m15 R1, reliability, regretting laptop purchase after only 7 months

Hi @rice_tubers  welcome to this user to user discussion forum. This is not Dell Support.

If you have had the same fault on three occasions and its not been fixed under Dell warranty, you become eligible for a new system or a full refund. As Alienware M1 laptops are being manufactured, it seems that a full refund is currently the only option for you. 

thanks, that sounds promising.  i received several pms from dell, sounds like this may be a fourth visit from a tech, we’ll see.  ill update the discussion with what happens.  i do appreciate how responsive dell, and this community, is.  just would like this thing to function properly

for those reading this, after situation being escalated to engineering for 72 hours, dells solution is to replace the keyboard for a second time.  im having a hard time following the logic in this. keyboard was just replaced 3 days ago  and this will now make the 4th service visit in 7 months.  what a lack of respect dell has for their customers time and money.  wow.  i will update as this progresses.  

Hi @rice_tubers  Dell has its own internal authorisation process, and front line call takers do not have any authority and are required to pass this up through their chain of command. These are not normal times, people are suffering and dying from Covid-19. Dell are obviously try to sort this out for you.  

That is a very good point about COVID.  And I do sincerely appreciate how actively Dell support  is responding to my emails and inquiries.  After the last message I sent late last night, another Dell rep told me they were actually going to replace the motherboard along with the keyboard.  That makes a lot more logical sense to me given the history of service on this product. For what it is worth, my son is really happy with the laptop when it works, and these do seem solidly constructed from a mechanical sense.  That doesn't change my feelings about customer expectations and product quality.   

I will  add that this community board is really great and appreciate also that Dell is actively monitoring these chats and responding where they can.  After this gets resolved I'll be happy to post or participate in more positive Discussions.

Hi @rice_tubers  the Dell warranty process appears to be functioning correctly. Dell Product Support are not expected, and have no remit, to participate in or monitor Dell Community forum threads. 

Your thread is posted in this independant user to user discussion forum. You have not paid for other users that volunteer their free time and do not work for Dell. If you are happy with user posts, please remember to give Kudos = thank you. 

Policy clarification =

A refund is only allowed inside the first 30 days from the Dell invoice/ship date.

This m15 R1 shipped from Dell on July 2, 2020. The initial 30 day window for a new system exchange ended on August 1, 2020. Any PC exchange done after the initial 30 day window would be a used/refurbished m15 R1. But this only happens after three service repair attempts have failed to correct the issue.

Appreciate the information.  So, for the record, this will now be the 4th service attempt.  

I received an email today from Dell with dispatch information that a tech was coming to pick up parts and schedule an installation visit. 

A few hours later I received a new message from Dell  informing me that I will need to ship the computer back to Dell for repair work.  That email says that this was previously discussed with me.  It was not.  I'm told it will be 7 to 10 business days before being returned.  My son uses his laptop for virtual school.  If this is the warranty process, so be it, but I am growing increasingly concerned about the outcome of this process and very conflicting information I've received now from Dell tech support.  

And yes, I know this community is not an official manned Dell site.  My purpose is to honestly convey information about this situation to others who may have had similar experiences.  I'll be happy to post a satisfactory outcome.

Hi @rice_tubers  whilst a full investigation of the system sounds encouraging, you should also have been requested to ensure that all your data is saved, because they usually wipe the drives and just reinstall the operating system.  The system, including its drives, will then be returned in the same condition that it was originally supplied. 

If not already undertaken, consider making a clone (copy) of the OS(C:) drive and storage drives. You may also wish to Remove (1) any content that you do not want to share with Dell and its contractors.

(1) Delete removes data visibility from user, but data continues to be hidden on the drive until overwritten. 

Thanks, my son and I are going to clone the drive this weekend while we wait for the shipping box. Yes, that was part of the email I received from Dell.  I've done this before so at least have a good idea of what I'm doing   

Responses from you and others have been very helpful to keep things in context.  It is hard to be objective when this effects one of your kids.  After reading up on the warranty information, I agree Dell is following their obligations. Just stinks to be in this situation.  Having to send out an expensive laptop to a repair facility is a bit nerve-wracking but that is the warranty process I've reached at this point.  Some conflicting emails from Dell yesterday  got me worried about what was actually happening but I think things are moving where they are supposed to go.  I'm going to call tech support just to verify the situation. 

To anyone else reading this, as I noted earlier, Dell tech support has consistently been very supportive and easy to speak with, and the tech visits to the house for prior warranty work have been very professional and quick. 

  Hopefully this next, more lengthy step, will resolve the situation. Will update.

I am traversing DELL protocols myself for an Aurora R11 that's a few months old for errors in the Windows error log that have been there with the first bootup. It's crazy, 3K for a computer and I can't install any of my own programs (some won't run due to the error) so I can keep support disarmed of the claim, the error is caused by my third party application.

Here is a suggestion, it may be offensive to some but is well within reason of the DELL policy.

Buy an outlet or ready to ship computer, have your son see if he likes it. If he doesn't, return it. By then, yours may cross paths in the mail.

That is an interesting, not sure what would be involved in that but I would definitely consider something like that in the future.  You know what they say about hindsight!

I had several contradictory Dell email messages from support today.  Long story short, a tech came to the house to replace both motherboard and keyboard.  This was after I had been told I would need to ship the laptop to repair facility.   Tech arrived today, took the laptop apart (for the 4th time now in 7 months since purchased) and found the prior service technician (who had come 3 days prior to replace a defective keyboard), had stripped over half of the screws such that the current tech could not replace the parts he needed (incidentally, this tech was great - he was able to identify the problem was with the MB keyboard connection - it was bending the keyboard cable so needed to be replaced along with the keyboard). However, since screws were stripped, nothing he could do. 

He called Dell who confirmed to me and him that this is now  a Level 3 escalation and I would hear back with options to choose from in a few hours.  Six hours later, I've received no emails or phone calls, spent 30 minutes on hold with Tech Support and was then told there were no alienware support techs available until tomorrow.  So  I will call Tech Support again in the morning to find the status.

This has turned into quite the unexpected saga.  

Hi @rice_tubers  thank you for sharing an update. 

I have tried and failed to find a copy of the Dell standard support services, Level 3 escalation. There is a Dell Service Description for the Escalation Manager dated 2008 [Here] and there is Dell Community post, Customer Agent does not meet/give a satisfying answer [Here].  @DELL-Cares   @DELL-Chris M  

This is when taking a recording of the legally binding verbal agreement should be undertaken. Whoever was on the phone and witnessed by the visiting Dell contractor and yourself, made this commitment on behalf of Dell. This is when customers doubt the sincerity of Dell management, and they get very upset. It is a shame that Dell management seem unable to regulate themselves, and be honest with their customers. In the UK, this Consumer Protection requirement is enshrined in criminal law [Here]. 

However, you have more than enough problems trying to get your system fixed. Reporting the progress, or lack of, in this forum is very useful for other user's sanity. Please keep posting. Thank you. 

Hi Crimson,

You've outlined exactly what the situation is.  Dell tech support has been responsive, but things are starting to spiral in the wrong direction with mixed messaging I'm receiving, lack of response in time-lines that were provided to me, and etc.  This is where I start to develop mistrust about true intentions.

I appreciate the links you sent - even if dated, they helped me understand the process better.  I'm sincerely hoping, and still have faith, that this will be satisfactorily addressed, it's just a question of how much effort and more time on my part.  I didn't think to record the call yesterday, but i've been documenting everything and taking careful notes in case I need to address BBB and the state business offices.  I will do so eventually if I have to.

I also appreciate your comment of support about continuing this thread with updates.  I really do not like doing this, but I feel like it will help others.  I'm trying to keep all the fine details out, like literally hours of time spent on the phone and with the 4 onsite tech visits I've had to the house.

***

One small update - I was able to reach tech support this morning right away and was told the Level 3 escalation is in the written in the case for the laptop.  But now I will need to wait until Monday at the earliest to hear back.  I was told I should have received an email with this information and the case manager name.  I did not but was now sent the information.  I'm sort of skeptical I won't need to keep calling again for updates.

For any Dell folks that see this, one thing that I think your company is failing to understand is these mixed emails, incomplete attempts to resolve problems, and mixed messages regarding support are affecting not just my purchasing power decisions in the future, but also that of my 14 year old son and all of his friends in his social group.  My son is really jaded at this point as I think anyone reading this would understand.  

Will keep the updates coming.