I ordered two SteelSeries 4H headsets from Alienware on Jan 25th. My paypal account was charged the same day, and by the 26th my order status was updated to shipped. I thought, "Great, they'll be here any day". But then after a few days, I realized that I hadn't even gotten a tracking number yet. So I emailed customer support, only to find that they had not actually shipped my order, and that the items were back-ordered. I spent 2 weeks emailing Alienware about the progress of my order, and each time a different rep gave me a different story, they kept pushing the ship date back, and no one knew what was going on. The truth is that they may have made a mistake with the prices and sold too many to turn a decent profit, so they decided to wait out their customers rather than ship their orders, or at least apologize for the mistake and cancel orders. I waited a month, hoping that they would get their act together, but I stopped getting email responses and it was time to put in a Paypal claim. After a month of terrible customer support and service, they finally gave me the money they had been collecting interest on. I won't be buying anything else from Alienware in the future, and neither will any of my clients.

I spent over $3800 on a Laptop, the camera didn't work on it but I didn't care as it is a work computer and I'll never really use it. 30 days after receiving it, the computer blue screened (died).  
 
I lost all my data and had to reinstall Vista again. It worked for 2 weeks and then blue screened twice, both times it came back to life. The next day blue screen again but no coming back. I called their help center and after 4 hours on the phone we were able to get it up and working again (had to delete and rebuild the RAID). I also had to reinstall Vista and all of my programs again.  
 
Two weeks later while at a confernce, it blue-screened again. I called Alienware and told them I wanted to send my computer back and get a new one. They refused saying they had to try servicing it first over the phone and if that didn't work that I could send it in for repair. This would take 2 weeks at the minimum, remember this is a work computer.  
 
I asked to speak to the manager, and was given to him. I explained the situation and he said that there was nothing that he could do, either I send in the computer and wait 2 weeks or try to fix it again remotely.  
 
I told him that niether was exceptable and asked to speak with his manager. He told me that his manager could not speak to me but that he would call me with in 48 hours. I told him that 48 hours really wasn't really proving to me that they want to solve my problem quickly. He then said he would try and expedite it.  
 
Well they never called me back at all. I've emailed customer service, feedback, and still no reply from Alienware.  
 
I must now contact American Express and dispute the charges, contact the BBB to see what I can do, and my legal department is being notified of the issue.  
 
Everytime I blue screen out I have to contact our IT Company to set it up, whick costs $165 per hour and takes 4 hours.  
 
This company does not stand by their product. $3800 laptop better last more than 31 days.

I ordered the SteelSeries 4H headset from Alienware on 1/25. My credit card was charged on the same day. I received no confirmation or anything from the company. In early Feb I called and was told that it would be shipping the same week. Now it's mid Feb and I still have received nothing. My credit card has been charged over 3 weeks ago. They should charge the credit card only when the item ships. Their customer reps are full of empty promises. I would definitely not deal with them.

Ordered on 1/24/08, site showed phase 5 shipped on 1/28/08. On 2/1/08, I sent a email asking for tracking number. Recieved a email back on 2/2/08 stating my order has not shipped, and no ETA on delivery.  
 
So now it's 2/10/08, 2.5 weeks later, no ETA update, no product. They charged my CC on 1/24/08 and NEVER sent me a status update. Only response I got is when I emailed them.  
 
I will NEVER buy from them again, and I suggest you not either. Their customer service is horrible.

***AVOID AT ALL COSTS**** NOW OWNED BY DELL!  
 
I Ordered a "Steelsound 4H Headset" (GAMING HEADSET) from Alienware on 1/24/08. I received a confirmation email within 20 minutes or so. Two days later, on 1/26/08, My order status was updated to indicate that my item had shipped; however, no tracking number was provided. On 1/30/08, I had not received anything and called their customer service line. After approximately 20 minutes on hold, I spoke to a CSR, and was later transfered to a Supervisor who told me that the product was back ordered. Absolutely NO EMAIL WAS SENT by Alienware to inform me that the product was back ordered. The supervisor told me the item would ship soon.  
 
Today, 2/7/08, after waiting two weeks (Alienware filed the payment immediately on 1/24/08) without my money, I received the entirely wrong product - a STEELSOUND MOUSEPAD - value of approximately $1.  
 
 
UPDATE 2/10/08:  
 
I called Alienware again. They gave me the run around and told me that I needed to return the mousepad at my cost before they would a) refund me, or b) ship what I ordered.  
 
I asked to speak to a CSR Supervisor. He was an arrogant asshole, and after I tried to explain my situation, kept repeating, "after you return the mousepad and pay shipping", we can ship your order. He then hung up on me!  
 
I have to say, I really don't like paypal at all. However, I filed a dispute with paypal; they closed my dispute for no reason. I called them just now, and the Paypal CSR said, "that is the worst customer service story I've ever heard in my life". He credited me the full amount. Either way, what a Hell order!!!

This review was modified by its author, misternapps, on 2/10/08 3:09 PM.

I have completely had it with Alienware...  
 
I spent a lot of time spec'ing out exactly what I wanted, and appearance is important since I'm a Technology Consultant - and spend many hours in front of clients - and impressing them th a shiny new Alienware couldn't hurt, right? Except is crashes, dies, and is slow all the time... I'm a walking posterboard for "DONT BUY ALIENWARE" - has become a joke in my circles (Oracle Performance, even!).  
 
I DID NOT want a Dell, due to previous unpleasantries. Alienware says "we're much better than Dell - and made in the USA". "Really?", I said? "Obsolutely", says Alienware. Guess what? AS OF 2005, ALIENWARE IS A WHOLE OWNED AND OPERATED SUBSIDIARY OF DELL!!! The boxes are 100% CHINESE - stamped MED IN CHINA right on the back. All parts are CHINESE. They lied...and that was just the beginning!  
 
I spent over 30 hours diagnosing various issues in the first few days, including:  
- Stanby/Sleep FAILS  
- Hibernate CRASHES/REBOOTS  
- DVI Port DOES NOT DISPLAY  
- Took over 5 weeks for Tech support to figure out how the S/PDIF to TOSLINK WORKS!!!  
- INTERNET ADAPTER FAILS EVERY <30 MINUTES  
- INTERNET ADAPTER DRIVERS WILL NOT LOAD/REPLACE  
- WRONG DRIVERS SHIPPED - WRONG DRIVERS ON A/W SUPPORT SITE  
- CANNOT INSTALL/REINSTALL INTERNET ADAPTER  
- INTERNET ADAPTER WILL NOT ENABLE/DISABLE - AFTER HIB/STANDBY WIRELESS TURNS OFF - MUST REBOOT EVERY TIME!!!  
- Drivers Shipped by Alienware are WONG VERSION - FOR XP - NOT VISTA  
- Alienware ReSpawn 2.0 DOESN'T WORK ON VISTA!!! MUST RE-INSTALL O/S and REFORMAT HDD!!!  
- no ADVANCED RECOVERY Options!!!  
- Overheats - runs at 185F - too hot to even touch most of the time.  
- Alienware told me the box would be Vista 64 - Ultimate. It's not (go figure). It's 32 bit Ultimate, but just being Ulitimate means Alienware must provide the 64 bit OEM DVD's to any Ultmate customer - they won't do it. And say if I upgrade it to 64 bit then I void my warranty. Funny - this things were designed to run Vista 64, and Vista is native in 64...  
 
Forget tech support. Run out of Brasil, those dorks couldn't find a CPU if their finger was aready in the socket! They're USELESS and a WASTE OF TIME. Better off trying to Google it and figure it out yourself!!! Seriously! They can't even lead you throuh simple issues!  
 
Besides which, the SALES person told me this machine was 100% MADE IN USA - not 'assembled in USA or 'some USA parts', but 100% MADE IN USA. In case you don't understand that claim, it must be >90% PARTS, ASSEMBLY, SALES IN USA!!! THEY ARE LIARS ANSD CHEATS!!!  
 
I had open repair tickets from the first day I had this Area51 - none have been solved (some I figured out on my own). During one session with a tech, he instruced me to load some fan testing utility which gave me a VIRUS and shut me down a whole day to get it dislodged... Bunch of Clowns.  
 
So, I insisted they give my money back. They encouraged me to hold on and try to fix the issues first - begged ad pleaded. Then the next time I called, a customer service rep gets on and says I've just passed my 30 day reutrn window and it can't be returned anymore!!! F'ers! Now I'm stuck with this boat anchor...though it is a cute and shiny boat anchor...and weighs a ton.  
 
I don't ask it to do much - email, docs, spreadsheets, terminal emulation - whatever it does, it sux at it all... I'll never buy Alienware EVER again. I bet I cost them at least 10 sales a week - people approach me in airports when they see the Alienware Aluminum case - and think "awe, cool dude". I say, "no, dude - they suck bad" - another sale lost...  
 
I hate Alienware. I just want my money back so I can buy a decent reliable laptop for business! Alienware - you bastards - give my money back and take this piece of garbage back to your dump!!!

I bought an Area-51 M7700 laptop about a year and a half ago, and was amazed at the sheer weight of the machine. But then I was excited when I turned it on, because even during the frigid month of February, my new computer had warmed my entire room by about 10 degrees because it runs so hot. Those drawbacks were tolerable, but a few months ago, my ac adapter began malfunctioning and recently my batery stopped working altogether. When I contacted customer support, they notified me that my model was no longer supported. WHAT!? It's been less than 2 yrs and no support for my product. Yes, I will repair my new computer myself. Regardless, I paid over 3500 bucks for this computer and expect to be given due support for an expensive product, and I am very sorry that I am an alienware customer.  
 
Synopsis: I do not trust alienware, nor was the expensive product that I purchased on par with other products in the same price range, in my opinion.

In light of some major issues since my original review I feel it necessary to modify its entire content:  
 
My Area-51 ALX cost me just slightly over $6000 and couldnt wait to get my hands on it. The ordering process was straight forward and simple. I received the product in a timely fashion... and this where I stop talking about the good stuff and it all goes down hill for then on.  
 
On the day it arrived I set it all up and plugged it in. One of the first things I wanted to do was run some benchmarking programs (these programs test the performace)on it to see how good of a machine it really was. Well within a couple seconds I started hearing all this crackling but assumed it was the plastic housing heating up and expanding. After a mear 10 minutes the computer beeps and shuts down. Hmmm, not a good sign!  
 
I turn it back on and run the test again and it beeps and shuts down again. I take the side panel off to check and see if anything might have come loose during shipping and when my hand touched up against the tubes for the water cooling unit, they were hotter then could be. I call Alien and tell them this and Im getting a shipping label emailed to me to send it back for repairs... and after owning it for less then an hour.  
 
Two weeks and I receive it back with a replaced motherboard, cpu and water cooling unit. I turn it on and what do ya know... that same crackling noise. I pop the side of the case off and touch the tubes... hotter then could be. I call Alien up again and tell them I want my money back because this is crazy to have it overheat and in for repairs for 2 weeks and receive it back with the same problem... and all this fun for only $6000. They put me on the phone with a tech and he instructs me to remove this rear chrome piece and what do ya know... the temps all dropped to normal.  
 
So lets break this down for some clarity: Alien is suppose to stress test the machine for 24 - 48 hrs before they ship out, but then I get a machine that shuts down within 10 minutes of stress testing it myself because of overheating... hmm is someone not doing there job?  
 
Send it in for repairs they replace 3 major components at a cost (out of their own pocket) $1605.00 receive it back after YET AGAIN they were suppose to stress test it and what do ya know... its still overheating... hmmm is someone STILL not doing their job?  
 
Right there I should have just gotten my money back... but no, I have so been wanting an Alien computer for so long I let it slide. But the fun doesnt stop here... its gets funner!!  
 
My computer starts randomly rebooting on me so I call tech support. They have me on the phone for almost 3 hrs messing with the stupist things and later I find out from a REAL tech that this guy didnt know the first thing about computers cause he had me doing things a properly trained tech wouldnt even think of doing... plus the inept wanna be tech had me reset all my overclocking within my BIOS without knowing it till later.  
 
Well the computer continued rebooting and I continued being an idiot and started running all kinds of test on my own to narrow the problem down. I even thought I had it fixed at one point and called Alien and spoke to a tech to help me get my overclocking back to where it should be... again the inept tech had me set my CPU Core voltage WAY to high and I didnt know till I told someone who actually knew what their doing and told me I better lower it or it will burn up. So whats this? 3 for 3 now with the techs? LOL  
 
So after 3 months of hassles and headaches and not a single day of satisfying usage I called Alien again and spoke with a supervisor this time. The super told me test my memory sticks one at a time... I test one stick with 2 programs and no errors.. but then when I try and run a game with that same one stick... it freezes my whole computer.  
 
I called the super back and told her what happened with the test and she said that enough was enough and that even she as a consumer would be done with this computer. I ask her what we can do now and she offers me a refund if thats what I want... again being an idiot I say, no I would really like to stay an Alien customer and would like a working computer.  
 
She offers me the same computer but rebuilt brand new... I say no. She then offers me an upgrade to their next better system called the CrossFire and I say ok. Says I have to send my computer in first before they can build the new one and I tell her thats not possible so she says she will call back.  
 
Well instead she emails me and says I have to send it in first so I ask why cant it be worked that they build the new one and then I send this one and once they get it they can send the other one out... she explains that they have to dismantle it and price it out... I ask what do you mean and she explains that the price of all my parts has dropped since owning it for 3 months so if the price they come up with is lower then the amount for the new system then I need to pay that amount out of pocket... I was like WHAT?? What happened to the free upgrade I thought I was getting? Seems she was good at wording things to appear differantly then what they should have been. Nice trick... I was fooled.  
 
So she says if that is not to my liking I can just get a full refund... but in reality it isnt a full refund if they are deducting money because its now 3 months old... due to their fault and not mine.  
 
I must say that if you want a GOOD quality machine and good service dont waste your time with them... because trust me I will only be giggling when I see you didnt heed my warning and see you post on here how disatisfied you are. Build your own system or buy the parts yourself and have someone you know build it and if you dont know anyone or not skilled enough to build yourself... consider just going to a local store and buy an out of box computer. You will thank me in the end.

This review was modified by its author, xXMaXXimusXx, on 2/5/08 7:48 PM.

I recently bought a M9750 notebook off Alienware!  
This word will best fit my situation "frustration"! When I first unpack the package, there is a nice deep scratch on the back of the notebook "near the battery", the OS never worked! Black screen until it freeze! Blue screen "nvlddmkm.sys" ! Spent 10 hours + on phone with alienware support, 20 hours my personal time to fix the problem ! No Solution!  
Eventually, I request a full-refund, but the CRS told me a 15% restocking fee will apply no matter what! Then talked to Eduardo Ramos, asked him if there any circumstances that the 15% restocking fee can be waived! He said: "Yes, when you have never recieved your computer" !! I was on the phone with him for 45 mins!  
 
I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM ANY POTENTIAL CUSTOMER for ALIENWARE to Reconsider your DECISION before attempting to buy anything FROM THEM !!  
 
If you are bored, try google.come and google search "Alienware Problems / Alienware Suck / Alienware review"  
 
YOU WILL FIND ALOT OF NEGATIVE FEEDBACK (PERSONAL) , and they wrote WAY MORE THAN I DO! the only positive feedback you can see from Alienware r those who get pay to do so on their "newest release laptop magazine" and such !! At least that is what I found~  
 
Just think about it ! Why people type that much ?! And do they benefit from it ?  
I don't think so unless we own dell or w/e !  
 
And to the post below, I hope your computer doesn't have any problem in the near future! Or else, you will start feeling the same way as I do  
and, what I can tell you is that, the problem usually occur after the first 2 months! Good Luck  
and im pretty sure the chance is not 1/1000, more like 50/50 !  
 
I will never Do business with alienware again in my ENTIRE LIFE !  
 
Derek~  
If you would like more information about my experience with alienware ! feel free to email me @ derek_boy1@hotmail.com ! I got alot to share :(

I write to review this company on their warranty terms. Alienware offers a warranty which sounds quite good, but that is where it stays! It sounds good, but it isnt good! This complain is due to a problem I have been haivng wiht htis company since June 5 2007 to have a refund be posted on my account.  
The problem started on May 18 2007 when I discovered my hard drives where having problems. I decided to have them rpelaced, after going thru all the check that Alienware goes thru on the phone it was discovered that both hard drives where bad and had to be replaced. On May 21 2007 Alienware authorized the hard drives and I received them quite fast!  
I used the same packaging the new hard drives came in to send the damaged ones. I sent them the same day, I received the new ones (May 28, 2007).  
Later I noticed a charge for $447.00 for 2 seagate laptop hard drives. I couldnt belive the company had charge me, I thought it was a mistake so I decided to give them a call. After much waiting on the phone and their staff doing various checks they found out that they DID receive the hard drives and that the charge had happened by mistake. The instructed me to wait 24-48 hours for a credit to appear on my account.  
After the 48 hours I didnt see the credit on my account so I decided to call again. I was told that the credit department was not available but that they would send them a message and find out what happened to my refund. I was instructed to again wait 24-48 hours for a reply. Again no reply and this time I call again and talk to Eduard ID# 16434 . He instructed me the same story, the billing department was not available, they could not see the entire transaction history and that they would send a message to the billing department and give me an answer. Again they instructed to wait for 24-48 hours.  
I will not repeat the same story, but you can imagine what has happened. Still no refund and the same story over and over. As I can see they are waiting for the 60 days period that msot credit cards and banks give for claims.  
Today I notified my bank and I am sending them the required proof of shipping so the 60 days are not over.  
 
This is the worst company I have made business with. As you all know the same computers could be brought from other companies. All alienware includes is the weird looking case that you will get tired of rather quick. If you want the same equipment at a cheaper price check with Dell. My company does business will Dell and will continue to do it with them. I was looking to purchase various machines for architects and designers from Alienware. After this problem I will never recommend this company to anyone on the business.

I wanted to post the actual letter I sent to Alienware, describing this experience of buying an Area-51 7500 ($5600, 4GB, dual 8800 GTX, quad core 3.2 MHz, etc.), but the 5000 char posting limit prohibits it. Wish I could post all of the details, but will keep descriptions very brief.  
 
**note: full letter now posted in the Merchant Discussion Forum  
 
I’m making this post with the hopes that I just have not talked to the right people at Alienware yet. I expect Alienware to make quality products, and stand behind them. My current 3 year old Area-51 is still working like a champ. Not every system can be perfect, and I understand. But when a system with as many major problems as the Area-51 7500 I ordered gets shipped to a customer, I expect Alienware to make it right. So far I’ve been disappointed by the customer service agents I have dealt with on this issue.  
 
I am VERY DISSATISFIED with Alienware at this point. My system was shipped with numerous problems, the most severe being an extreme overheating problem. Before ordering, I had a LONG discussion with my salesman (I did not order from the webpage, I talked to the salesman about every decision) about the cooling system. He assured me that the chassis and components would remain cool.  
 
Overheating  
- support agent said after a power-off due to overheating, turn back on and use BIOS  
- witnessed temperatures of 178 degrees Farenheit in BIOS view  
- temp at shut-off would have been even higher  
- determined with customer support that nothing had come loose during shipping, liquid cooling pump and fans were working  
- this shows that the problem would have been found with proper burn-in testing at the factory (my original Area-51 came with a 5 page document of the burn-in diagnostics. This current Area-51 7500 had NO such report to indicate that any diagnostics were performed)  
 
I worked for 17 years in telemetry hardware and software systems. Many deliveries were to sites with raised floor computer labs equipped with alarms if the room temperature went above 74 degrees Farenheit. I think I know a little about how heat affects system components. I have participated in many arguments about how extreme heat affects components, and I’ve never heard somebody argue that it is beneficial. The question always comes down to: how much damage was done?  
 
This is a systemic problem, it affects all components within the system. This is something that Alienware refuses to take responsibility for. Every one of the components in my chassis were subjected to the extreme heat. Now there is no telling what damage was done. No one can predict how the lifespan of those components were affected. The interesting part? Every person I have talked to at Alienware has agreed that there is no telling what damage the extreme overheating has done to my system. Yet they still refuse to take the system back without charging me the restock fee.  
 
I am reasonable. If any component (or even several) was not working right, I would agree to ship it back and let it be fixed or replaced. A video card (or disk drive, CD/DVD, sound card, memory, etc.) not working right doesn’t affect the rest of the system. This situation is different. All components have been affected, and nobody can predict to what extent.  
 
my dealings with Alienware Customer Service:  
- I have talked to a customer service agent, and to his supervisor. As described to me, Alienware will NEVER allow a system to be returned without subjecting you to the 15% restocking fee. It does not matter what they pack into the box to send to you, or how many mistakes were made, or how severe the mistakes. Once they ship it, you are stuck. Your only option is to let them attempt to fix it, and hope that you do not have similar or related problems in the future.  
 
3-year warranty:  
I understand how computer systems work. If a component survives burn-in and the first 30 days of use (to rule out infant mortality), it can be expected to work for years. My system is brand new, and has an overheating problem that should have been caught at the factory. This is Alienware’s fault. However, Alienware thinks that the customer should assume all of the risk and keep a system that has an unpredictable amount of lifespan reduced. This is not acceptable, especially considering this is a brand new, $5600 system.  
 
Some other problems (were they caused by the overheating, or just unrelated problems? Either way, it’s not good. But on a brand new system, the customer should not have to gamble that for the next 3 years it’s going to be one warranty call after another):  
- CD/DVD copy to HD, 40% lower throughput than my old Area-51  
- USB mouse not recognized at startup  
- unexplained incidents of screen going black (but computer still running)  
- etc.  
 
Approaching posting limits, leaving room for updates. Will update with any news  

This review was modified by its author, ExpectQuality, on 6/27/07 11:51 AM.

I'm a PC enthusiast since '81 who ordered an Alienware Area-51 7500 high-end ($6K) liquid cooled custom desktop system based on business and friends positive experiences and this company making a point on their website of the quality of their product and support. The net of what could be a long story is the online configurator quoted an estimated 10 days to ship at the time I placed the internet order with no constrained parts. A confirmation came immediately saying I was in "Phase 1" (of 9) and to allow up to 2 business days to go through billing/credit card validation. On the 3rd day I contacted Customer Service to find no action had been taken on my order. The agent was helpful and the credit card validation was accepted immediately when she processed it as I had preauthorized the card before the order was placed -- just in case. Within hours I had email confirmation that my system had moved into "Phase 5 Assembly" indicating the parts had been picked and everything was ready to be assembled. Several days passed. The day before the original estimated shipment was to take place I contacted Customer Service as no movement in the Assembly phase had yet taken place according to the online order tracking system. I was told two components were on backorder with no ETA -- to contact them the following week for an estimate. (This was strange as "Phase 4" should have found this problem and a proactive notification provided as documented on their site.) The system ultimately shipped 2.2X longer than the original estimate. Upon receipt, one minor item from the order was missing and the AlienFX feature would not operate. Tech Support was helpful, identifying a bad board and shipping the missing item without further problem. The board was ordered, my credit card taken to ensure the old one would be returned, and it would be my expense to ship the failing part back. Several days later, the board had not arrived. After this less-than satisfying experience, rather than retain the system for the 4-year extended warranty I had purchased and possibly having more problems of this sort with a premium-priced system, I contacted Customer Service to return it under the 30-day policy knowing I would pay return shipping and a 15% restocking fee. After an hour of being offered various things (another month of warranty, a coffee cup, a dedicated tech support rep) to retain the system, I was given an RMA number and told the refund should happen in 5-7 days after receipt. I shipped the PC back that afternoon and received the credit 9 days after they received the returned system.

This review was modified by its author, aleithol, on 4/4/07 2:06 PM.

ordered an area 51 from alien ware on 8/2004. Ordering process went well, actually getting the computer was slow. The computer ran well for two years and I was satisfied with the computer and its abilities. One day the machine developed a problem. I spent about 4 hours a day for 4 days on the phone with tech support (the computer has a three year warranty) before they decided that the motherboard was bad. They said they would ship a replacement out and I would have it in about a week. They also took my credit card number just to ensure that they received the bad mother board back. They insisted that my credit card would not be charged. Two weeks later I received a power supply. I called and they said it was a mistake (no kidding). They said I would receive a motherboard in about a week. It was about a week later when I noticed that my credit card had been charged $180 for the mother board I never received. I called and alien ware said they would look into it. A number of weeks went by with no mother board or credit return in site. I called and they said they would look into the delay. I called over the next few weeks and received the same response. Now I'm getting a bit ticked off  
so I filed a complaint with the Florida BBB. The next time I called Alien ware they assigned me a person from customer support to handle my case (Christopher Clausen). Chriss is a nice fellow and assures me he will handle this problem. Long  
story short, it took almost 3 months from my first call to get a motherboard. The tech came looked at the motherboard and said it was a manufactured part. He installed it and it didn't work. He called alien ware level 2 tech support and told them I needed a new motherboard, heat sink, and processor. They said yes to the heat sink and motherboard but no to the processor. I called Chriss and told him what had transpired and he assured me that the next motherboard would be a new part and that I didn't need a new processor. He said I would have the parts in about a week, and again took my credit card number just to ensure they received the bad parts back. He again assured me the credit card would not be charged and the first charge would be refunded. A week later I had a new charge on my credit card for another mother board and heat sink. I called Chriss and he said he would take care of it. Three weeks later I received two heat sinks and a motherboard. The tech came up, looked at the motherboard and said it was a re manufactured part(had bent pins in protected connectors). He installed the parts and the computer did not work. He called thech support and they said they would ship out a processor. I called Chriss and said I would no longer accept alien ware throwing remanufactured parts at my $4000 computer. I wanted to return it to alien ware for repair and testing. He said he would get back to me. Two weeks later I called Chriss and he said the only thing they could do, was for me to return the computer and I would get a 3/4 credit(3/4 of what I paid) on what ever I returned towards the purchase of a new alien ware system. He said this was their final offer. I accepted and returned the computer. On the day they received the computer I called Chriss and asked how long the return would take to process. He said about 5 days. I called a week later and he said they still don't have the return processed and it would be at least ten days. That is where we are today. My credit card has been refunded for all the alien ware charges that should not have been made and I am waiting for Chriss to call and tell me how much they will refund towards a new system. This has now been a 5 month journey and I still don't have a computer. I now have such a bad taste in my mouth over Alien ware that I don't want to order a new Alien Ware computer. During this entire process Alien Ware has never even apologized for the rotten treatment I received not to mention trying to make up for it. I would think twice before doing business with these people. As for me I think I will order a high end system from Velocity Micro. If you look at these reviews they at least respond to all posted problems. Look for a response from Alienware , you wont find one !!!!!!!  
I will update this review as the rest of the story unfolds.  
 
Here is an update: 03/27/07 Took the refund that Alienware gave me for the computer I returned (the refund was the agreed upon amount) and purchased  
a basic laptop and some components for my main computer that I ordered from PUGET computer.  
So far the laptop and all components are working fine. I do believe that Alien ware is trying to improve their customer service. The problem is that they left such a bad taste in my mouth that I will not do business with them in the future. They still have not apologized for the poor service that I received.  
 
 

This review was modified by its author, normanshouse, on 3/27/07 10:59 AM.

Ordered a new Area 51 on November 18th, (this was my second Alienware purchase, the first was a laptop in 2003 that is on it's 3rd motherboard, 3rd video card and 4th set of memory). I was giving them the benefit of the doubt because after the first 6 months with my laptop and all the replacements it had worked fine for 2+ years. Anyway finally got my new Area-51 on Dec. 5th, I was in awe that I actually got it in less than a month. The second day I had the CPU I went to turn it on and nothing, called tech support and explained how the power light on the inside wasn't even on. I was told it was a bad power supply. After 2 weeks finally got the power supply and an on site guy to come fix it. Installed the new power supply and it worked for 10 days, until I turned it off to reboot after updates and it never came back on. I called to cancel and was told I had the computer for 46 days and not entitled to a refund. I explained that the computer only worked for 10 of the 46 days so I wanted the damn refund. I agreed to the 15% restocking fee just to get the thing out of my house because it just made me mad looking at it. After reading all the posts on here I think Alienware doesn't care what the computer does once it leaves the warehouse because they seem to be in the buisness of collecting 15% restocking fees from as many people as they can.

I ordered the Alienware computer easily, but after that things went south. This machine has not worked properly since I received it. I have loaded sound software, video software, FLASHED THE BIOS ( not for the weak stomached )uninstalled the sound card, reinstalled it.  
Uninstalled the video card and reinstalled it.  
And guess what...still wont work. Their tech support is laughable, and their so called customer service reps are even worse. I paid for a 2 year warranty (HOME) and they wont come out to the home! If you think Alienware is reputable think again. Years ago maybe, but after getting a NAME they just want one thing and thats a sale.  
Look at Puget Systems, MAINGEAR or Velocity Micro if you want RELIABLE HARDWARE and RELIABLE TECH SUPPORT. Stay away from this company if you value your money. I made a 4500.00 mistake.  
Oh, and I have sent it back to them and they also  
are charging me their infamous 15% RESTOCK FEE.  
600.00 for a machine that never worked from the beginning. Great people they are.

This review was modified by its author, robmc, on 1/28/07 2:22 AM.