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Velocity Prime
Suddenly Ninjas
Tear Extraction And Reclamation Service
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Posted - 2009.04.21 03:34:00 -
[1]
I've recently had some computer problems, and have been having a heck of a time trying to get Alienware to fix it. When I sent my computer in to get fixed, they actually returned it to me with downgraded parts thinking that I wouldn't notice. They've ****ed me off so badly that I've resurrected the blog I started a while ago in order to tell the whole story (which has been going on for a while now and isn't over yet). If you get a chance please check it out. It's a pretty long story, so do it while you're bored at work or eating a sandwich or something. I've included a Digg button on the bottom of the post too, so hit it if you're a member of Digg.com. If I can convince one person to avoid buying their next computer from Alienware, I'll have done my job.
Enjoy.
VelociLogic.com
We're Recruiting! |
Jacob Mei
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Posted - 2009.04.21 03:40:00 -
[2]
Arnt they owned by Dell these days?
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To borrow a phrase:
Players who post are like stars, there are bright ones and those who are dim.
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Drax Darksun
Damage Incorporated.
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Posted - 2009.04.21 03:43:00 -
[3]
Yeah, you know, the constant Alienware hate that we all scream when people try to buy from them (or when they do anything BUT build their own machine) isn't warranted or anything...no...we're all just a bunch of stupid system builders.
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Brea Lafail
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Posted - 2009.04.21 03:46:00 -
[4]
This is why you buy from places that you can physically go to, and have repair technicians on staff. I've actually had good experiences with London Drugs.
Also, most places will try to get away with downgrading your ****, then be like, "whoops, sorry, we meant to UPgrade it!" once you yell at them.
Also, Alienware already has a reputation of overpriced ****. My brother was talking about buying his next PC from them. I no longer have a brother.
In before Ralara. |
Jacob Mei
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Posted - 2009.04.21 03:48:00 -
[5]
 Originally by: Brea Lafail
Also, Alienware already has a reputation of overpriced ****. My brother was talking about buying his next PC from them. I no longer have a brother.
Harsh but likely saved you a bunch of I.T. headaches, lol.
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To borrow a phrase:
Players who post are like stars, there are bright ones and those who are dim.
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LaVista Vista
Conservative Shenanigans Party
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Posted - 2009.04.21 03:56:00 -
[6]
Indeed. Alienware is a Dell company.
I must admit that I have heard nothing but good about them. Well, that but the price part. But hey 
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Velocity Prime
Suddenly Ninjas
Tear Extraction And Reclamation Service
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Posted - 2009.04.21 03:56:00 -
[7]
Yep, you guys are right. I won't be buying anything from them in the future, I'll be building my own.
We're Recruiting! |
Jacob Mei
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Posted - 2009.04.21 06:03:00 -
[8]
Originally by: Velocity Prime
Yep, you guys are right. I won't be buying anything from them in the future, I'll be building my own.
Good call. In this day and age its so easy to build and customize a computer that you will wonder why you didnt do it sooner. You will find that generally your headaches will be less when you just have to swap out a heat sink or graphics card to fix your problem as opposed to shipping the thing back and finding out that the company is trying to screw you by putting in older parts than they should.
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To borrow a phrase:
Players who post are like stars, there are bright ones and those who are dim.
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Roymundo
Caldari
Manhattan Project Inc
Sylph Alliance
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Posted - 2009.04.21 06:28:00 -
[9]
Edited by: Roymundo on 21/04/2009 06:28:51
i just recently got a alienware pc. 'tis uber. really is.
no problems with it.
reckon you lot are a bunch of it nerds (insert that weird nerd sound Dr.Frink makes in the simpsons....).
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Reven Cordelle
Caldari
Yamainu-Mirai Heavy Industries
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Posted - 2009.04.21 08:41:00 -
[10]
I always always ALWAYS build my own systems, and I tell other people to as well if they want a gaming rig.
Gaming is like the "Sports" of the PC world. If its got "GAMING" written on it, its overpriced, especially when it comes to pre-built systems.
Now if you want a basic net or media machine then yeah, cheap as hell. Factory-spec barebones systems let this happen.
However, if you go onto a website such as Overclockers and see they're offering "Elite Gaming" systems costing over ú5000 without even so much as one watercooling loop, you gotta wonder where the cash is going. (Except on overspecced Intel Processors)
Building a PC isn't even hard, its like big legos. Everything is marked now, even mobo headers come with a blatent adaptor to simplify connections. Theres no reason not to both save money and learn something by whipping up your own little machine.
Simples.
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Dong Ninja
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Posted - 2009.04.21 09:10:00 -
[11]
Originally by: Roymundo
Edited by: Roymundo on 21/04/2009 06:28:51
i just recently got a alienware pc. 'tis uber. really is.
no problems with it.
reckon you lot are a bunch of it nerds (insert that weird nerd sound Dr.Frink makes in the simpsons....).
Next time you buy a computer, just tell me what you want and I'll charge you 500 bucks + parts to put it together for you, and at least I'll use that money wisely.
Originally by: Xen Gin
Indeed, upgrading an MS OS is like taking a **** into a cake mixture, then complaining that it doesn't taste good when it's all done.
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LaVista Vista
Conservative Shenanigans Party
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Posted - 2009.04.21 09:43:00 -
[12]
Originally by: Reven Cordelle
I always always ALWAYS build my own systems, and I tell other people to as well if they want a gaming rig.
Gaming is like the "Sports" of the PC world. If its got "GAMING" written on it, its overpriced, especially when it comes to pre-built systems.
Now if you want a basic net or media machine then yeah, cheap as hell. Factory-spec barebones systems let this happen.
However, if you go onto a website such as Overclockers and see they're offering "Elite Gaming" systems costing over ú5000 without even so much as one watercooling loop, you gotta wonder where the cash is going. (Except on overspecced Intel Processors)
Building a PC isn't even hard, its like big legos. Everything is marked now, even mobo headers come with a blatent adaptor to simplify connections. Theres no reason not to both save money and learn something by whipping up your own little machine.
Simples.
You are fundamentally right, when talking about people who know how to use a computer in the first place.
In the last 6 months I have helped 5 people buy computers. And guess what I got them: an 850 USD machine with 4 years of extended support and warranty in their own home. That's right, if something goes wrong, a person will come and fix it up.
One of those machines(My sisters), some keys chipped off after a week or two. We called dell and very next morning(It happened in the evening), a nice dell-guy came in, took the and replaced the keyboard and then left. No questions asked, he just did the job.
There's a reason why companies like Dell's profit is way down: The profit margin on computers is way down too. The price of a dell compared to self-build is MINISCULE now when we are talking office PCs.
As long as you aren't buying stupidly powerful PCs, Dell is a very fine machine for a fine price. In case that you want some gigantic graphics card or the i7 chips, build your own.
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AlleyKat
Gallente
Sharks With Frickin' Laser Beams
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Posted - 2009.04.21 10:14:00 -
[13]
I'm in the middle on the whole 'building your own machine' idea.
On the one side, there is the satisfaction of creating your own Rig, plus savings and on the other side someone else can do it for you and do all of the testing/configuration/settings/timings etc.
If they mess up the building of the machine, you don't have to pay for it.
Regards,
AK
EVE-ONLINE VIDEO-MAKING TUTORIALS |
Malcanis
Vanishing Point.
The Initiative.
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Posted - 2009.04.21 10:26:00 -
[14]
Originally by: Velocity Prime
Yep, you guys are right. I won't be buying anything from them in the future, I'll be building my own.
This is the way forward. It's ridiculously easy these days. Why I remember when motherboards had nothing but DIP switches, and we LIKED it that way...[5 more pages about setting IRQs, trying to keep the autoexec.bat for Master of Magic small enough to load the games, PCChips motherboards... RAM used to be ú300 per Megabyte... blah...blah...]
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Kazuo Ishiguro
House of Marbles
Zzz
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Posted - 2009.04.21 10:46:00 -
[15]
Heh, building my own could hardly be any worse than the experience I've had with a pre-built one, even if it was relatively cheap. I recommend having at least one other working PC with an internet connection before doing a build, though, so you've got google on your side if anything goes wrong.
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masternerdguy
Gallente
Point of No Return
Blade.
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Posted - 2009.04.21 10:51:00 -
[16]
theres nothing wrong with buying a pc, what is wrong is buying from a dell affiliate. |
Ranik Sandaris
Caldari
The Centurions
Eternus Imperium Alliance
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Posted - 2009.04.21 10:53:00 -
[17]
it is not that there is something inherantly wrong with buying a prebuilt pc. Just that it tends to be better and cheaper if you build your own. |
Brea Lafail
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Posted - 2009.04.21 12:28:00 -
[18]
Edited by: Brea Lafail on 21/04/2009 12:28:26
Originally by: AlleyKat
On the one side, there is the satisfaction of creating your own Rig, plus savings and on the other side someone else can do it for you and do all of the testing/configuration/settings/timings etc.
This is pretty much my view on it, but I would not expect to save money building the thing myself, especially when factoring in the value of my time.
Physically putting all the bits together is the easy part of building a PC. It's an excellent example of human factor engineering in that they have made it difficult or impossible to plug the wrong thing in the wrong slot, it's either colour coded or just won't fit in any other place. Hard part is making sure all the bits are compatible, installing the OS, installing drivers, setting up BIOS, etc.
Then, anything breaks, you can't just call up one place saying "you come fix, yes?" You gotta figure out what part broke yourself and hope that it's under warranty from someone.
In before Ralara. |
Deathhawk
Hammersmith Hardmen
Exquisite Malevolence
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Posted - 2009.04.21 12:52:00 -
[19]
i have an alienware m9750 laptop that ive had for 2 years now works awesome still.. had a problem where my power adapter stopped working so rang them up and they sent me a new one in the post straight away..
i love my little blue alien head
Chuck Norris wears Deathhawk pyjamas |
Velocity Prime
Suddenly Ninjas
Tear Extraction And Reclamation Service
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Posted - 2009.04.21 14:37:00 -
[20]
Originally by: Brea Lafail
Edited by: Brea Lafail on 21/04/2009 12:28:26
Originally by: AlleyKat
On the one side, there is the satisfaction of creating your own Rig, plus savings and on the other side someone else can do it for you and do all of the testing/configuration/settings/timings etc.
This is pretty much my view on it, but I would not expect to save money building the thing myself, especially when factoring in the value of my time.
Physically putting all the bits together is the easy part of building a PC. It's an excellent example of human factor engineering in that they have made it difficult or impossible to plug the wrong thing in the wrong slot, it's either colour coded or just won't fit in any other place. Hard part is making sure all the bits are compatible, installing the OS, installing drivers, setting up BIOS, etc.
Then, anything breaks, you can't just call up one place saying "you come fix, yes?" You gotta figure out what part broke yourself and hope that it's under warranty from someone.
This is essentially why I bought a factory built machine. I wanted quality parts, put together in a configuration that I knew would be good, and if I had any problems I wouldn't have to troubleshoot it myself. If you guys read the blog post I wrote, you'll see that they replaced the motherboard twice, the CPU, and the video cards all in order to get the thing back up and running. When the computer crashed, I had no idea at all what was going on, and if I had built the machine myself, it probably would have taken quite a bit of time and money to fix it, not knowing what was the problem. I would have had to buy extra parts and just do it by trial and error. In a perfect world, the stooges as Alienware would have gotten it right the first time, making my little theory above correct, but as you can see the time invested and frustration levels are just as bad if not worse as if I would have built the thing myself.
On the flip side of the coin you have companies like Apple who excel at customer service. From my blog post:
"A while ago, the hard drive on my MacBook failed. I made a call to Apple and was on the phone with them for about 10-15 minutes. The next day a box arrived at my house, and the following day I sent my computer out. Three days later my computer arrived back at my house, working perfectly, with a newer version of the operating system on it than I originally had, saving me a hundred bucks. Bing, bang, done. Yes, I will be buying computers from Apple in the future."
That my friends is how you treat a paying customer, especially one that has paid a premium on your product. Alienware on the other hand ships their stuff FedEx ground, which for me took a week of shipping time each way. Multiply that a few times, plus them swapping parts on me and charging me....you can see why they suck.
Again, if you have the time, give the post a read and tell everyone you know to avoid these guys.
We're Recruiting! |
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LaVista Vista
Conservative Shenanigans Party
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Posted - 2009.04.21 14:48:00 -
[21]
That is exactly why I'm not planning to buy any kind of Windows PC any time soon. An iMac or a low-end Mac Pro will serve me well, and still run Windows for when I need to satisfy my gaming need  .
I have had nothing but good support with Apple either. But same can be said for Dell.
In either case, you do pay a premium for customer support. But it's worth the peace of mind and not being taken a dumb on when something goes wrong.
That's why I tell people that they should buy from Dell: 4 years worth of support AT YOUR HOME, inside 1 day.
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Blane Xero
Amarr
The Firestorm Cartel
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Posted - 2009.04.21 14:50:00 -
[22]
Edited by: Blane Xero on 21/04/2009 14:51:31
People who buy things for alienware pay;
20% of the price for viewing the website.
15% of the price for it being pre-built/specced.
30% of the price for the original cost of hardware.
35% of the price for the computer having "alienware" in the name somewhere.
______________________________________________
Haruhiist since December 2008
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Velocity Prime
Suddenly Ninjas
Tear Extraction And Reclamation Service
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Posted - 2009.04.21 15:18:00 -
[23]
Originally by: LaVista Vista
That is exactly why I'm not planning to buy any kind of Windows PC any time soon. An iMac or a low-end Mac Pro will serve me well, and still run Windows for when I need to satisfy my gaming need .
I have had nothing but good support with Apple either. But same can be said for Dell.
In either case, you do pay a premium for customer support. But it's worth the peace of mind and not being taken a dumb on when something goes wrong.
That's why I tell people that they should buy from Dell: 4 years worth of support AT YOUR HOME, inside 1 day.
Yeah, an iMac would run EVE great. I actually considered getting a Mac Pro before my Alienware machine, and now I wish I would have. 8 cores? Ohhhhhh yeah, baby.....
Originally by: Blane Xero
Edited by: Blane Xero on 21/04/2009 14:51:31
People who buy things for alienware pay;
20% of the price for viewing the website.
15% of the price for it being pre-built/specced.
30% of the price for the original cost of hardware.
35% of the price for the computer having "alienware" in the name somewhere.
But the light up alien head that changes colors is so cool!  |
Jacob Mei
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Posted - 2009.04.21 15:19:00 -
[24]
Edited by: Jacob Mei on 21/04/2009 15:23:04
Edited by: Jacob Mei on 21/04/2009 15:20:27
Building your own computer only takes about three hours even if you donÆt know what you are doing thanks to the "plug it here stupid" approach the interior of pc's so really the cost of your personal time, unless you are making high double low triple digits an hour is quite negligible.
The sheer number of people who show off what consists of their rigs these days means posting a thread asking for help, stating what you are looking at and what you need the computer to do means that on a site such a this will see several responses of free help within the hour.
IT tech support is over rated, in my experience so long as you donÆt actively abuse your computer (ie download programs with wreckless abandon, constantly keep the thing stressed with all the resources at 100% and so forth when a problem does arise a few minutes of trouble shooting will usually give you a good indication of what the problem is and again thanks to the internet you can get a second opinion for free from fellow computer users on websites such as this even.
Also Dell is the worst company to expect IT support from. I bought my first computer from them because at the time there support was supposively award winning. Looking back I spent no less than two plus hours either doing what they asked me to or convincing them that I knew what I was talking about before they finally admitted there was a problem and sent someone to fix it per issue (the computer had about 6 issues throught the time I owned it). The worst instance was the last when the IT was in my house and insulted me because my father demanded Dell come out and fix their computer. After that I just wont give Dell a second glance these days.
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Dao2
Caldari
No Limit Productions
Mostly Harmless
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Posted - 2009.04.21 15:58:00 -
[25]
*cough* hate to tell u but the gtx 260 is a far better card then the 9800 gx2 ><
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Velocity Prime
Suddenly Ninjas
Tear Extraction And Reclamation Service
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Posted - 2009.04.21 19:03:00 -
[26]
Originally by: Dao2
*cough* hate to tell u but the gtx 260 is a far better card then the 9800 gx2 ><
It's debatable, but certainly the specs don't say so.
Anyway, it's a mute point as they eventually upgraded me to GTX 280's.
We're Recruiting! |
Intense Thinker
Minmatar
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Posted - 2009.04.21 19:41:00 -
[27]
Now that opinions are out, what would a good company for factory built machines? Obviously Alienware is out, I would also like to add that Vigor Gaming rigs are pretty loud and I'm not sure who the hell decided to put my computer in a case made of steel... the thing weighs 50 lbs 
Pomp FTW!!! |
Velocity Prime
Suddenly Ninjas
Tear Extraction And Reclamation Service
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Posted - 2009.04.23 15:11:00 -
[28]
Thanks for the feedback and support I've gotten from everyone. I've called back Alienware this morning, and in short, they are refunding me the money that they tried to screw me out of for the video cards. Here's the rest of the story if you're interested.
We're Recruiting! |
Daelorn
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Posted - 2009.04.23 19:27:00 -
[29]
Originally by: Dao2
*cough* hate to tell u but the gtx 260 is a far better card then the 9800 gx2 ><
Not FAR better, but better. 
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Velocity Prime
Suddenly Ninjas
Tear Extraction And Reclamation Service
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Posted - 2009.04.23 23:06:00 -
[30]
Edited by: Velocity Prime on 23/04/2009 23:10:06
Originally by: Daelorn
Originally by: Dao2
*cough* hate to tell u but the gtx 260 is a far better card then the 9800 gx2 ><
Not FAR better, but better.
Yeah well, in tests it supposedly outperforms the 9800 GX2 (someone link the results of these tests because I have looked and can't find them.), and that's cool and all, but when I order two 1 GB cards and I get the computer back with two 896MB cards, you can understand my frustration. Alienware obviously knew they messed up and replaced them with GTX 280's. Good on them. I'm still not buying anything from them in the future.
We're Recruiting! |
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