Area-51m R1, motherboard replaced 3 times, HELP

Hi @IAMLT  you have done everything necessary and can now "Report an Unresolved Issue". Say that this is also a Formal Complaint and request escalation to the formal compliant tier that can authorise a full refund of your money. 

Thanks for the reply @crimsom

I don't seem to be able to find the "Report an Unresolved Issue". Can you guide me as to where I could find it? Thank you

Hi @IAMLT  the online "Report an Unresolved Problem" form has been removed. 

To escalate and report an Unresolved Problem, this is now undertaken by Dell Order Support and recorded within Dell's internal Executive Escalation Fusion report. However, it is more appropriate to contact the official Alienware Support @Alienware or Alienware FaceBook. They usually have a good technical understanding and are will escalate your Unresolved Problem for you. 

@crimsom Thank you again for the quick reply and useful information. I will wait to see what is Vicky's resolution and will report back here with update. If it doesn't work out, I will try your recommendation.

Hi @IAMLT  thank you for sharing update.

Now you have users on this forum intrigued. Who is Vicky, and what resolution has been recommended? 

@crimsom She is a supervisor from one of the technical support agent that I requested an escalation to. I last spoke to her Thursday on March 11, 2021 following a remote diagnostic with Technical support. 

Regarding the resolution, she requested a temperature log (through HwInfo) of me gaming for 1h to see if my temps were normal. You can see the result on the screenshot I took on my post. She said she would need a few business days in order to escalate my case and receive the "FINAL" resolution from whoever is the level above her. I will report back here as soon I hear back from her.

IAMLT,

That is terrible and even more frustrating than my own situation. I can only image what a sick feeling you have about this.

On a different thread,  I am working on a similar problem.  I've had 4th tech visits on-site and am now being asked to send laptop to the depot for what would be a 5th service in 7 months.  As Dell has argued with me, they haven't violated the warranty requirements yet because it hasn't been the same part each service call, but that is splitting hairs to me. This 5th service is a direct result of their Tech visit and will require a 3rd MB and 2nd keyboard replacement now.  

From my own experience with phone calls to alienware support, they would not provide customer direct communication with management or supervision.  SOunds like you may have gotten luck with Vicky.  Hopefully.  In my case they talked to management twice on my behalf while I waited on the call.  After doing that today, I insisted on and received written confirmation that my issue was re-escalated to upper management and should hear back soon.  I never got a name, like Vicky though.  I wish you the best - please keep us posted.  Those of us that got the short end of the stick with a Dell product need to stick together.

Just to provide an update:

March 17, 2021 at 10:14AM: Called Alienware technical support to have an update on my case since it has been three business days and no call backs yet. Agent told me I should hear back from the supervisor who escalated my case by today. Will update once I hear about said resolution.

I would literally test each individual component as to find out what keeps causing the issue. I don't know how all 3 motherboard would be bad if all the parts came from the original motherboard. After that document if any parts fail to work or do not preform as they originally used too.

Hopefully but I am happy for you incase they do replace your laptop.

March 17, 2021 at 4:44PM - I call Alienware Tech Support because I have yet to hear from the resolution from the upper management. During the call, I speak to the technical support Alonzo. The guys friendly and tried to help as much as he could. Upon enquiring about the situation with Vicky (the supervisor who took the responsibility to escalate my file), he told me he knew her and would try to get a hold of her and puts me on hold. After several minutes, he comes back and tells me that she is unavailable and basically asks me to clarify regarding the on-site technician repair. I confirmed to him that it happened on March 10, 2021 and that the technician replaced the following components: HEATSINK, MOTHERBOARD and KEYBOARD. He basically tells me that the fan could be a possible issue related to the overheating problem and seem to suggest that I should have it repaired. Upon hearing this, not gonna lie, I was pretty upset because said supervisor Vicky didn't get back to me and the resolution doesn't satisfy me. I told him that because I lost faith in the repair system based on my history, I was looking for a definitive resolution such as replacement of the unit OR a full refund. He enquired further with his supervisor. After a while, he came back to say that considering the case, they would really have to replace the fan FIRST and if it ever doesn't work, I would be entitled to a replacement. 

I was torn between if I should proceed with my formal notice or try "one more time" with the repair. The laptop has less than a year and has been opened so many times. How does that make sense? Anyways, I wasn't too comfortable with the idea and requested to speak to his supervisor so that I can hopefully reaffirm my demand and position regarding this matter. The call is transferred over to David Quiros. I get straight to the point and explain my situation. Basically, he tells me the same thing. He is telling me that based on their observations, the laptop doesn't have any issues and works as it should. He mentioned that perhaps, it is a question of "perception". I tell him if the temp logs that I sent, the 1H GAMING LOG.csv (as seen on the screenshot) shows "normal temps" and if it's working as it should. He did confirm that 98 degrees is a little high as an average but that as long as it does not exceed 100 degrees Celsius, it's not considered overheating. I tried to explain that prior to having the components replaced, I never reached these high and that running games at 100 degrees constantly with thermal throttle is not good for the laptop. He explained that as a gesture of good faith, they were willing to have the fans of the laptop repaired. 

At this point, I am pretty upset and stressed out. I bought a gaming laptop in order to play high demanding games, in order to relieve that stress. The time I have been taking to deal with this situation is just absurd. I told him that I do not wish to pursue that avenue, to have the repair done AGAIN, considering the history of previous repairs. I advised that I will pursue my other option, which is proceed with my formal notice. From the province of Quebec, we have the "Office de protection du consammateur", basically, it's a government entity that fights for consumers rights. I believe that my case, considering value of the purchase, the experience received and the problems encountered would make me entitled to a replacement at the very least and a full refund in the best case scenario. The call ended since we could not come to an agreement.

After giving it some thought, I thought that I should perhaps try one last time in order to show that I am willing to try to come to a friendly resolution. Keep in mind that it will be the fourth repair service if I proceed.

Since I had a ticket opened on Messenger with Alienware (as suggested by crimsom), I reached out and explained my situation. They told me that on March 15, 2021, the case was escalated to upper management and that I should get an "update of the best next step" by tomorrow or Friday. Later on, I agreed to cooperate regarding the repair, despite it being the 4th. Unfortunately, it was not clear if I had to send the laptop over to the repair depot or I could have an on-site technician do the fan replacement. I also requested to know if the upper management comes with an "alternative solution" in the meantime.

I will have to reach out to them in the morning tomorrow in order to confirm some details. Will post update soon.

Still stressed/upset at the whole situation. Also, will be preparing the formal notice in the event it comes down to it.

If they still replace the fan and it has an overheating issue I would take it apart myself. I've been diagnosing my dads AREA 51m R1 and it had an issue recognizing 128Gb as it would stop responding when I turn it on. Turns out inserting each module and turning on/off the computer each time for the upgrade would help. He also had an overheating issue and I cleared out his fans in case dust was there and reseated the cables. I also set a manual fan curve which would set the fans at 2700RPM when 40C was hit and maximum speed incase 60C.

Hi @IAMLT  thank you for sharing update. Please be aware that when Dell Warranty expires it cannot be extended if the system has a fault. Dell Warranty expiry is also the threshold when Dell Product Support will stop responding. If you do not get your Unresolved Issue into the system, you become stuck in limbo. You have been conciliatory and these faults have not been corrected, it is appropriate for escalation to the Dell tier that has authority to authorise a full refund. 

March 18, 2021: Alienware from Messenger confirms that it will be an on-site technician coming over to my home. So far, it's schedule for tomorrow but last one I had was postponed several days so would not be surprised of they didn't come tomorrow at his point.

I also find out through a telephone call to technical support this morning that the information from the agent Alonzo I spoke to on March 17, 2021 was not true. The "fans" and the heatsink are ONE component. I realized I was led to believe that I had to have another repair done, which is unacceptable.

Also, upon contacting technical support, the said promise that after replacing the fans, if the problems persists, I could get a replacement unit is a total lie. When I talked to the agent on the phone this morning, there is no such note and confirms that technical support agent have no power confirming such transaction. However, he tells me that considering the 4th repair, if the problem persists, I would be justified to request a definitive resolution. 

I sent a formal complaint to the last email where I sent the 1h gaming log.csv and also to the Facebook Messenger chat with Alienware. I requested a resolution by March 23, 2021 and informed them that otherwise, I will ask help from my consumer protection agency.

My plan so far:

1) Send formal complaint in the hopes to having a definitive resolution: replacement or reimbursement. 

2) In the meantime, receive said repair (if not postponed). In the past, all repairs created other problems so not confident it will solve my issue.

3) On March 23, 2021, if no answer, will send registered mail to DELL CANADA INC for the formal notice. I already prepare my documentation.

Will update as things progress.

March 19, 2021: Following the complaint sent yesterday, I followed up this morning to make sure it was received at the proper channel. Ended up talking with technical support and the agent confirmed it was received. He also asked me to send it to again to an email he sent to me. he advised me I would get called back in 2 hours.

I later on get an email from this agent that a supervisor will get back to me in 2-4 hours. (not a problem)

About 2.5h later, I receive the call from a supervisor. He tells me an exchange has been authorized considering my case. He asked me to proceed with something called a smart ID, which requires writing on a piece of paper (handwritten) some of your personal info along with a picture of the underside of the laptop that contains the service tag and express code. I complied to the demand and he stayed on the line throughout the process.

I am advised it could take a couple of days in order for the process to go through. He mentioned 7 to 15 days. I would be informed by email of the next step. Regarding the replacement unit, I am told it's a NEW unit. Not sure if their definition of NEW is equivalent of REFURBISHED...but either, it's better than my current unit at the moment. Also, he informed me that if one of my components from my laptop is not available, they would provide me with an upgrade.

It was very time consuming and stressful for me but I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, everything works out correctly.

Looking forward to the email informing me of the next step. Will provide update along the way as usual.

@rice_tubers @crimsom