Best looking computer I never received.  
 
I ordered a Area-51 from Alienware (Dell) in February with a expected delivery date near the end of February. This was a very expensive purchase for me, but I really liked the look and expected performance of the new Area-51 computers.  
 
About a week before the delivery date, I received an email stating that the delivery was pushed out 2 weeks, and that I needed to respond or the order would be canceled. Of course I wanted my computer, so I responded. Only now my computer would be delivered on 3/10.  
 
Then on 3/5 I receive another email saying my computer was delayed again, this time with a 3/17 delivery date and that I needed to respond or my order would be canceled. At first I did respond, but then it hit me. I am spending over 3 thousand dollars with this company and they can't contact me at all when it is delayed and tell me why? Does it take 6 weeks to build a computer? Do they value me as a customer for spending money?  
 
So I called the company and said I was considering canceling my order, expecting an explanation and perhaps some concessions to placate an irate customer. Instead, within 5 minutes with no amount of care nor compassion, my order was canceled (no fuss nor muss) and with it my loyalty in a company that I had owned 4 of my last 5 computers with (Both Alienware and Dell) over the course of 8 years.

BUYERS BEWARE....Better Business Bureau acknowledges concern....  
 
I had the same exact problem as Reviewer chrissysmommie.  
 
Alienware's customer service is shit. I had my M15x for 1yr and 4 days before the laptop's monitor's hinge broke on me. I called Alienware for support and they refused to provide tech and phone support unless I paid them $60 since my Warranty had expired only 4 days ago.  
 
So I simply asked to renew my warranty, but both the Alienware CSR and their Supervisor refused and told me the only way to fix the problem was to have me pay them $805 to triage and repair the necessary work.  
 
My simple response was... "yeah right, you can kiss my ass."  
 
So I ended up parting my laptop and sold them online.  
 
My next purchase will be with iBuyPowers since they have far better reviews than the Alienshit.

Dear Alienware Support,  
 
I sent my primary PC, my Alienware computer in for three weeks hoping to have the motherboard repaired. One of the RAM slots on the motherboard was fried, and now my system only has one RAM slot instead of two. This was noted by someone whom I spoke to on the phone. Then I decided to take the time to send my computer to get it repaired, and endure the three or four weeks it would take for it to be repaired. Unfortunately, your repair staff seems to be incompetent. I can not even begin to explain the rage I am feeling after opening my computer after being without it for as long as I had to, only to reach inside and find a slip of paper with a check mark by "Failure can no be duplicated." Without hesitation, and in less than a minute, I duplicated the failure. I moved the RAM from one slot to the broken RAM slot. Tada! The computer would not start. Then the next check box is "Repaired" with the employees note beside it, "Reinstalled OS" I would like to point out that this is not a repair at all. I deliberately uninstalled the operating system myself, and I hope that Ms. Gisela Rangel did not think that I sent my computer out so that she could install Windows for me and pretend that she fixed something. Also the other option is "Not Repaired (Customer could not be contacted). I assume this means that if you cannot find the problem, that the customer is contacted to ask for more specification so that the customer's time isn't wasted and doesn't receive a broken computer; which it was, and I have. I am outraged, and cannot believe that someone working in tech repairs failed to reproduce my problem. In my opinion, you should fire this person immediately. Not only was my computer not fixed, but I received a system with two RAM cards, and they didn't even test it with two, which would have shown the problem. Nay they didn't even test it with the one I sent! I think it is absurd that I should have to send the computer a second time, only to be rolling the dice as to whether or not it will be repaired! Not to mention the huge waste of time waiting for my computer! Here is my information. I expect you to please call me back and follow up by telling me how you want to make this up to me to protect your customer service claims. Thank you.  
 
PC Number: 488869A  
RO Number: 1158743  
 
Agent Account: ******  
Phone: *** *** ****  
 
--  
 
I had to call them because they don't do email support anymore. They insisted that the tehnician had found no problems, and I insisted that I was able to duplicate the problem. They suggest sending me new RAM. I asked if I should be able to start the computer with RAM in either the top or bottom RAM slot. He said I should. I said I couldn't. He gave me two day shipping this time, but said that was all that could be done to expedite it. Two weeks later I received my computer AGAIN. I looked for the repair slip. It said the problem was duplicated this time. It said the motherboard had been replaced. I turned on my computer and tried to restore my computer from a backup with my external HDD. Turns out only one of my three USB ports now work, thanks to the "repairs" they made. I have to either return it for more repairs a THIRD time, or just deal with having one USB port when all three should work. Will call them soon but am exhausted.

This review was modified by its author, weaselgrater, on 1/22/10 12:17 PM.

buen equipo, algunas fallas con pantallas azules, pero en general buen equipo

Model: M15x laptop  
I purchased this disaster of a computer from a company that doesn’t understand the simple concept of customer service.  
The laptop has been a nightmare from day one. The volume kept on changing on its own while the laptop was sitting idle. The mouse pad was all jittery. The cursor would freeze up every few seconds. And those are some of the “less” irritating issues.  
I was asked to reload the OS with the “alien respawn” disk that they charge extra for. Twice. That did not help. Then I was told to do a complete reinstall with the extra disks that came with the pc. That fixed some of the issues (temporarily) that I had. At the same time I realized that I paid extra for a disk I couldn’t use since using it would bring back a lot of the issues I had in the beginning. Whoever was responsible for assembly and testing dropped the ball.  
After a while the laptop would start shutting down on its own.  
I sent it in for motherboard replacement twice. It came back with the same issues each time.  
The person placed in charge of my case tried to “upgrade” me to a 2 year old laptop that they no longer advertise on their website. Without my approval he had it shipped. I had it returned to the sender by calling the delivery company and rerouting it back to Alienware.  
Every time I called their customer service I was automatically rerouted to Dell. Go figure. Apparently Dell doesn’t have access to Alienware’s customer data so each time I called they would tell me to get lost. The only way to get hold of the right people was to call Alienware’s tech support.  
I’m still out 2000 bucks. All I got was the run around and a lot of promises.  
If you value your money don’t deal with this company.  
The day I buy anything from them again is the day Satan will be skating to work.  

This review was modified by its author, ed209, on 11/26/09 5:57 PM.

This has been the worst experience ever. I paid alot of money for this laptop, and when I called to get help and to order a replacement screen, they told me that they could not sell me a replacement but I could send in my laptop and pay almost 5 times the amount of the replacement part. I asked to speak to a manger and they REFUSED to let me speak to one. Before I finally got a hold of someone that could help me, I was transfered about 5 times and hung up on. I will never buy anything for them again, and I will not ever recommend them to anyone.

Alienware is the worst company ever. I awaited the newest Alienware laptop because I've always wanted an Alienware. They gave me a link to order it because it wasn't on their site yet. I ordered it and I had to wait almost 4 months in delays. It was very upsetting for 2 major reasons. The website kept on putting new dates on how long it would take, and I would wait for their estimation and 20 days became 4 months. They should not be giving estimations on new orders on their webpage if it is shorter than what the current orders are waiting for. Second, the price dropped $400 during the 4 month of waiting and they did not give me the lower price or a discount.  
 
When I got my laptop, I was happy because the ALienware design is really nice. But they have a lot of flaws with the design. The laptop overheated so the black coating on the laptop started to peel. The Alienware emblem scratches easily so it looks like there is a bullethole on the Alien's head. THe laptop overheats horribly.  
 
Then there is the operating problem. The Alienware that I bought came with the XP Media Center Edition. It was not installed completely and I had to look for the updates and download it myself to operate properly.  
 
There were also problems with hardware issues. My laptop crashed several times and I had to reformat the computer twice. The battery died 8 months after receiving it. I received a second battery and it died after only 5 months. Only 1 Ram gets read. Only 1 hard drive reads and then today, both hard drive went down.  
 
The customer support is horrible. I called them on several occassions and their fix is usually "remove the ram, place it back in, switch the ram locations." They gave the same fix for the hard drive and it all ends up not working. When I called to let them know about the battery problem, they saw that the laptop was drastically overheating. Their solution was to run the laptop with the bottom removed. When I called again about the overheating problem, they said that there is no records of the call.  
 
After the last time, I called customer support, my computer crashed on July 5th. One year and 2 days from when my laptop was sent out which was July 3rd. They didn't even compensate for delivery time where my laptop actually arrived a few days afterwards and they said that my year of free support expired. Unless there was a previous problem, they can only give 15 minutes of support, otherwise they will charge $40/hour for phone support. There was a previous unresolved problem with the overheating, but that problem wasn't recorded so I ended up with a $3200 oversized paperweight.  
 
I will never ever order from Alienware or Dell again. You can find better and less expensive laptops with better customers support and reliability.

Alienware is the worst company I have ever dealt with. DO NOT BUY ALIENWARE! I purchased an AREA-51 M15X and have had it only six months. I have had numerous blue screens, a screw fell out of the frame that holds the LCD in place and the internal fan is making noises like its broken. I have even done a system restore 3 times now, and it continues to blue screen. Everytime I call support, I am on the phone no less then 30 minutes waiting on hold to speak with someone. I purchased the AlienFX lighting system. I can't use it if I upgrade to Windows 7, since they haven't been able to come up with a fully functional piece of software to control it, so I am stuck with Vista if I want to use the lighting system I paid for. So I am currently on hold with them right now, since I need to setup an RMA to get all of these issues fixed, and its been over 30 minutes and I have not even talked to anyone yet. So essentially if you want to overpay for a piece of crap and get terrible customer and tech support, go with Alienware.

Ordered a x58 wartime edition, received the machine , worked fine, except for the alienware lighting. After about 2 hours on the phone with tech service, they said they would send out the parts and I could Install them myself. I told them I prefer they send a tech, since it required my removing the audio and vido cards to get to this board. they sent the parts in 2 shipments, the first by regular mail (took 10 days to arrive) and the board by fdedex, that took 3 days to arrive. when the tech arrived to repair the machine, he found they sent the wrong parts. At this point I decided to return the pc. That was no problem and I am now waiting for the credit. Everyone was helpful, but rather slow. they now have seveal new machines due out very soon, they won't tell you when, just soon, the upside to alienware over the others Is that they DO send a tech to your home, and you can buy a 3 or 4 year warranty. again..the people were friendly and helpful, you just need to push them a little. I'm waiting for the new area 51, I looked at I Buy Power, but they are a small operation, and no home service..for 3 grand, I want the service, and do not want to send a machine back for repair. every part can be replaced in the home by a tech, of course you pay for this in the price of the machine. all the company's use the same parts, It's how they put it together and ship it to you that matters, and Dell is not going out of business anytime soon

This review was modified by its author, Radar12400, on 10/14/09 9:31 PM.

Order an Alienware desktop last week. Picked up at FedEx today. Removed from packaging, etc. and to my disappointment it would not post. Contacted tech support and they had me try the usual troubleshooting- reseating video card, trying one video card at a time, removing CMOS battery, disconnecting optical drive and hard drive, holding power button in for 25 seconds when first powered off, and other garbage. Support rep finally arrived at conclusion that it was a defective motherboard. Well I'm in the process of selling my home and moving into a temporary place. They refused to ship to any address except previous. Also said I would need to arrange a time with their tech to replace the board. Inquired about returning equipment and they said it would be a 15% restocking fee even if it was defective. And shipping was not covered. I asked for a supervisor and was informed that he was the only one I could talk to about anything. Basically refused to transfer me to anyone of higher authority. I will give them an opportunity to try the motherboard replacement even though it is a great waste of my time. Will update as things progress.

I ordered the OPTX AW-2210 on September 30, 2009. The web page stated it would be 2-3 days for delivery. They debited my credit card on October 2, 2009. I called them for 4 days to get a delivery date and I was told each time it would ship within 48 hours. That never happened. I had to cancel the order on October 7th, 2009 and call my credit card company and inform them of the situation. At this writing the charge still remains on my credit card.

First off, I haven't even received my computer yet. I just need to display my anger with customer service and how things haven't worked out in any favor.  
 
I won this lap-top via a contest. The actual order was placed August 24th, 2009, for an m15x. I called to confirm and was told the ship date would be Sept. 16th, 2009.  
 
A week later, I noticed no movement on my order making the date Sept 3rd, 2009. At that point I sent an e-mail(before they insisted you call) and was responded to 3 days later saying everything was fine. Sept 15th, 2009. No movement on the order. I call in and find out it's on the check stage, and that within 24-48 hours it would ship.  
 
3 Days later, I call, and processes have failed and the screen was damage, product has no ETA now when shipping out will occur.  
 
I've called everyday since then, and have had answers ranging from 24-48 hours shipping and no ETA. Customer service is the worst I've seen as far actual help.  
 
I've won this computer for free, and was told it would ship almost a month ago. I was in the market for another computer after I get this lap-top, and Alien ware WOULD have been at the top. I'm afraid with all this two-way talk, they would lose favorably. I'm just saddened by what has transpired, and I don't even have the computer yet.  
 
**Update**  
 
I've had the m15x for once month, upgraded to Windows 7, and has been running great. However the hinge is cracking ALREADY. Less than a month and the computer is breaking down. Stay away from Dell and Alienware.

This review was modified by its author, n1chol3, on 11/2/09 3:16 PM.

DO NOT BUY AN ALIENWARE M15X LAPTOP.  
 
Short version of a long review:  
- Alienware computers were once known for their quality and performance; it appears that Dell bought the brand and kept them around in name only. The computers are overpriced, cheaply constructed and their service sucks.  
 
There are a number of reasons for this review, and it is not knee-jerk or reactionary in any way; I had high hopes for the quality of any laptop I spend more than $1500 on and, frankly, I was sorely disappointed by the low quality of the laptop I recieved:  
 
1. Cheap plastic construction; feels like you will break it.  
 
2. Screen hinge is weak, sways whenever you do anything.  
 
3. Touchpad doesn't work 50% of the time. Mine wasn't broken, but the pressure sensor is finicky and wont respond if your fingers aren't bone dry.  
 
4. Touchpad volume controls would randomly increase/decrease/mute volume while using keyboard.  
 
5. Keyboard did not respond fast enough to catch most double letters (I sent a number of emails talking about gogle searches and balon animals).  
 
6. New, fancy, customizable lighting looks cheap and gimmicky  
 
7. Oh yeah, and $200 shipping cost that is kept secret until the very last stage of computer purchase on their website.  
 
In all, the computer would probably work well as a desktop replacement if you used a separate keyboard and mouse, but that is unacceptable for a laptop that is touted for its power as well as portability.  
 
Alienware was a quality company until they were bought by Dell but has since fallen by the wayside. Dell appears to have bought the brand name to hook gamers of my generation who now have jobs and money. These computers are built with cost-cutting and not quality in mind. Their understaffed customer service dept makes it very difficult to get repairs/refunds.  
 
IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE BEEN DUPED BY THIS COMPANY INTO SPENDING TOO MUCH ON A COMPUTER, CONTACT THIS PERSON:  
 
Mike MacKenzie  
michael_mackenzie@dell.com  
Critical Issues Team Resolution Specialist  
Alienware Corporation  
305.251.9797 ext: 4802039  
866.442.5436

best purchase for laptops... you pay what u get... i bought a dell pc and alienware at the same time. while both had kinks here and there, ACTUALLY it was freakin windows vista crashed on laptop but alienware has the best customer service and its AMERICAN. the rep reset all my programs for me all i had to do was type my password now and then. Dell outsources all the customer service and i have had lots of problems with their systems...  
Even though it was expensive, the information from friends who know more about computers than me, said this laptop will last at least 10 years.  
the performance has been outstanding and its looks awesome.... my only disappointment is I should have paid the laptop off first before i bought my dell pc. Because i would have (I will in the near future) got the alienware pc...  
go to their website alienware.com to purchase....

I ordered an Alienware Area-51 X58 wartime edition and I am very pleased with it's performance on gaming and everyday tasks. Even though it's a little noisy I really don't hear it during gameplay so I am not worried about it. Other then that buying from Alienware was a smart decision and i would do it again.