Topic: Alienware?

Alienware Homepage wrote:

1.19.2005 Alienware Introduces MJ-12 3300 Value Workstation

Alienware is now able to offer creative professionals many of the features and options available on the award winning high-performance desktop workstation models in a powerful, space-saving and incredibly affordable system. With the MJ-12 3300, users will be able to explore the full extent of their creative capabilities.

Just wondering...

is there something you want to tell us Dan?

jim

Re: Alienware?

I think he's just pointing out that it's an MJ12.

However, I'd like to offer an anecdotal warning to anyone shopping for a computer and considering an Alienware.

A friend of mine bought  bleeding edge computer from them about two years ago and has had nothing but problems with Alienware's support from the outset.

First they sent him the wrong keys for his case, and the restore/driver CD they sent didn't work.  They tried to charge him for the replacement keys and $50.00 for the restore CD.

After a while, his power supply died.  He'd paid for on-site service but the power supply was "an exception" to the on-site because it involved electrical connectors (like what doesn't in a computer?).  So he had to send it in to depot, where they'd replace the power supply, wipe his hard drive and re-image the drive with a factory install.  No, he couldn't keep the drives when he sent it in.  No, he couldn't request that they NOT wipe the drives.  BTW, the "exception" wasn't noted in ANY of the documentation of the on-site warranty, nor anywhere else for that matter.  They also refused to just send him a new PS so he could swap it out and send the fried one back to them.

THEN, a while later his graphics card died (no overclocking involved, ever) and they attempted to offer him a replacement card that was inferior to the one he purchaced.  They refused to offer him an equivalent or better card until he sicced his lawyer on them.

Based on my friend's experience with Alienware's service and support, and the manner in which they try to avoid standing behind their warranties, I would advise everyone to look for a different vendor.  His computer is still a very fast, stable machine when the hardware is happy, and those hardware failures can't be attributed to Alienware, but their handling of the situation can be.

EVERY time he has contacted them, he has had problems getting the support he paid for when he bought an extended warranty and support package.

YMMV, but I'll never buy an Alienware.

--Tim
(FYI:  I bought a computer from MonarchComputer.com, very nice.  I literally picked it out to the component and they built it, burned it in, compatability tested it and such... for a better price than Dell could ever deliver a system that wasn't even as beefy.)

Re: Alienware?

Wow!

That's a bad rap. You can rest assured I won't be buying an Alienware computer any time soon.

I didn't have to pick out any components for my computer, I just went to the guy and said. "Gimme one of them purty computers. "

jim