Alienware (recently acquired by Dell) seem to be causing quite a stir following an incident where they refused to provide a test system to a high-profile review site, after that site gave an unfavourable review of a previous Alienware product.

Review site HEXUS.net recently reviewed Alienware’s Area-51 7000 PC gaming rig. While the review they gave didn’t say the machine was bad, they pointed out that the same components in the system could be acquired for a lot cheaper from another manufacturer.

Later, when HEXUS.net requested another test system from Alienware for another review, they received this email:

Hello Tarinder,

I’m afraid, after the last review, our ability to send you any hardware for review is pretty much gone. When I have one of the executives in the US threatening my job on the telephone, my hands become somewhat tied in the future.

Anyway since…

“there are better and cheaper alternatives to the Alienware Area-51 7500″

… surely those would make a much better choice for a launch-day G80 review?

Certainly we’d have to have rocks in our head to come back for a second helping with the same SKU [product].

Mat Bettinson
Marketing Manager
Alienware Limited

In fact, there are plenty more of these emails that HEXUS have published and you can read their account of the story here.

Later, in another email, Alienware’s Marketing Manager then admits to something quite shocking:

Firstly, optimising product placements to the press is a specific role of anyone in a marketing function and not someone behaving like a moron.

From experience I’ve known that you and I see eye to eye on a number of industry issues but I’m a little baffled by your idealism on this front:

“… the only inference which can be made from this is that ‘Alienware’ will only submit products to publications which will write nice things about ‘Alienware’.”

That’s was and remains Alienware’s global marketing strategy from the beginning. We’re hardly alone.

Well, to be honest, I’m pretty convinced that this is real - and to be honest there’s not really very much I can say about this story other than it spells disaster for people wanting to find honest reviews of products. Draw your own conclusions.