15 R2, motherboard fail and battery replacement issue

Motherboard fails after two years, battery replacement fail.

My wife and I are big Dell users. We have purchased 5 Dell laptops through the years beginning in 2011. Three of the laptops were Inspiron models of one sort or another.  The other two are Alienware laptops.  One is the 15 R2.  The other is a 17 R3.  All of the laptops are still in service.  We have replaced batteries of course in the Inspiron's and had warranty work done on one of them.  But, they are all still in service.  The Alienware 15 R2 motherboard failed out-of-warranty.  It was our choice to not renew the original warranty, so I am not complaining about the cost involved in the repair.  My gripe is that one of the most expensive laptops we have purchased from Dell did not hold up as well as the lesser priced laptops.  Which makes me concerned the 17 R3 will fail at the two-year point as well.  Which brings me to my next issue. 

Since the laptop is two years old and the motherboard has failed; I thought we might as well have technical support replace the battery too.  That only makes sense to me.  Get the motherboard and battery replaced at the same time.  It should save on labor cost at least somewhat.  Oh, by the way, the battery is not user serviceable.  But, guess what?  The technical support department won't replace batteries.  They do not stock batteries, you have to purchase the battery via the sales department.  Then, you have to schedule an onsite service call to have the battery replaced.  VERY POOR DESIGN.  Very poor form for Dell.   

I am a technical person myself.  I repair circuits, boards, boxes etc for a major telecommunication company.  I have my FCC GROL certificate.  I have built computers and repaired out-of-warranty laptops and replaced parts in smartphones for years.  But, when I saw what you have to do to replace the battery in an Alienware laptop, I was immediately angered.  There is a definite design to make it NOT user serviceable. If you look at the user manual, you will find you have to perform the following steps:

Procedure
1 Align the screw holes on the battery with the screw holes on the computer base. 2 Replace the screws that secure the battery to the computer base. 3 Adhere the front AlienFX LED cable to the battery. 4 Route the speaker cable through the routing guides on the battery.

Post-requisites
1 Follow the procedure from step 4 to step 11 in “Replacing the system board".
2 Replace the display assembly.
3 Replace the hinge covers.
4 Follow the procedure from step 5 to step 11 in “Replacing the palm rest”.
5 Replace the wireless card.
6 Replace the solid-state drives.
7 Replace the memory modules.
8 Replace the base panel.

In short, you to remove all those parts and pieces including some wires that are not named in order to replace the battery. Then, and only then, can you follow the steps to put it all back together.  

With my 30 + years of electronics repairs experience, I feel confident I could accomplish the battery replacement and still have a working unit at the end of the repair.  But, it shouldn't be that hard.  There is no way the average user can even attempt the replacement.  They will be forced to schedule an onsite repair.  I have no idea that will cost.

The end result is, these will be the last Alienware laptops we purchase.  There are other laptops available that have similar specifications that are more user-friendly when it comes to battery replacement.  Very disappointed with the design.