Maximum PC

It's been said time and time again, on who knows how many websites, but it's worth saying again, Alienware is probably the worst computer manufacturer on the planet!

WOW! Strong words you think. What has Alienware done to piss this guy off? Well, brew a fresh pot of coffee, crack open a Red Bull or tap a vein and sit back, my fellow gamers, while I tell you a tale of hope, disappointment, anger, despair and the US legal system.

When you want to break the bank on a boutique gaming system there are really only a few players in the market space, namely Voodoo, Alienware, Falcon Northwest and the like. Let’s face it, if boutique systems were cars, they’d be the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the world. This being the case, when you place an order for a system that tops $5000 you expect the absolute best, and so it was the case when, after months of research including the pages of this vaunted magazine , I placed my order for a brand spankin’ new Alienware m7700 laptop with absolutely EVERY bell and whistle to be had, back on November 14, 2005.

Alienware would have you believe the elite car analogy goes even further, because in much the same way all Ferraris and Lamborghinis are hand-built and take time to lovingly craft, so too Alienware claims, “we build them like our ownâ€

Alienware is located not to far from where I live in S FL, maybe you should call a local t.v. station (Ch 7 WSVN has an aggressive consumer reporter) and see if they will do a story on them . For that kind of money, they should have someone personally deliver it to you from the company.

HOLY CRAP man No one should have to put up with that abuse.

Add this to the heap of Alienware complaints we have here. Between them and shipping companies they must be 50% of the complaints here.

Thanks for the heads up PCmonkeyboy.

I wrote to Help Me Howard at WSVN asking for their help resolving this and I also filed a mail fraud case with the US Postal Inspector's office to add some more pressure. Next contact will be with Michael Dell since Dell just purchased Alienware.

I will do my best to keep posting updates to this site, and I'm actually thinking about opening both a blog and website chronicling this debacle. In the meantime, please let as many of your tech-savvy and noob friends know about this thread so the word can be spread, and Alienware's customer base dries up.

Thanks again for the suggestions and support!

Alex.

I think the blog and or website would be a great idea, just make sure you call Alienware(crapware!) and let them know you are going to be doing it, and tell them you are going to do everything you can to make sure it comes up at the top of search engine when people are looking for info on them. It would also not hurt to let them know you are posting on MPC since they are in the mag all the time. Remember that most companies only act nice if they are forced to. Customer service has gone the way of the $1.50 gallon of gas.

This is the worst support I have received from a vendor ever! I think the CSR's get a bonus on how fast they can get you off the phone...their favorite line: your issue will be resolved in 48 hours...please call back"

Just for the hell of it, I sent Alienware an email - of course I have no plans on getting a new system (just built a pc, and just baught an Asus laptop). I just wanted to see what sort of reply I recieved, if any.

Alienware:

I was in the process of replacing my aging pc and laptop, but reading many many forums about alienware customer service - I think that I would rather go back to using a typewriter and a pen/paper with all the bad things I have heard about your customer service and tech 'support'.

With all that I've read - I'm surprised you're still in business.

Think I'll pass on your products/customer service.

Let me know when you stop screwing over your customers.

Derek Kennedy

I am still laughing and would love to see the responce to this

good letter! ha ha...I'd like to see what they come back with on that one..if anything

Should have mentioned that you CC'd the letter to Maximum PC

Given the overwhelming number of complaints, not just on this site, I think we need to start an internet campaign to force Alienware to address all the customer service issues that have never been resolved.

Anyone have good ideas about the best way in which to go about doing this??

One way not to do it is to revive every old thread complaining about Alienware here. It's great that you learned how to use the search function and all but do you have to reply to every old thread that you find that mentions Alienware?

The idea behind forums, methinks, is to share experiences to help other people avoid making the same mistakes, hence postings on different threads should a posting be missed somewhere else. Thanks for your sarcasm though.

The idea of forums is to share information and experiences relevent to the forums subject. And it can be about a variety of different areas relevent to the subject. Not only to post about your bad experience with one vendor. You're going thru and bringing up threads that have been dead for months and even over a year harping on the same subject every time. I think it's a little redundant on your part. Okay, you've had a bad experience with Alienware. Can't you keep it confined to one thread? Maybe you can visit the rest of the forums here and contribute some information in other areas of interest. As it is now, you're pretty much a one trick pony.

First, I'd remove your diatribe about the credit application.

In most cases, they require a physical signature .. for legal reasons .. before they can proceed with any form of credit check. Since you were applying from overseas and are not an American citizen, credit checks should be expected to be long and tedious.

Finally, the credit application was almost certainly farmed out by AW to a third-party.

I'd leave it out simply because it detracts from the real and much more damning complaints that you have:

i) the laptop was faulty
ii) their customer service department is abominable
iii) their RMA service is worse.

If you focus your complaints on these things, I think that your efforts for vindication will be more successful. Focus on the most horrible aspects of their service and the problems with the product that you have had shipped to you, and I believe you'll have more success.

Today (25th May) I recieved a reply to my fake e-mail that I sent Alienware, and for your viewing pleasure, here it is in entirety: Please stop eating or drinking before reading as I won't be responsible for you choking, or spitting up on your screen/keyboard!

Response (Alienware) 05/25/2006 09:52 AM
Dear Mr. Kennedy,

First of all, thank you for corresponding with us here at Alienware Sales. Our apologies for this delayed response!

We regret to hear of your disappointment regarding our customer service based on the several different negatives feedback you have found online. In regards to your concerns, we continue to wonder if any of these individuals actually own an Alienware system, or if they have spoken to the thousands of people that have great working systems (since 1996). We have been building the most solid, best performing systems for years now. While there might be people out there trying to tarnish our reputation, we keep growing and growing because of the quality of our services, so we have no need to worry about vile threats.

All of our systems are shipped in a fully operational state after having gone through our 200 point quality control sequence. If there has ever been an issue with the functionality of a system when it is received, it is immediately addressed by our support team, and taken care of to the customer's satisfaction

Every system that is ordered on the website is shipped and received --- unless otherwise CANCELLED by the customer before it ships out. The lead time we manage fluctuates often, but we cover our posted lead time in most cases. If there is ever a delay in the lead time for an order, it is normally due to stock issues, and the customer is immediately notified and compensated.

Our 200 point Quality Control process --- when the system is integrated, and all the components and software go through a burn-in period, and are tested to ensure there are no issues. It is breakthrough in the Industry, and assures our quality level to the end-user.

ALL of our systems are manufactured at our corporate headquarters in Miami, Florida. The telephone number for our Corporate HQ is (305)2519797.

We have award-winning Customer Service and Tech Support, and have just upgraded our phone systems to handle any amount of traffic that could come along. If you ever have any problem reaching this department, please send me an email with your phone number, and I will be more then happy to arrange for someone to call you.

Our systems have the most competitive pricing on the market, and are the most accessible customizable computers in the world, hands down. You can compare and contrast our pricing with any one of our competitors, and see that Alienware will come out on top in overall support and general pricing.

As I said earlier, there are people who will go out of their way to tarnish the reputation of a corporation...nonetheless we move forward and just keep building the best computer systems on the face of the earth, and let our positive reviews, mentions on magazines and most importantly our happy customers speak for themselves.

As you can plainly see, there is nothing to be "exposed" and nothing "fraudulent" about our corporation as these websites claim. You may call us at anytime so we may explain the Alienware difference to you, and rest assured we WILL be here for years and years to come, building the best systems in the world for all high-end computer users.

We would like to re-direct you to Reseller Ratings, with almost twice the number of customer reviewers as Dell, Alienware scores almost 3 times higher in customer satisfaction on ResellerRatings.com. where different site users are 100% responsible for evaluating 100% of the companies listed.

(http://www.resellerratings.com).

I hope the information provided here is helpful.

Please do not hesitate to contact Alienware?s Sales Department at 1-800-494-3382 if you have any questions or concerns. Our office hours are from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. (EST) on weekdays and from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. on Saturdays.

Thank you for choosing Alienware.


Best regards,
Ruben Iglesias
Electronic Support - Sales Department

Alienware Corporation
Phone: 1.800.494.3382
Fax: 786.388.5718
www.alienware.com

Ha ha..hack...hack... choke!

Julio's other son Ruben should be a tobaco lobyist!

LMFAO!