GAME DUDE NEWS

01/15/03

Alienware - Don't be fooled by all their advertising hype!

Following is a breakdown of an extremely bad experience I am still having with Alienware:

 In August of 2000, I bought a 933-MHz Pentium III system (complete with all the bells and whistles) from Alienware, for around $4000.00.  I decided to go with Alienware based on reviews of their systems in magazines and on recommendations from family and friends.  I had previously dealt with Falcon, and had been satisfied with their computers.  But based on the great things I heard about Alienware, I decided to give them a try. 

I was happy with my system until it failed on Friday, June 8^th.  While booting, it gave me a “Hardware Monitor Error”, and directed me to adjust my CMOS settings.  While in the CMOS, making sure everything was set properly, the computer began to reboot itself.  It went through 3 reboots (on its own) before it stopped.  The lights on the front of the case now showed that the system was in “standby” mode, and the screen was blank.  I tried to get the computer out of standby by moving the mouse and pressing keys on the keyboard, but the system wouldn’t come to life.  I even disconnected and reconnected the power, but the situation remained the same.  My last effort was to switch monitors, thinking that the “standby” light may be wrong, and the monitor had died.  This, too, had no effect on the situation. 

Frustrated and unable to diagnose the problem, I called Alienware’s Technical Support Department at (888) 722-2731, as requested of me by the warranty label.  I spoke to a technician, who reviewed my problem and determined that the power supply and motherboard were both defective.  He said that he would schedule replacement parts to be FedEx’d to me.  I was satisfied with this solution and began waiting for the replacement parts to arrive.

On 6/11/01 (Monday), the parts still had not arrived.  I was under the impression that the parts would be sent FedEx 2^nd day, as this is the shipping method mentioned in their warranty info.  I then called the Technical Support Department to find out when I could expect the parts to arrive.  The technician could not answer my question, and informed me that they were no longer using the “PC Help Desk” due to problems of this nature.  I thought this was odd since Alienware’s web site still has that number listed for Technical Support.  He directed me to call Alienware directly at (866) 287-6727.  This time I spoke to Randolph.  He told me that the parts were never ordered for me.  He then placed an order for the parts and told me to expect them on Wednesday. 

6/13/01 (Wednesday).  Around 2:30 PM (PST), I started to get a bit nervous that the parts were not going to arrive.  I called Alienware and once again spoke to Randolph.  After checking on my order, he told me that the power supply was originally backordered, but that it came in today, and he would have one shipped immediately.  He told me not to expect the parts until Friday, 6/15.  Though I was upset by their errors, I had no other recourse, so I agreed to this and began (once again) waiting for the parts to arrive. 

On the same day, my wife made an effort to resolve the situation by calling Alienware and speaking to a supervisor, Rowan.  She explained the situation to Rowan and complained about the lack of interdepartmental communication on the part of Alienware.  One department didn’t seem to know what the others were doing, which created delays in fixing my problem.  Rowan examined my case, and told me that everything was squared away.  My parts would be shipped immediately, and I could expect them on Friday the 15^th, or Monday the 18^th. 

Friday came and went, and no parts arrived.  

On Monday, the 18^th, the replacement parts finally arrived from Alienware.  A quick examination of the shipping label revealed that the parts had not even been shipped until Friday the 15^th, when I was specifically told on the 13^th that the parts would be shipped immediately.  This was extremely irritating, but I had the replacement parts in my hands, so I figured that further complaining was unnecessary.  OK, now to get the parts installed. 

Around 1:30 PM (PST) on the 18^th, I called (888) 247-1717, as requested by Alienware, to have a technician come and install the replacement parts.  No one was there to answer my call, so I left a message. 

On the 19^th, around noon (PST), I still had not heard from the technician.  I called the number again in an attempt to get a hold of a technician.  I waited on hold for nearly 15 minutes before I hung up and decided to try again later.  About an hour later, a technician called me and said he would be by at about 5:00 PM (PST) to install my replacement parts. 

At 5:00 PM (PST), the technician showed up.  He had with him a “test system” which he used to test all the parts in question, both original and replacement.  To our surprise, the original power supply tested OK, but he went ahead and installed the replacement anyway.  He then tested the original motherboard, and found it to be defective.  Unfortunately, when he tested the replacement board, it too was defective!  A subsequent test of the Pentium III processor revealed that it was defective as well.  Unsure of how to proceed, he recommended I get back in touch with Alienware to get a working motherboard and processor. 

I was extremely upset at this point.  At 8:30 PM (PST) I called Alienware once again to find out what I should do.  This time, I spoke to Ray.  Ray listened to me as I explained the situation to him.  When I told him that the motherboard and CPU were defective, he wanted to know who made that determination.  I told him that it was their technician who gave me this information.  Ray then stated that he would normally be able to order replacement parts for me, but their accounting software was being updated at the time, and it was impossible to place an order.  The best he could do was to have another representative, Jose, call me back between 9 and 10:00 PM (PST). 

As 10:00 PM (PST) came and went, I decided it was time to call Jose on my own.  I placed the call, but unfortunately Jose was unable to help me at that time.  He stated he would call me back in 20 minutes, which he did.  After explaining the situation to Jose, he agreed to place an order for a replacement motherboard and CPU.  After poking around in their computer system, he came back with some good news and bad news.  The good news was that the replacement motherboards were in stock, and could be shipped immediately.  The bad news was that the CPUs were out of stock and no longer being manufactured.  Intel was now only producing an FC-PGA (Flip-chip) version of my CPU, which was incompatible with my current motherboard.  Out of ideas, I asked Jose what we could do to resolve this problem.  I waited on hold for a bit, and when Jose came back, he told me he had located some replacements for my CPU.  However, they were flagged in the computer as “reserved”, so he would have to talk to his supervisor before placing an order for them.  He said he would call me back at 6:00 AM (PST) the next day. 

6:00 AM (PST) June 20^th, 2001: Jose calls me back.  He says that everything is A-OK, he can ship the motherboard and CPU out by Next-Day Air to me.  He says that I should receive the items the next day.  He says not to worry.

No parts arrive on June 21^st.  At 3:25 PM (PST), I called Alienware and spoke to David.  David immediately told me that items flagged as “reserved” in their computer are defective, and that an order for my replacement motherboard and CPU still has not been placed.  Believe it or not, I’m still holding my cool at this point.  He says that he will have to figure out the problem and will call me right back.  At 10:00 PM (PST), I still have not received a call from David.  I called Alienware, had to leave a message, and then decided to go to bed. 

At 10:30 AM (PST) on June 22, I called Alienware and asked to speak to a supervisor.  My call was put through to Blaine.  He reviewed my case, and approved a new motherboard and a compatible FC-PGA processor. However, the order still had to be placed through the accounting department.  He said that I could expect the parts to arrive on June 26^th.  

By the time I receive my replacement parts, my computer will have been down for more than 2 weeks.  On top of that, can I even expect the replacement parts to work?  This, in my opinion, is completely unacceptable. 

I simply cannot believe that this is the way Alienware treats their customers.  Yes, everyone was polite and helpful on the phone, but I felt that no one went out of their way, even if just to make sure my orders were shipped.  I spent four thousand dollars with these people, and it was not done without research into their company and service.  I found no negative information about their company or products.  I do not understand how they have become as successful as they have with terrible customer service skills such as these. 

I was never offered an “overnight upgrade” on shipping… in fact I was never offered compensation of any kind for my trouble.  On 9 out of 10 calls, I was not even notified when there was a problem with my order.  A simple callback from an employee would have made these situations a lot more bearable. 

In today’s highly competitive market, there is only one aspect of business that sets one company apart from another.  That aspect is customer service.  A consumer can buy a computer system from any vendor and basically get the same product, be it Dell, Gateway, or even Sony.  Falcon, who I have dealt with in the past, has an excellent warranty service program.  They will pick up your computer, have it overnighted to them, repair it, and then overnight it back to you, all at no cost.  Alienware will not get any more of my business, and I cannot see how they will survive if they don’t improve their extremely poor customer service. 

UPDATE: On June 26^th, the replacement parts were received, as expected.  However, the saga of frustration continues. 

Upon receipt of the parts, I called (888) 247-1717 to have a technician install the replacements.  This was at approximately 12:30 PM (PST).  I did not hear from anyone for the remainder of that day. 

On June 27^th, I called the technician once again to find out when I could have the parts installed.  The technician said that my request was “being processed” and that I would have to call Roland at Alienware.  I asked him why I had to talk to Roland, since the first request for a technician had no such requirement.  He said that there was a “new system”, and this is what I had to do if I wanted the parts installed. 

Without any other options, I called Roland sometime between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM (PST).  He said that he would arrange for someone to call me later that day. 

On June 28^th, I still had not heard from either the technician or Alienware, so I again called Roland to find out what was going on.  He promised me a callback within an hour, which I received.  The technician arrived to install the parts within an hour of that call.  Guess what?  The replacement motherboard (for the new flip-chip CPU) was incompatible with the Rambus RAM chips I got with my original system.  In addition, they did not send me a fan for the new CPU. 

Feeling that I should have done this long ago, I called Roland and told him that I was going to charge back my credit card.  At this point, he said that they would pay to have the system overnighted to them, repair it for me, and return it to me free of charge.  I decided to give them a last chance and take them up on their offer.  Roland said that I would need an RA number, and that he would get one to me on the 29^th. 

On the 29^th, no one had called me with the RA number by 1:00 PM (PST).  At 2:00 PM (PST), I called Alienware to get my RA number.  The RA number was given to me at that time and I overnighted the system back to them the same day. 

I waited until July 9^th, to check on my system.  My first three calls to Alienware were unproductive, as I waited on hold for nearly a half-hour on each call before I gave up.  On my third call, which lasted nearly an hour, I finally got through to a representative.  He informed me that my system had been received on July 2^nd.  However, he could not tell me what was currently happening with my system or when I could expect a status report.  When I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was told that they were all too busy to speak to me.

Since I have been without a computer for more than 4 weeks, I was forced to order a replacement system from Falcon.  I ordered my system from Falcon on June 29th.  I received my new Falcon computer on July 20th.  My business uses over 20 computers, and I have never had issues like this with any other computer vendor.  I simply cannot understand how Alienware keeps receiving positive reviews when they treat customers as poorly as I am being treated.

As of today, July 27th, Alienware still has not fixed my computer system. It remains in their possession, as it has been since July 2nd.

Numerous calls to Alienware have yielded no results and have only frustrated me further. Most of the time I am kept on hold for the better part of an hour before I am taken care of. Furthermore, once my call is handled, the information I am given is even more disappointing.

My first call to Alienware revealed that they had misplaced my system. They showed a log entry in their system that my computer was received, but they could not locate it. Subsequent calls showed that the computer was in their possession and being worked on. Last week they told me that the system was ready to be returned to me. Today they told me that the RAM needed to be replaced, (likely due to the fact that the motherboard they are using to replace the defective one doesn't support RAMBUS memory) and that there would be further delays.

I asked them if I could expect to receive my computer back this year. They said that it was likely.  I wonder...

Update:    

On August 8, I received my computer system back from Alienware.  The computer system was repaired, but I am still in dispute over charges to my American Express card.

When I received my repaired system, I realized that the type of RAM (memory) in the computer had been downgraded.  I originally paid for (and received) a special type of RAM called RDRAM, which is much faster than the more commonly used (and cheaper) SDRAM.  In the process of repairing my computer, Alienware downgraded me to SDRAM.  The difference between the cost of the SDRAM and the cost of the RDRAM is $337.00.  I spoke with Stephen Blaze at Alienware, and he stated that my card had been credited $337.00 on Aug. 2^nd.  As of Aug.17^th, my card still has not been credited.

Furthermore, during my round of problems with Alienware (from June 8^th to August 8^th), I was shipped two sets of replacement parts for my ailing system.  Per Alienware’s return program, I was charged for these parts and was to be refunded the full amount when they received the defective parts back from me.  Since both shipments of “replacement” parts were either the wrong parts or were defective themselves, I should not have been charged for them.  I was charged $172.00 for my first set of replacement parts (a motherboard and power supply); this amount has been subsequently refunded to me.  However, the $720.00 charge for the second set of parts (a motherboard and CPU shipped to me on 6/25/01 and returned to Alienware on 6/29/01) was not refunded to me.  On August 12^th, I was forced to call American Express and charge back the $720.00 myself.

In December I finally received my $337.00 credit from Alienware after many letters to the Better Business Bureau.