark (Which I already had). But I did it again anyway. They put me on hold for at least an hour, causing the phone to die.

I called them the next day, we had to give them all the stupid information that came with it. Not too big of a deal, but THEN they had me start 3DMark again, because they didn't belive I had done it correctly! It crashed about 1/3 of the way through, because it was so hot.

They had us send it back and it was gone for about 2 weeks. Not to mention that all of my programs were erased.

I will never buy from them again.

wow.....

thats all i can manage.

If it helps: alienware has lost me as a cutomer cause of your tale.

My friend got the $5,000 area-51 2 yrs ago. It pwned, got laggy in supreme commanders, so he got the 5,000 mac-pwnage computer because his parents cant say no.

As of some time ago, You can find him in a bag, and his head on a stick. A very big stick. Same things with his parents. Never thought a person could lose any more color than he had. Until he died. (by unknown saboteurs)

Hello everyone, and sorry for the long delay regarding laptop updates.

I finally did get a replacement laptop for my m7700 POS. After nearly 2 years of fighting with Alienware from top to bottom I turned in the turd I originally purchased and was shipped a brand, spankin' new mALX-R1 with specs of my choosing.

Unfortunately, despite taking the time to spec the thing out exactly as I wanted, the unit arrived with mic, webcam, and TV tuner missing, and without the promised Vista Business upgrade.

I currently have an open support case with AW to HOPEFULLY get these final things resolved, but all else notwithstanding, at least I have a laptop that doesn't scald my groin when it's on, or crash every 5 minutes.

Despite this somewhat positive ending to my horrendous saga, I'd have to say the whole experience was deplorable and my recommendation to avoid this company like a $2 hooker still stands.

I love this thread

Looking back on it all, I have to say it reads like some badly written corporate conspiracy plot, but as they say, the truth is often stranger than fiction.

I just hope people considering an Alienware purchase will think long and hard before plunking down their hard earned cash for a less-than-stellar product.

I purchased an Alienware area 51-M 766 Laptop on 05/12/2004 and I paid three thousand dollars for it. It was advertised as a laptop with an upgradeable video card and it was considered to be the top of the line gaming notebook and had with some fantastic reviews winning numerous awards and gained a great deal of recognition from industry professionals and technology experts. The laptop should last many years and the main idea is the video card could be changed or upgraded. I thought I bought the best notebook on the market, but I was sadly mistaken. After a year and half, I called Alienware so I could purchase a new upgraded video card, and I was told that Alienware stop supporting my laptop and my video card. I was also told that I have to purchase a video card from a third party called “Uniwillâ€

thomaslianj ECS Elitegroup bought Uniwill.

Try contacting ECS to see if they have compatible, or left over Uniwill, video cards.

No one should have to put up with that abuse.

I contacted ECS or the company that bought uniwill, and I contact the BB of Florida and no one was any help, no cards available, Alienware keeps passing the buck and they blame other companies like nividia for no longer making video cards for the laptop. I couldn't get a video card one year after I bought the Laptop, but the laptop is good for one thing: it would make a great item to throw though the living-room window of the CEO's house of Alienware. The great $3000.00 Alienware paper weight.

It looks like your only option now is to keep an eye out on eBay for the same model.

I'd look for one with a fried power module, busted LCD, or something else broken. You'd get it a lot cheaper then a functional model and then all you need to do is pull out the video module and stick it in your machine.

I could have seen that coming. In 2003 I ordered an Alienware 51 Desktop for around $4,000 from Best Buy. 17 weeks later I got it, I had ordered an 8x AGP ATI 9700 pro vid card, and they gave me the right card, but put it in an ASUS P4PE motherboard (only had a 4x AGP slot) I ordered the top of the line memory and got the bottom of the line mem. I ordered 2-DVDRW's and got 1-DVD rom and 1-CDRW.

I went back and forth with them for two months. I wanted to remove the things I was not suppose to get and send them in to get the right stuff back. They said if I did that I voided my warranty. I had to send it back in. I shipped it back and BAM! they could not find it. 5 weeks after they signed they had received it, they found it. Two months later I got it back all scratched up and a dent in the removable side panel and two fans missing.

I had pissed off the techies and they made me pay. I did a charge back on my card and ended up in court with Best Buy. After presenting the evidence to the judge, call records ect. The judge told Best Buy that they could take the computer back and call it even, or they could give me the computer I ordered and I would have to give them the money (less court costs) They took back the computer called it even and I built my own computer that was faster and cheaper and I have been doing it ever since.

Thanks for educating me on computer building Alienware & Best Buy