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General discussion

Notebook(Alienware) scam ? Please advise

by EuJin Oct 15, 2004 4:23AM PDT

I bid on an auction for 2 Alienware Area 51-M notebook .
The final price for each + international shipping is USD500 !!!
When i contacted the seller after the auction asking more details he isnt very friendly and keeps avoiding my question .
I asked how will he assure me that it is as described .
he told it would be ship from spain .
total for 2 notebooks are USD 1k .
I'm worried its a scam .
I've contacted paypal regarding fraud prevention or are they able to hold funds till i recieve the product . and i am awaiting their reply .


With such features
"Alienware Hard Drive Capacity: 60 GB
Chip Type: Intel Pentium 4 HT
Screen Size: 16 inches
Operating System Included: Yes
Processor Speed: 3.2 GHz
Primary Drive: DVD+/-RW
Memory (RAM): 1 GB
Condition: New, Sealed in Box
Case: Area-51m Case with 16.1" UltraXGA 1600x1200 LCD Display - Saucer Silver
AlienRespawn: Alienware Respawn Recovery Kit
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 Processor w/ HT Technology Extreme Edition 3.2GHz 800MHz FSB 2.5MB Cache
Motherboard: SiS648FX + SiS963L AGP8X
Chipset Memory: 1GB DDR PC-3200 at 400MHz - 2x512 SO-DIMMs
Video Card: Area-51m NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5700 Module with 128MB DDR
Video Optimizer: AlienAdrenaline: Video Performance Optimizer
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX USB
External Hard Drive: Hitachi 60GB 7200 RPM ATA100 with 8MB Cache
Portable Storage : Additional Storage 60GB 7200rpm Hard drive Smart Bay One: 4x2x8x DVD+/-RW / 16x10x24x CD-RW Combo w/Software Ethernet NIC: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet NIC
Modem: 56K Modem with V.92 Technology Operating
System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Remote Control: Area-51m Multi-function Infrared Remote control
Mobile Transport : Alienware Premium Messenger Case
Mobile Power: Belkin AC Anywhere 300W Headphones: Zalman ZM-RS6F Surround Headphones Optional Mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 - USB - Space Black Gamespot Complete: Gamespot Complete - Free 90-day Trial Benchmark Software: 3DMark 03 Professional Free Alienware T-Shirt: Free Alienware T-Shirt - Black Automated
Support: AlienAutopsy: Automated Technical Support Request System "

Discussion is locked

5 Posts
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Re: Notebook(Alienware) scam ? Please advise
by KenSanramon Oct 15, 2004 4:32AM PDT

You should be aware of the risk of any E-bay purchase and you have to read the reviews and make sure the person has conducted many trouble free auctions before you buy something.

As far as Alienware, they will likely not provide the same service as a larger company (Toshiba, HP/Compaq, Dell, etc) so you are risking that also.

But if you have friends with Alienware systems that have been satisfied you will have to rely on that.

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Re: Notebook(Alienware) scam ? Please advise
by EuJin Oct 15, 2004 5:43AM PDT
http://www.auction-warehouse.com/lot.cfm?lotID=176491

this is the site of the auction .
I have my skeptism regarding this but it also sounds like a good deal .
I heard that alienware is quite a reputable company for gaming machine .
This seller is quite shady .
Does anyone speaks spanish here ?
I did a search on the sellers email address and i found this on a website but its in spanish .

"Chica rumana 38a
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Re: Notebook(Alienware) scam ? Please advise
by KenSanramon Oct 15, 2004 7:03AM PDT

The fact that you are ordering an expensive item from out of the United States is risky all by itself.

Do you order a car from Spain ? Or a refrigerator ? Or a TV?

Alienware the company is a well known pc game manufacturer but their after the sale support is not as documented or certain as are Dell, Toshiba, Apple, HP/Compaq, etc. That goes for any smaller manufacturer like Sager, etc.

You can get some nice notebooks and completely custom order at hpshopping (hp/compaq), Dell, or Toshiba so why don't you look there first before taking a chance on a deal like this???

For instance, the HPZD7000 is a great gamers notebook with a 17" LCD and even some media ability (and also up to 128mb dedicated video RAM).

See zd7000forums.com and hpshopping.com

You can get a $100 custom order rebate for any HP notebook through 12/1/04 at hpshopping, a 6% APP student discount, etc.

And, you can return the notebook within 30 days if you don't like it.

Good luck with that Spain order. Even if you could return it (which you probably can't) how much would return shipping insured to Spain cost !!!

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Re: Notebook(Alienware) scam ? Please advise
by diverdan007 Oct 17, 2004 2:53PM PDT

Rumanian Girl 38 years old, Working papers in order, 3 years living in Spian, Looking to work or hire in a cleaning company, Full time, available inmediately, Phone number #########

Im in Mexisco and the Spanish is little different but thats the jist of it...

Good Luck

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Re: Notebook(Alienware) scam ? Please advise
by Alienware-JuanG Nov 16, 2004 6:02AM PST

This would seem to be a scam. I would not recommend buying from this auction.

The prices for those systems are too low. There are many good auctions and the majority would sell at 1500 or up.

Many of those images you would see on an auction site are taken from customers who have posted their images to show others. You may be able to find some of these images on www.notebookforums.com.

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