BolehVPN: Freedom Through Security

Just a quick note for those of you considering an Alienware M11x.

It’s an awesome system, hands down, portable, long battery life and heck it plays games! It’s also reasonably affordable especially considering it is one of the few portables that can play games and it’s still much cheaper than a MacBook Pro (which has a weaker graphics card as well).

However there is a serious drawback is in its LCD hinge construction where it suffers fatigue pretty quickly and breaks. I had first hand experience of this myself where my LCD screen had to be replaced just because of the broken hinge after a few months of use.

Dell has posted that they are aware of the problem and are working on a fix but however there’s also this post from a Dell rep:

I heard from my friend that they got the hinge problem solved.
* That is true for the M11x-R3 but false for the M11x-R1 and M11x-R2. We are still working on the solution. When it is resolved, I will let you all know. No, I do not know when the R3 will be available nor do I know its specifications.

Now the R3 (or Revision 3) is not even announced so it’s rather funny that they fixed an issue on an unreleased product while the existing R1s and R2s remain without a resolution. I have a feeling it’s more an issue of the cost of product recalls and rectifications rather than an actual technical issue. Further evidence to this shows that the ‘home’ fix isn’t difficult and it points to a PLASTIC screw support which wears out in this post.

My advice? Wait it out and wait for R3.

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Remember my post about my Alienware M11X fiasco? On March 8, I received this e-mail which confirmed my cancellation:

Dear Reuben,

Thank you for contacting Dell Customer Service.

As per your request, we have cancelled your order# [7044269].

Please allow 1-2 weeks for the payment to be cancelled and credited back to your account.

If you would like to place a new order, you can call our sales department on (MY) 1800 88 0301 / (SG) 1800 394 7486

Thank you.

Today after about a month of waiting, the Alienware arrived despite the above cancellation…Oh gawd! Now to decide whether I want to accept it and open it or to return it.

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I have been an ardent supporter of Dell in the past with all our company purchases going through Dell. Their support has been usually top notch and perhaps the best thing is that I can fully see the prices and customization options from the comfort of my own home. Compare this to HP or Acer’s site and it’s easy to see how easy it is to order on Dell’s site as compared to even figuring out prices on Acer/HP.

On the 22nd February, in an impulsive moment, I bought myself an Alienware M11X netbook. I picked the Maybank 0% 12 month installment option and was given a Dell acknowledgment e-mail. I waited, and waited and the online tracking system kept on showing the status as ‘Order Received’ with no updates as to when I would receive my item. In fact up till t0day which is the 3rd March, it still shows ‘Order Received’.

Trying to e-mail their customer support was an exercise in futility with 4 e-mails sent and only one replied JUST today telling me that they require my Order #IRN…when I have provided them my Order Number already though I assume IRN means ‘Internet Reference Number’. I figured it out but seriously, do you expect your average customer to do so?

Dear Reuben,

Thank you for contacting Dell Customer Service.

Kindly advice us with your order#/IRN# to further assist you.

Thank you.
Dell Customer Service

Very ‘helpful’.

I also had tried to call 4-5 x and was put on hold for more than 20 minutes before I gave up.

I finally managed to talk to a customer representative today. I almost thought I was speaking to a robot as she spoke in a monotone and very slowly. I suppose this is part of their training in ensuring she’s heard. I was told that the order was actually already in the factory and that if I wished to cancel, I would have to pay RM80.00 as a cancellation charge. I asked as to why there was such a delay in answering calls and e-mails. She honestly told me that Dell was facing a parts shortage and as a result many customers were calling for a status update…Good to know! I was told that my netbook was now expected to arrive late next week making it a wait of more than 3 weeks.

So if you’re buying a Dell now, just take note that you may have to wait a while for it.

Here’s hoping that my frickin netbook is decent at least:

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