[Advice Requested] Accidental Warranty

[LiquidNitrogen]

Hey All,

I bought a used Alienware M17X R2 in august of this year (2011) and I was told during the purchase that its warranty had run out. I called Dell/Alienware today as I had some free time and apparently its still in warranty AND I have the option of upgrading the warranty. This was a godsend because I live a very mobile lifestyle and have been in a couple "close call" situations with my Alienware already. However, as I have had some bad experiences with PC manufacturers and their warranties *coughHPcough* I am a bit hesitant about getting a warranty. Thus, I figured I'd consult you T|I'ers before I pulled the trigger on a new warranty. So, if you'd be so kind, a few questions/concerns:

- Have you had any experience with the Accidental Warranty? If so, how'd your experience go? What happened?

- If my system were to be dropped, etc, would repair be covered with little hassle?

- If my system were wrecked to an extent where I needed a replacement, what system do y'all think I'll get? Another R2? An R3? An M18X?

- How difficult is it to deal with Dell about warranties and services and such?

Thanks for your time!! :) And happy holidays/new year!

- Liquid

[StamatisX]

It will be quite expensive to upgrade your warranty compared to getting one when purchuasing the laptop but in your case it is worth it.

In case of a replacement you most likely will get an M18x since you have a dual GPU.

I had my R1 replaced with the R2 but not because of an accidental damage so someone else's input that had such a case (ie drop) would be more helpful.

[Brian]

Hey All,

I bought a used Alienware M17X R2 in august of this year (2011) and I was told during the purchase that its warranty had run out. I called Dell/Alienware today as I had some free time and apparently its still in warranty AND I have the option of upgrading the warranty. This was a godsend because I live a very mobile lifestyle and have been in a couple "close call" situations with my Alienware already. However, as I have had some bad experiences with PC manufacturers and their warranties *coughHPcough* I am a bit hesitant about getting a warranty. Thus, I figured I'd consult you T|I'ers before I pulled the trigger on a new warranty. So, if you'd be so kind, a few questions/concerns:

- Have you had any experience with the Accidental Warranty? If so, how'd your experience go? What happened?

- If my system were to be dropped, etc, would repair be covered with little hassle?

- If my system were wrecked to an extent where I needed a replacement, what system do y'all think I'll get? Another R2? An R3? An M18X?

- How difficult is it to deal with Dell about warranties and services and such?

Thanks for your time!! :) And happy holidays/new year!

- Liquid

Hi Liquid,

1. I have had limited experience with accidental warranty. Back when I had an M15x, I spilled soda on the keyboard, called AW and told them the keyboard had water damage and requested a new one. I convinced the AW support manager to send it directly to me and I installed it myself.

2. The system should be covered in the event of a fall.

3. You'd probably get an M18x or an M17x-R2 from the outlet if they have it on hand. Their policy is to replace it with an equal or greater system.

4. Dell is the most generous PC company out there when it comes to warranty parts service. However, their customer service can be difficult to deal with at times.

[iloveb00bs]

personally i buy it everytime i buy an alienware, haven't had an accident yet but i still think it worth having.

[Michael]

I always try to purchase the extended warranty too. Although I never had to use the accidental damage myself i know Dell honors it as i spoke to a Dell tech who's a friend of mine and he confirmed it.

[mw86]

My regular warranty covered an exchange on an M17x R2 to a M18x and on reorder I made sure to get advanced warranty with accidental.... Its definitely worth it your bound to get a new gen system if yours fails of you get the 4 year its really worth it I thought so for 500 it was a steal for what could come of your warranty =)

Edited December 31, 2011 by mw86