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BEWARE of Alienware
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Posted by: blackaxg
Before I say anything bad about Alienware I must
say that I myself know people who have bought
computers from Alienware and they worked just fine. I
however bought a gaming computer from then and
have had some severe problems with it and their
customer support.
First of all when I ordered my computer I payed for
a separate motherboard and soundcard. Alienware
took it upon themselves to give me a motherboard with
the soundcard integrated into it. This isn't so bad even
though I didn't ask for it but get this. The sound
doesn't work at all. I called Alienware about this
problem and their response was I should download the
latest drivers. Being that I don't have an internet
connection to my personal computer this was very
inconvenient for me and I wondered why they hadn't
installed the latest drivers in the first place.
I proceeded to install the new drivers I got from
my friends computer and alas still no sound working.
Now I would have called them again but my roomates
phone got cut off. My next avenue of attack was to
email them with the same problems. It has now been
about a full work week with still no response from them
whatsoever.
I also have another problem with any games I try
to play on the computer. After about 5 minutes it will
quit the program and go to my desktop. Once again
their response was to download the latest drivers
which of course didn't work.
My warning to you computer buyers out there is
that the staff at Alienware obviously didn't test my
computer at all before they shipped it to me and now I
am stuck with a $2250 box. They are not at all the
experts they claim to be. I also rate their customer
service via email a '0' and their phone customer service
a '2'. They answered and were polite but that's about it.
P.S. : I am going to post my problems again in another section so if you have any advice on how to fix my problems please look there. Thanks.
Posted by: SKYHN
If I bought a seperate sound card and got a mobo with integrated, I would have called them imidiately and had them send me the correct product. You should have done that right away. Most likely your integrated sound is disabled in the BIOS because you ordered a seperate sound card. And then somehow your soundcard was not included with your order due to some kind of paperwork error or someone slackin on the assembly line.
As for the software and driver problems, they are hardly the concern of a hardware distributor. They may offer you help with it, but most of the time they wont be able to solve the problem. Im guessing since it seems you bought this PC fairly recently, you have WinXP Home or Pro, right? Did you run windows update and get all the updates? If not, you are missing many patches and security fixes for it. Most likely if you bought the PC in the last 2 or 3 months, it already has Service Pack 1 installed on it, so that takes care of most of the stuff, but there are other patches. WinXP has many incompatability problems too, and you have to run some applications using win98 compatability.
Posted by: Zendu
My question is, why whould you have a Alienware, pretty much top dawg in the computer world, when you dont have internet? i mean isnt that like getting a Ferrari you can only drive around the block?
Posted by: chitocobo
well guy. why do you need the interent. alienwares arent e-machines lol. they are ment for playing games. and unless youyr a dumb pirate then youget games at the store. not of the interent
Posted by: Shalome
A lot of games are multiplayer online games, chitocobo.. 
)
Posted by: SKYHN
 Quote:
Originally posted by Shalome
A lot of games are multiplayer online games, chitocobo..
)
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The best ones indeed 
I probably wouldnt be gaming NOW if it werent for online multiplayer.
Posted by: Bunmiadefisayo
Ugh! Why buy Alienware at all...cost too much and i get nervous when i am around any electrical/mechanical equipment worth more than $1500.
Posted by: Superfly3176
ARG Matey. And i've sailed the 7 seas for the ultimate bandwidth treasure.
LOL neway. Everyone has the internet its a useful tool.
Posted by: Rifter
First off before I go into my rant about this you may want to try this link. I know you said you got the latest drivers and all, but this may help at any rate. http://support.alienware.com/Profil..._downloads.aspx
Now, for my rant..
1. I would get my money back in full, with the exception of re-stocking fees if they have those.
2. Why did you waste so much money on the system? Because honestly your paying that much for the customer support and not the system. If you honestly think it costs that much to build a rig of that mag. then go try to build one on your own, you'll notice a huge price diff. Whether it be OEM parts or retail. They jack the price because Alienware..in all of their ads tout that they have wonderful support, 24/7. Well if you aren't getting your 1200 worth for TechSupport..drop them like a bad habit. (I put 1200 cuz it probably costed a good 1200 more to actually build the system) Alienware is a joke.
3. The other guys do have a point. Why are you going to buy a beast machine, but not pay for internet. Don't say you can't afford it beacuse if you can afford an Alienware you sure as hell can afford broadband, or even dialup if you can't get broadband. My point is that without the internet your out of the loop. Hell even poor ppl have access to the internet (ie: librarys are a great place).
My suggestion is to just get your money back or harass the hell out of them until A you get help, or B you get your money back. You can always go to BBB. (Better Business Burearu) i know i spelled it wrong...
oh..I left something out. Alienware supposedly does rigorous tests on all of its machines before they leave the door. They do burn-ins of all the machines according to them. So theoritcally your system should have been working like a charm out of the box. If you really wanted some action you could always write to Maximum PC or PC Gamer about your problem. I know Max PC has a section that is devoted to bad pr with companies.
Posted by: quiksilver87
THIS IS ALL I HERE FROM THIS CRAP ALIENWARE.....CRAP TECHNICAL SUPPORT..DO NOT buy from there....ur not the only one buddd...
GET ur money back coz there are much better pc builders and faster ones also: Voodoopc.com....and Overdrivepc.com...They have forums check them out...I am in them both...
Rifter i used to think like you...And im with you 100%...but there are other things to consider about manufacturuers...First of all like you mentioned there is customer support....There is Nice good case.....There is a waranty on all ur parts....There is experience behind the building of the machine....There is tweaking and testing.....These ONLY come with a good company....Alienware has good advertising but SH** for pc's...AND the case looks ugly....
If your budget is between 500(maybe get from dell if it is 500-600)-2500$ BUILD IT YOURSELF!!!!! IF ur budget is higher you might wanna get from a company
Posted by: Bix VT
Quote:
Originally posted by Bunmiadefisayo
Ugh! Why buy Alienware at all...cost too much and i get nervous when i am around any electrical/mechanical equipment worth more than $1500.
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I wouldn't say it's worth that much...that's just what they have decided to charge people for it. If given $2000 I could make a pc that would blow any Alienware away. And that's counting the ones that run $3500-$4000.
Posted by: fabowan
I find your comments troublesome. Even though I have a very good desktop PC at home that I assembled, I wanted to get a laptop from alienware to take my games on the road. I went to resellerratings.com and they have an outstanding reputation in that site. What is the deal here, does anyone have first hand experience from alienware??? I am not a fan of alienware or anyone else, but on a product – price comparison with voodoopc and falcon in gaming laptops it seems to me that you get a better deal with alienware. If not from these guys, who can I buy an excellent gaming laptop from???????? Any suggestion would be welcomed. I sure as hell not going to build one.
Posted by: fabowan
Only one last comment for Quiksilver, Dell???????? Really????? For gaming??? Do you work there or what??? Common, I have never seen a Dell at the price it was actually advertised?? Their ads always give you the specs of their best machines and the price of their worst machines. Pretty good drafting of ads, I would say. You should read the comments on Dell at resellerratings.com (which, as far as i know is recomended by maximum pc as a reputable source to get info on merchants)
Posted by: Ack1027
Um, excellent gaming laptop, did I hear correctly? What ' Games ' are you going to run?
Posted by: fabowan
Yes, you did hear correctly. Iknow, I know, nothing beats a desktop PC. But i often travel and there is a lot of free time?? What can i do I am an addict. I intend on running far cry, call of duty and doom III. even though i know they will not run like on a pc, I think i can get decent FPS from a laptop with a P43.4ghz, ee and a geforce go fx 9700 or an atigo 9700 don´t you????
Posted by: Ack1027
Holy shit man, You really are spending the big bucks aren't ya?
Yes it does make sense to game on a laptop if you travel as much as you say.
And hell, who isn't addicted?
Posted by: armystud0911
Sure Dell isn't that great, but there is no one that I have ever seen that comes close to matching their customer support. I'm sure that there's a couple horror stories out there but I have called them up 12 times now and I've
1. Never been put on hold more than 20 minutes
2. Always had my problem solved on one phone call unless my hardware was broken
3. Always had intelligent, logical, and helpful technicians who were able to work with me on whatever level of experiance I was at and didn't make me feel stupid.
In short, Dell isn't the devil, they DO offer many EXCEPTIONAL deals but you gotta customize them yourself. They are my top recommendation for people who don't know how to build their own PCs which is about 90% of all customers. That is why they are doing so well but for enthusiasts like us they are just another OME company who screws us over for all kinds of little things that the average person could care less about.
I would say that if you wanna get a laptop, go with dell.
Posted by: madman55
Forget alienware. They stink. I would get a dell or sony vaio if i were you.Sony vaio is probably better than dell(may last longer) but is more expensive then dell.
Posted by: armystud0911
Yeah, but my brother has a great Vaio with no one to turn to if something breaks, he has the warrenty but no phone support or on site technicians. Its up to you really but vaios aren't much if at all better than dells
Posted by: fabowan
Thks for the advice. Since my last post I decided to try Alienwares response time and handling of orders. I placed an order last Wensday for an inexpensive mousepad. To my surprise, I have not yet received an e/mail from them telling me what the status of the order is (today is monday). I am starting to loose my faith (sort of becoming Scully instead of Moulder). If I don[t hear from them very soon with a good reason, that is one less choice for me. Even after all this i am still having a hard time going with dell (its laptop for games weights more that a UFO and is less aerodynamic)
Posted by: quiksilver87
Well you see...prices also reflect customer support...Voodoo laptops arent much more expensive than AW's. Voodoo is known for their customer service and im sure has a better one than dell!!! Here are a few logical reasons why:
1- They have their own forums open to anyone. The owner of the company actually visits and responds sometimes.
2- Voodoo is much smaller than dell ,hence less people to deal with and more time spent on your pc.
BTW alienware's forums are only open to buyers.
Big VT i doubt you can build a pc that is the speed of a 3500-4000$ pc unless you are reallly experienced!!! I have visited several forums with many experienced customers...These people surely know how to build a pc but would love to get one from their company because of the company's good work.
Posted by: taco_fox
Quote:
Originally posted by quiksilver87
Big VT i doubt you can build a pc that is the speed of a 3500-4000$ pc unless you are reallly experienced!!!
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Why not? It's not like these companies (Voodoo, Alienware) use parts that the average Joe can't buy.
Posted by: quiksilver87
ummm...there might not be a huge overwhelming difference...but they do tweak their parts and sometimes o/c them...Ofcourse if BIG VT overclocks, he can easily beat them. he can even beat their machines that are overclocked...Voodoo's Rage F:1(curently sold out) is overclocked. But the company keeps the speeds low to maintain stability. Overdrivepc is known for its overclocking...and IMO they are the best!!!
P.S.
Remeber... extra speed isnt the only reason why people buy brand pc's!!!!
F.Y.I.
I dont favor AW by any means!!!
Posted by: B Ware Aliens
I recently took delivery of a £3,200 Alienware PC and had problems from day one. The Techies at Athlone in Ireland have been excellent BUT communications with other departments about items missing from the package have gone unanswered.
Check this webpage http://str8dog.com/articles/182.aspx for details.
I came accross this website and was shocked to read that others were experiencing similar problems with Alienware.
I am not 'supporting/promoting' the above webpage and neither am I wanting to start a crusade. If you want to read details of problems do so on the above link. (my apologies to this website for advertising another).
I am interested in learning of other problems experienced by Alienware purchasers in Europe/UK and may be contacted on beware.aliens@btinternet.com.
Posted by: PL92
Quote:
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Originally Posted by quiksilver87
Big VT i doubt you can build a pc that is the speed of a 3500-4000$ pc unless you are reallly experienced!!! I have visited several forums with many experienced customers...These people surely know how to build a pc but would love to get one from their company because of the company's good work.
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Umm... His name is Bix VT, not “Big” VT. Anyway I know Bix personally and I’m pretty confident that given the kind of money people spend on AW he could build a PC that could kill the competition.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by quiksilver87
ummm...there might not be a huge overwhelming difference...but they do tweak their parts and sometimes o/c them...Ofcourse if BIG VT overclocks, he can easily beat them. he can even beat their machines that are overclocked...Voodoo's Rage F:1(curently sold out) is overclocked. But the company keeps the speeds low to maintain stability. Overdrivepc is known for its overclocking...and IMO they are the best!!!
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Yes he does over clock. He over clocks the crud out of his PCs, but he doesn’t need to oc to make an awesome PC.
Posted by: Cant Stop
sorry i got to throw my newbie building 2 cents worth in
i expect my computer when done with this mobo to be fast and it will cost me about $1000.00.
i can only imagine if i had an extra 1500 how fast it could be running in a SLI config with say the 3800+or 4000+ cpu
but after a year of having this i can always pop the less expensive stuff out and put in the big guns on my mobo.
i have read the reviews and comments and it seems this A8N-sli mobo is not too shabby i will let you know when i get it done around christmas time or when i get the funds to finish it
my point being is 2500 buys a lot of home built and L3200 buys even more!! wow 3200 pounds to build a pc thats roughly $4500-$5000 US dollars!
Posted by: Cant Stop
oh just one more thing alot of computer stores in florida only charge about 100 dollars to assemble your computer ,probably more if you dont buy their parts, Best buy has a not too bad computer services as well if you cant get your homebuilt working properly. my point here is there is always help available for a fee of course if you need it rather than waiting for " customer no service" to help you
Posted by: Technomonk
Alienware support was the worst experience of my computer life. I bought one of their machines two months ago and it has never worked. I’ve spent countless hours with their incompentant staff on the phone. They sent a field tech out and he made the machine worse. I did every thing they ask me to and when I asked for my money back we had passed the magic thirty day limit. They are very clever. So i was stuck having done all they ask, with a very expensive broken machine.
Their solution? Send it to us and we’ll fix it and mail it back to you… this is not what I paid for. But I had no choice, so once again following their instructions… I just got a phone call that the case was broken in transport… and of course this will not be covered by their warrenty so now I’m two months in with a broken machine and a case that is broken and they won’t fix.
Their solution? “You can buy a new case from us” Again no choice. I hate alienware. They took my money and my time and unrepentantly screw me at every turn.
I will never do business with them again!
My advice… as soon as you see a single problem get your money back… do not do anything to help them or accomodate them… immediately get a refund. Immediately - they will do nothing to help you. They seem completely unconcerned with how horrible your experience is.
I can not stress how strongly you should avoid doing business with this company!
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