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Alienware "Testimonials" For starters, none of the opinions stated below have been solicited by me. All of these accounts are from complete strangers who discovered my site while searching the web for others who had experienced problems with Alienware. They emailed me with their stories and I have posted them here with their permission. This was the first email I received. I was a bit surprised that a soldier in Iraq would stumble across my site, but hearing his story is what prompted me to start this page so that others might be heard as well. This is his email to me and it is unaltered from its original form.
Hey Rodney,
Im glad you wrote back. I bought my alienware back in April 04 and
actually ordered it while I was stationed here in Iraq. It took them
about a month to get it to me. 2 weeks after I received it, the damn
thing started breaking down. It all started with the DVD. It wouldnt
read or recognize all the time. Then I had sound card issues and Lan
conflicts. Here in Iraq we only get about 15mins on the phone to talk
to our loved ones per day. So I took the opportunity to call
alienware instead of my wife. I told them where I was and what very
little time I had to talk on the phone... That was just the
beginning. After several phone calls later of them putting me on
more than 15 mins of hold time, I eventually got through. I told them
I wanted to return my computer and receive a refund, due to poor
service and poor equipment. They told me Ide have to talk to their
techs and troubleshoot it prior to any refunds. I told them was well
within my 30 days and wanted a full refund. The rep replied that I
would have to pay the 15% restock fee...I was upset and confused but
said I would pay it. They encouraged me to call tech support for a
return reference number and I could send it out. When I got through
to tech support they acted like they knew nothing of a return control
number and told me to contact customer service. So a week later I got
in touch with them once again and said I wanted a refund minus the
15%. They told me I was over my return period. They charged me for
the time it took to ship it to me !!! And also said that I had called
them 2 weeks prior to receiving it and complained about my video
card. It goes on and on. Eventually, 3 months later I came home for
2 weeks MID TOUR from Iraq and called them again. They told me to
ship it back and they would work on the refund and rush it so I could
have it for my return trip to Iraq. Well not only did they not get it
back to me before I shipped back to Iraq, they mailed it to the wrong
address when they did ship it out. Then they had to get it back take
it back to the depot and run diagnostics over again in case it broke
in between misships. Well I finally got it in Iraq and all the horror
started again 2 weeks after I had it. CD/LAN/SOUND/BATTERY. The
parts they replaced when the got it the fist time were, Motherboard,
Battery, DVD and Hard Drive. How could a machine that costs $3000
dollars have so many bad parts installed?
So I recontacted them and BBB and got a response quickly this time.
First BBB wrote them and asked them to help me and inform them of the
results. They emailed me to call them from Iraq again. So I did and
get this, They wanted me to troubleshoot it over the phone in Iraq
before they took it back. I had no tools and told them all I had mas
multipliers with a tiny flathead screwdriver. The guys proceeded to
inform me there is no way he could help me unless I followed his
instructions and dissassembled the Ram, and Video Card. WITH A
MULTIPLIER !!!??? Well I got through that and now they say I have to
ship it home so they can send a shipping label to my parents so they
can pay for the shipping??? Oh man this is shitty. Well 8 months and
$3000 dollars later all I have is a empty computer bag and hopes for
some sort of a frankenstein for a laptop in the end. All my computer
does right now is turn on with no video or sound just fans blowing in
the backround.
Im tempted to buy a dell or a voodoo and be done with it, and count
this as a learning experience. WHAT CAN WE DO ??? WE ARE AT THEIR
MERCEY.....What happened to the customer is always right or keep the
customer happy? DO we deserve this ? I hope you find some sort of
answers for I am at wits end. Not only can I not call everyone and
their mother to complain about this, I am only limited to my mere 15
min phone calls and hopes of a response from an email. This is my
second alienware. My first one was a desktop and I never had one
problem. What would you do?
Another Dissatisfied Alienware Customer
Thanks for listening ..... Give me a link to your web so I can sport
my very own anti-Alienware Tshirt.
John
He sent me this follow up email in which he detailed just a small bit of his experience in Iraq. It was quite interesting, and I thought you all might like to read it.
Now some information from the front lines that may be fun for you to
read.
We (1st Infantry Division) arrived here in Feb 04. Went through 1
month of integration and CQC (close quarter combat training) By
March we were on the ground patrolling and getting mortared daily.
Dozens of fire fights and mortar rounds later and we now live inside
the city of Samara Iraq. Trying to help these people keep their
families safe from local insurgents from Iran and Syria. Well all
in all Ive lost 10 friends and got blown up myself (luckily it was
superficial) I was on a routine patrol and we rounded a corner when
I noticed something out of the ordinary in the street (this was at
night). I called it up as my LT. came around after I passed it,
that's when it exploded. Three 155 MM Mortar rounds buried in the
street with a piece of black tarp on top of it. I was looking back
when it went off and I called back to ask if him and his crew were
ok. He called up yes everyone is good and we proceeded to press
on. When we got into our Overwatch Position about 500 meters away
from the blast I noticed that my forearm and triceps felt cramped
up. SO naturally I started flexing them to get the muscle loosened
(thinking I was just cold) That's when I felt some wetness in my
sleeve. I called up on the radio that I think Ive been hit and said
I was going to check it out. I climbed down out of my turret in the
back of my Bradley and started to take of my top. As I peeled the
layers off I noticed a hole about the size of a quarter in my
forearm and a couple dime sized holes in my triceps. My DCUs(Desert
Cammies) had a few holes where you could see where the metal had
entered. The medic came over and taped some gauze on my arm and
asked how I felt. Surprisingly I felt fine and it didn't hurt much
at all. I told him I'm going to finish up my patrol and Ill check
with the doc when we get back to the Patrol Base. So three hours
later I went in got myself some stitches and went to bed. The next
morning I was black and blue up and down my arm and in some pain.
Today I'm doing ok but certain movements I make are difficult due to
the metal in my arm is still a little jagged. December 7th was the
night of the incident and here 9 days later I have a good size scab
on the triceps and forearm but I'm very happy that it didn't hit my
face.
Here's an email I received from yet another dissatisfied Alienware customer.
I've
been doing damage control on my father's Alienware purchase. After
reading your account, I see that we are making the right decision
repudiating the contract. If they sue, they sue, but we have decided
to
dispute the charge with the credit card company. They must not have
lawyers,
because they violate all sorts of contractual law in their day-to-day
operations. They promised my father delivery of his Area-51 system,
ordered
on 10/08/2004 by 11/08/2004. It was delivered on 12/06/2004,
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