Alienware Area-51 7500 Review

My only advice is NEVER purchase any system or product from Alienwares. Save yourself money and a splitting headache. Letââ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢s count the reasons:

1) faulty and defective products

2) terrible customer service and technical support.

My Experience

In May 2007 I purchased an $8000 system from Alienware. The problems started before I ever turned the computer on. Its shell/case was physically warped. It would sometimes not turn on at all or just shut down on its own. I sent it back after 2 weeks and they “repaired” it.

From June 2007 until November 2008 I experience constant problems. The system shut down daily for no reason, and I consistently received “hard disk drive errors”. Technical support was never much help either. I insisted that my hard drive was bad but they SWORE the problem was that I needed to reinstall Windows.

In November 2008, while a technician from Alienware was accessing my computer remotely, the system crashed and never turned back on again. I live in NYC, but in order for it to be looked at and repaired; I had to ship it to Miami.

I finally got the system back, and paid my own tech guy to reloaded Windows and various other software, only then to realize they had replaced my drives with inferior hard drives: I originally purchased a system with (2) 750GB hard drives that were mirrored raid drives, and additionally (1) 500GB drive. I received the “repaired” system with (2) 300GB drives-NOT setup as raid drives, and the 500GB hard drive.

They shipped the correct components and sent a tech guy who knew nothing about computers (he asked me how to turn it off).

I didn’t want to reload Windows for the 5th time so I asked if I could keep the (2) 300GB (where windows and all my programs are located) & (2) 750GB and return the 500GB drive… made sense- I purchase 2000GB. They screwed up with their own repairs, sold me a bad system from the beginning, caused me to lose money and gave me a huge headache, dealing with incompetent employees whom I had to re-tell my story and situation to each time I called or was transferred (no direct contact lines, only a random call center).

They would not allow it thought. I asked if they would reimburse the $250 I paid out of pocket to have my tech guy setup the software on the inferior hard drives that they installed in error. I proposed about four different ideas for solution in all, but no one care.

In Alienwares Technical Support I spoke first to an associate, then to Eddie Ramos, Tech Support Supervisor. When no one could help, I asked to speak to his manager. Two days later I received a call from Mr. Juan Carlos Ortega, Floor Manager for Tech Support, who was equally uncooperative. He offered my $50 in “coupons” for MSN…seriously, thatââ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢s his solution? I asked to speak to his manager and he told me that he did not have one, and that there was no one but him to speak too.

In the end I was out $250 for the software that was installed, and had to pay an additional $267 in order to keep all hard drives and avoid reloading Windows again.

The really sad thing is, in less than a week my computer began to shut down on its own and received “hard disk drive error” messages all over.

I would not tell my worst enemy to consider an Alienware computer. $8000 was truly wasted on a product that is defective and a company that does not care about anyone or anything. I already filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and I encourage anyone who has had similar experiences to do the same!

Rating: 2 :: 0 out of 2 people found this user review helpful.