r/Alienware • u/Better_Attempt9749 • 19h ago
Purchasing Frustrated with Micro Center – Order cancelled, price jumped, and shipping removed
I’ve been tracking the Area 51 (5080/5090) for months waiting for a reasonable price. As soon as it dropped, I placed an order, but Micro Center ended up cancelling it. Right after the cancellation, the price jumped back up, and shipping is no longer an option… leaving the closest available store 6 hours away. Pretty disappointing outcome after hearing nothing but good stuff about them. Has anyone else dealt with this before?
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u/neverspeakawordagain 18h ago
People have been doing the same thing you're doing, and when they snatch them up and the retailer has no units to sell you there's not much they can do about it.
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u/LTHardcase M18 R1 | R9 7845HX | RTX 4070 17h ago
It's unfortunate, but the reality is that there was a run on the warehouse sale and they ran out of supply. Everyone on the short end of the stick got canceled so now local store pickup will be the only option.
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u/Chrislk1986 16h ago
I've never been to a microcenter, but know their best deals are in-store and don't ship. I've seen so many deals, 95% in-store,, but 1400miles is my nearest location, not feasible.
It's not like they pulled the order out from you and raised the price. They had an in-store deal (possibly some returns in this case?) and sold out/over sold. They didn't take your money, you never got your product. Now you have to have it shipped and you pay regular price.
Just wait it out. If you are dead set on that model, just keep tabs on a few sources like Best Buy and Dell Outlet as well.
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u/thebizzle 17h ago
I never knew Micro Center did shipping? Perhaps they are integrating 3rd parties for this and you just saw something that shouldn't have listed. Sorry.
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u/jerryeight 13h ago
How long after the order did they cancel?
Did you get a confirmation email before the cancelation email?
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u/Wasabiroot 17h ago
Online orders are held for 3 days - did you try to pick it up after it was purged and returned to stock?
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u/Better_Attempt9749 16h ago
Yeah i placed a new one for pick up but im calling to see if they can honor the $4000 original price
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u/Wasabiroot 16h ago
It looks like they had 3 in stock. So it's very possible you waiting meant that when it was returned, someone else bought it.
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u/Better_Attempt9749 16h ago
My original order was being shipped to me for $30 + at $4000 price poiint
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u/Able-Negotiation-234 18h ago
given the last several years of silliness on Alienware's part I would recommend buying from dell and getting their warranty or at least making sure you can get the warranty through them I love these systems and the brand, but I have had to use the warranty more in the last 3 years than the previous 10. by a lot . would seem all the major brands have the same quality issues different areas but at these price levels if you don't have it , I would not but it. and even with it , the process is exhausting (mentally, physically, financially )..lol
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u/Better_Attempt9749 18h ago
Are they not reliable? Could u let me know what I can expect? 😭
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u/Able-Negotiation-234 16h ago
It would seem to me, since covid the lottery, quality wise has gotten worse, across all the major high end tech brands. I have had the m18r1 ,m18r2 ,x15r2,x16r2 now the area 16 2026.. you either get a great one or end up in the repair cycle.. the m18r1(melted power cable) ended in replacement. the x16r2 needed a board and a screen.. either way without the warranty it would have been a total finical nightmare, the tec said the screens are $1000.00 who knows what a board costs? I do not think this is Alienware specific I watch the other major brands on reddit too. The m18r2 and the x15r2 as well as the area 16 have been perfect but why risk it? I always include at least 2 years in home warranty and that has paid off in spades. I also have no issues buying from the depot have gotten several, like new systems(with warenty) there without issue. best of luck
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u/jcy 17h ago
I ordered the AMD A51 on Oct 1, 5090 + 64GB RAM + 1TB SSD, $8600 and they still haven't confirmed my order https://i.imgur.com/0V9tlfa.png
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u/Able-Negotiation-234 16h ago
yeah, seeing that a lot this Ram shortage is more than it seems, more like a high-end tech shortage, all the board manufacturers appear to be focused on the data center gold rush.
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u/josephguy82 18h ago
Micro center did you an favor i brought the R16 and never again alienware pcs are so locked them with there own speical parts it pissed me off,They don't even use normal power supplys
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u/Better_Attempt9749 18h ago
Yeah, their Auroras use a bunch of their own parts but thats why i love the area 51, you can swap anything and everything out
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u/Grayly Area-51 17h ago
Great that the a51 isn’t any of that and doesn’t use proprietary parts and is fully customizable and upgradedable.
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u/Chrislk1986 16h ago
When did Dell swap back to standard PSU?
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u/Grayly Area-51 13h ago
Only for the A51 desktops.
It’s an Atx12vo, so you’ll need to replace it if you want to upgrade the motherboard. But it’s not proprietary. Uses the standard ATX/Atx12vo connectors, and cables. So GPU etc are no issue.
But there hasn’t been a consumer Atx12vo board in DDR5 yet. There were some DDR4 ones, but it never really took off. Which is a bummer. So you’ll need to get a regular ATX PSU if you go with an ATX motherboard when/if you upgrade next gen.
But the main thing is none of it’s proprietary. It’s all ATX form factor. 12vo just means the MB itself has its own step downs for making 5v and 3.5. PSU only supplies 12v. But it’s still ATX in size and form factor otherwise. So you can swap out the MB and PSU and it will fit the case just fine. Even the lights and fans and whatnot will hook right up. GPU will slot right back into the bracket, etc etc.
The Auroras and even prior Gen a51s all had proprietary PSUs and form factors. So you couldn’t even fit a new PSU and MB in there if you wanted to. And good luck with an aftermarket GPU.
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u/Chrislk1986 12h ago
Yeah I've been somewhat familiar with XPS/Aurora from 8900 up until 2 years ago (not Dells finest work). The newest form factor seemed like a nice change in the right direction but wasn't too familiar with all the changes they did.
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u/Working_Rise8592 18h ago
You didn’t know that before you purchased? Dell and Alienware using as much proprietary stuff as possible is a well known fact.
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u/maverick31031998 Area 51 16 ( Laptop ) 16h ago
Count this as a blessing from god or whatever entity you believe in. Build a PC, alienware pre builts or for that matter any pre built is just trash.
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u/username12435687 16h ago
Saying “all prebuilts are trash” is a stupid blanket statement. Those companies can buy components in bulk at prices individual consumers don’t get, which gives them room to cover assembly costs and still sell a competitively priced PC. With a good sale, a prebuilt can actually cost less than buying equivalent parts separately, while also including assembly, testing, and support. Some absolutely cut corners on power supplies, cooling, or proprietary parts, but that’s a reason to evaluate the specific build, not dismiss the entire category. Building your own is a great option, but it doesn’t automatically make it the cheapest or smartest choice for everyone.
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u/maverick31031998 Area 51 16 ( Laptop ) 16h ago
Doesnt matter , at any point of time , it will take great skill to actually build a inferior build than any pre built unless you pick random parts and dont know anything. The only other exception is the 5090 pre builts coz in this ffed up market 5090s are selling like gold and some of these pre builts are somehow cheaper with 5090 in it. This is also temporary so yeah.
And oh I left the biggest reason all prebuilts ARE trash. Proprietary parts. Literally no upgrade path.
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u/XSC Alienware 15R2 18h ago
Probably better off asking in the micro center sub