Poor support Dell/Alienware. Alienware m17 r4 . Any ideas?

[PCBEE]

So, I have been having issues with Dell since day 1. I originally ordered a G7 7700, but it was throttling really badly all the time, so I returned it and thought an Alienware would be better. So, here is the brief recounting of everything so far: Note: I owned an Alienware 17 R2 in the past and LOVED it.

I ordered an Alienware m17 r4 on March 18th and received it on April 7th. The laptop had touchpad issues with delays or not registering clicks, the backlight bleed is intrusive, and the hotkeys don't function properly half the time. There is also a small scuff around one of the screw holes that exposes the metal from when I got it. Basically, the quality for something I paid $3500+ for is not the best. I do like the laptop and the portability is great for the power but I just want something without issues.

I spoke with their customer service and they told me they would build a new m17 r4 for me and ship it to me and upon receipt, return the old laptop since I needed a laptop (my previous laptop died suddenly after almost 6 years). The agent told me my laptop would be expedited since it was needed immediately so I should have it within April. The delivery date passed (April 19th) without an updated delivery time. I contacted support and they said "I would like to inform you that your order is in production and estimated to be delivered on 05/07/2021."

So, yesterday (May 3rd), I checked the tool and found no updates so I contacted Dell again and the agent told me that "my laptop is unable to be built and cannot be delivered because manufacturing said a part was discontinued." I was not previously contacted about this by Dell at all, which really pissed me off. The customer care team told me the only thing they can do is refund me. The agent refused to let me speak to anyone else and told me there is no resolution beyond this because they don't make that laptop any more. Eventually, he told me I could speak to a manager who would call me back within 2 hours. But it has been over 24 hours and nobody has tried to contact me by phone or e-mail. I wrote to the Alienware support online on Facebook yesterday and they said they can't help with order issues so I have to contact customer care again on the phone.

The agent told me they cannot tell me any more details nor help me further. Nor can they create me a new replacement.

How is it possible for a company to hate getting money this much? I want the laptop, I like it, I just want to stop going through this ridiculous fight of BS to get a quality product.

I know the m17 r4 is probably discontinued but surely they would treat customers with current orders better and let them know instead of just acting this way. Has anyone ever dealt with this?


The specs:

m17 r4
i7-10870h
32 gb ram
144 hz screen
3080 16 gb

 

[Kshipper]

All we can do is /comfort you....

Unfortunately this is what big companies usually do and they will pass you from dept.to dept. until you get tired and you give up and live with the problem(s). If you must have a gaming laptop then you are stuck with the big companies and their policies.

I recommend that you go with a much more serviceable gaming desktop. Bigger screen, easier to fix, easier to clean and better performance (no throttling) but if you must have a gaming laptop take the refund from Dell and take your business to another company. I doubt anyone important from Dell will ever see this post here.

 

[PCBEE]

All we can do is /comfort you....

Unfortunately this is what big companies usually do and they will pass you from dept.to dept. until you get tired and you give up and live with the problem(s). If you must have a gaming laptop then you are stuck with the big companies and their policies.

I recommend that you go with a much more serviceable gaming desktop. Bigger screen, easier to fix, easier to clean and better performance (no throttling) but if you must have a gaming laptop take the refund from Dell and take your business to another company. I doubt anyone important from Dell will ever see this post here.

Yeah, that's true. I'm already in contact with an executive from Dell. I'll see what happens with him but he said my experience is disappointing and not what Dell wants for their customers.

 

[Kshipper]

Let us know how you make out =)

 

[OGxGatman]

All we can do is /comfort you....

Unfortunately this is what big companies usually do and they will pass you from dept.to dept. until you get tired and you give up and live with the problem(s). If you must have a gaming laptop then you are stuck with the big companies and their policies.

I recommend that you go with a much more serviceable gaming desktop. Bigger screen, easier to fix, easier to clean and better performance (no throttling) but if you must have a gaming laptop take the refund from Dell and take your business to another company. I doubt anyone important from Dell will ever see this post here.

/comfort
Sorry to hear about your situation and yes I've dealt with this exact scenario just with different company's and items. Nonetheless, when your trying to give your money to company for something that is quite expensive you would imagine that they would do whatever they could to keep that money and not refund it. In my mind, issuing a refund would be the last thing any individual or company dealing with a product they sell would want as the final result.

Anyways, Alienware is great and I used my Alienware till I absolutely could not loved everyday of it, however, now in days I have a hard time validating the price tag that comes along with their products. And when discussing with clients if they should buy one, well, I don't discourage it but highly encourage exploring some other options.
If you do end up getting a refund, an option you could explore is going with a company that isn't the powerhouse of Dell or Alienware but still makes amazing computers and laptops for their customers and have great reviews and great customer service.

With that same budget that could get you a whole lot of PC. You could even get a solid gaming/work laptop as well as a solid home-desktop gaming rig and it's possible you might even have some money left over.
It comes down to a lot of factors obviously but is something to consider if it does end up you have to rebuy anyways. And you could deal with a company that is willing to work to earn your money, hopefully, instead of ending up with these type of situations.

Good luck, hope you're able to get everything settled without to much more headache.