Consecutive Failed Repairs Under Same Case, 3+ Months Unresolved, Offered Only a Downgrade Replacement

Hello everyone,

I’m sharing my recent service experience with my Alienware x17 R2 and looking for assistance or escalation from the Dell Community. I have been an Alienware/Dell customer for over 15 years, but the past months have been extremely difficult.

This issue began only a few months ago, and the case is still open and unresolved more than 3 months later.

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1. How the issue started

Everything began with a heating problem on my x17 R2. I contacted Dell support, and they opened a Service Request.

From that point onward, several consecutive repair attempts were performed under the same Service Request, in a short period of time. This was not spread out over years, it all happened within the same case and in a relatively tight timeframe.

These repairs were unsuccessful and on each of them a new problem would arise.

Even though I have On-Site warranty, after 4 consecutive failed service request I was repeatedly told that my only option was depot repair, which I wouldn't accept for many reasons, including that's not what I paid for as a warranty, that I travel alot and giving up my laptop for possibly over 2 weeks was not an option (Depot service takes time in my country).  I also did not think that would be an appropriate solution after 2 months of significant inconvenience for me.

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2. Problems caused during these repair attempts

During and after these consecutive repair attempts, new issues started appearing, problems I never had before:

• Battery failure (4-red/1-blue LED error) immediately after a heatsink/fan replacement

• Short-circuit caused by a cable left unclipped by a technician

• Misapplied thermal paste

• A loose screw left inside the system

• Repeated freezes with beep codes

• Bluetooth no longer functioning

• Microphone randomly disconnecting

New discovery, defective replaced LCD panel

During one of the repair attempts, my LCD panel was replaced. I recently discovered that this panel has diagonal streaks visible on dark backgrounds, which do not appear when the laptop is off, indicating a panel defect.

This further shows that the device has been degraded as a result of the repair attempts.

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3. Replacement approval confusion (Dell Greece vs Dell EMEA)

This part has been especially frustrating:

• Dell Greece informed me that a replacement was approved.

• A short time later, Dell EMEA informed me the replacement was NOT approved.

• After I insisted and escalated the situation, Dell EMEA then said they could offer a replacement as a goodwill gesture, but the only available system was a confirmed downgrade compared to my configuration.

So after all these repair problems, the offer I received was an inferior system, presented as a “favor.”

Given the 15+ year relationship I have with Alienware/Dell, this was extremely disappointing.

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4. Current status (3+ months open)

Because the only offered replacement is a downgrade, I cannot accept it. I have politely stated that I am willing to wait until a proper equivalent model becomes available, since availability in my region is currently limited.

I also have administrative matters pending, including clarification of the legal entity responsible for the case and a GDPR data access request related to the service history.

I would appreciate guidance or escalation on the following:

A. Replacement

Is there a way to arrange a replacement that is equal or higher in specification to my original system?

B. Availability

Is it standard policy for customers to be offered only a downgrade when availability is limited, even after multiple failed repair attempts?

C. Case review

Given the number of issues introduced by the repair process under the same Service Request, is there a review mechanism for situations where the device’s condition has been significantly worsened by service?

I simply want the resolution that any customer would expect:

A system equivalent (or better) to the one I originally purchased and for which I have been paying on-site warranty.

Thank you to anyone who reads this. Any support from moderators or senior escalation teams would be greatly appreciated.