My Alienware misadventure

I decided to buy myself a new computer for my birthday this year. I thought I’d treat myself to the #1 rated gaming computer as written by PC Gaming Review. After all, I’d heard that Alienware was top of the line. I deserve that, it’s my birthday.

So I went on the Alienware website and made my awesome dream gaming computer. I ordered the Area 51 7500-R5 with Windows XP Media. All the specs below as listed by the company. I ordered this computer on 8/29/08 the delivery was supposed to be within 5 days. I recieved the computer on Sept 13, 2008, two weeks after the order was placed. Now they also promise a very thourough process when making your computers. Now pay close attention to step 7, the quality control part. My system breezed right through that part. Why? They never checked it.

Now the computer arrived well packed and in four boxes. It was much larger than I expected and very heavy. I admired it for a few days then finally lugged it upstairs to find a place to test it. I got everything hooked up. To my surprise when it loaded up it asked me to put in the windows license number. That was my first clue that nothing was preinstalled. I later could not get the monitor to install. I sent an email to the tech department and then decided to reinstall video drivers. The monitor then installed correctly. After I figured this out I heard from the tech dept telling me to do the same thing.

I then started using it and installed a virus program. During this time it needed some restarts and the system would lock up. Soon it was locking up on all restarts. OH oh.. something is wrong. Grrrrr.

I called tech support and got a guy named Joe. He was very nice and tried to be very helpful. I also felt like he was following a script and probably knew more than he let on. The phone called lasted almost two hours. During this time he had me reinstall all the drivers, try to reinstall windows, when all of that failed, he then asked me to open the case to check components. I was very hesitant but he assured me it would be okay and not void any warranties. He had me remove all but one memory stick and then test each one. Each time I restarted, the computer froze. He then asked me to get a screw driver and we would check the video cards. I froze in my tracks and anger rose.

I said no, that was pushing it too far. I’m not a computer technician, I am a paying customer. I should not have to open my computer and perform these tasks. It should have come to me in a usable state. I spent a lot of money on this system and I want it to work. I suggested he arrange to pick it up and send it back for repair. He complied with my request and a Fed Ex label was generated to send it back. I packed it up and put in a note asking it to be tested and retested and if it did not work, I would be asking for a refund.

So fast forward a week later, I get my computer back with a note that said the defect was duplicated and repaired. I lug it back upstairs, plug everything back in and fire it up. It goes through the windows loading and instead of showing my desktop, it went to black screen. I readjusted all the plugs and tried again, same thing. Five times.

I called customer service and described what had happened and asked for a refund. He was very nice and didn’t argue. He wrote up my request and said a cancellation agent would call. A few days later, the cancellation agent did call. He tried to make things right by offering me a different computer built to my specs. I declined saying that I no longer had confidence in Alienware since my current computer had obviously not been check by quality control. I asked to just send it all back. He complied and made me a Fed Ex label. So I boxed up the computer, the keyboard and the mouse and sent it all back along with the speakers. I kept the monitor as I like it. He said it would take two weeks to process my refund. While I’m disappointed in the quality of product I received, the customer service end of it came out nice. Maybe your experience would be different but for me, it was a huge disappointment.

	Phase 1: (Order Confirmation) Your order has been received and is awaiting order confirmation. As part of our security procedures, all orders must be confirmed before they can be processed.
	Phase 2: (Billing) Your order has been validated and is waiting payment processing. While in this stage we are confirming any credit card and/or payment information for security purposes. Please understand that this phase is necessary as it will protect you the customer from any fraudulent transactions. We observe very strict security guidelines and hope you will appreciate our efforts. Note: Your method of payment and other factors may influence how quickly we can build your PC.
	Phase 3: (Payment Processed) Payment has been received and the order is now in queue for production.
	Phase 4: (Pre-Production) The inventory that will be used to custom build the PC is being pulled and inspected. In the rare occurrence that a PC component is not readily available, you will be notified via email.
	Phase 5: (Production Phase 1 – Assembly) Your system is being hand-built by an Alienware Assembly Technician. Alienware takes great pride in building our systems, as our motto reflects, “build it as if it were your own.” The assembly stage can take some time, as all the components and cabling in the system is carefully installed for greater upgrade flexibility and thermal airflows. Every Assembly Technician has been trained and qualified to Alienware standards. We pride ourselves on giving you a high performance computer system!
	Phase 6: (Production Phase 2 – Integration) This stage includes the installation of the operating system, drivers and any applications that are specific to the system you ordered. Our Alienware Integration Technician will also install any demos, benchmark utilities, and burn-in software necessary to correctly monitor your system’s performance. These functions are performed by AlienFactory, a proprietary software designed by Alienware for our valued customers. This is also the first stage of the Alienware 200-Point Quality Control Process.
	Phase 7: (Production Phase 3 – System Testing) Your system is undergoing the second stage of the Alienware 200-Point Quality Control Process. This is the most crucial stage. We perform a series of grueling tests that push the hardware components in your system to the very limit. This phase is especially important because it is here where the system either passes or fails. If it does fail, it will automatically go to one of our Diagnostic Technicians to identify and correct any problems before we ship it to you. The system may need to go back to an earlier production phase to meet stringent Alienware performance standards.
	Phase 8: (Production Phase 4 – Quality Control/Shipping Prep) The system is undergoing the final stage of the Alienware 200-Point Quality Control Process. An Alienware Quality Inspector is in charge of inspecting your system from top to bottom for any obvious or latent defects. Our Inspectors are seasoned technicians/engineers and are very experienced in the art of perfection. Note: If the system does not pass any of our performance standards, the system may have to go back to an earlier production phase and it may slightly delay your order.
	Phase 9: (Order Shipped) Congratulations, the order has been shipped. We only hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed building it for you.