Unruly Behavior

Update 5-29-2007:

Got a message from Alienware late today:

Please be informed that we checked our website and we found that it in fact says that the M5550 comes with a remote control, but it does not specify that the remote control is only included when a Media Center operating system is selected. After finding out about this, we forwarded this information to the respective department so they can take the necessary measurements to solve this. We would like to let you know that Alienware does not have a compensation policy. As well, we have a disclaimer on our website, which you can check on the link below:

http://www.alienware.com/sub_pages/website_disclaimer.aspx

We really appreciate you as one of our customers and we sincerely regret your dissatisfaction. We are going to send you a $25 Coupon for you to spend on Amazon.com for the inconveniences you have experienced.

So, they were unclear on their features, and can't send me the remote, and even though they don't have to do a thing for me, they are sending me a $25 Coupon for Amazon. Ok, sounds good to me then, better than most folks customer service these days anyway.

Original Post:

As I mentioned recently, I ordered a new Alienwre PC a few weeks ago. It finally came Tuesday while I was out of town at a training, so I didn't get to play with it till last night.

While the system is great, it is lacking the Infrared Remote Control that they listed as a "Feature" of the product.

When I called their support, they told me that this is not included unless you specifically ordered the remote, and the only way to order the remote is by upgrading the system to Windows Vista Home Premium for $50, then you can get the remote for $30. You can also get the remote by upgrading to Vista Home Ultimate for even more money.

Something that costs $80 extra is not a feature. This is an option. Everything else listed on the features page came with the system. They insisted that the computer would not function without the rest of the items listed there, I however believe that an External DVI Connector, Battery Control, Wireless Networking, an On/Off button for the touchpad and External Volume contorls are all not essential for a PC to function.

I really just want them to provide me what they said was featured with the PC that I ordered, or some credit for not including the advertised item. I don't believe that this is an unreasonable request.

Their stand is that I did not pay for the item as it was not listed as a separate line item on the invoice. Neither were the other things listed on that page, but I got them for no extra charge.

So beware if you order an Alienware computer, some of the features they list might actually be an otpion that costs money, and you won't see it unless you consier an upgrade of another component. Here is a print of their web page:

Labels: alienware, bad support, laptop