Until today, I have never dealt with Dell support. After some searching, I’ve discovered I’m not alone in the problem I discovered. ((Dell support for the service-tag-impaired)) – ((contacting Dell support w/o service tag is impossible!))

Of course, I found those links after I spent a ton of time on dell.com and on the phone with them. I scoured dell.com to find a way to submit a support ticket. All roads lead to inputting a “Service Tag ((Dell Service Tags)).” Do you want to chat with Dell support online? Enter a service tag. Do you want to send Dell support an email? Enter a service tag. Do you want to contact Dell about difficulties you have using the support site? Enter a service tag. Do you want to register a product to your Dell account so you can get warranty information on it? Enter a service tag. This one is the best – in the process of helping you find your service tag, you must enter a service tag.

You get the idea.

It became painfully clear that I was going to get nowhere online without a service tag. I quadruple checked I didn’t have one. And as quan.org points out, Dell Displays do NOT come with a service tag.

So I called Dell andspent quite a bit of time getting passed around in the Dell support system. I was initially irritated by the voice prompts required. It apparently could not understand my clearly pronounced words. I had to sit through time and time again of lists of options. Sadly, I found shouting the word “support” rather than just saying it did the trick. Anyway…

Then I am finally told I’m being transferred but… but there’s a catch – I must first enter my service tag. Again, I’m greeted by rounds of “sorry, I did not understand. Please say again…” before being told to hit 0 for the operator.

This guy was great. He insisted there was a service tag on the back of my tower. I told him there wasn’t. He asked “is this a tower or notebook” and I replied “it’s a display… that’s connected to a tower.” He again insisted that there’s a service tag on the tower. I repeated this had nothing to do with the tower, I’m calling because the display is flickering.

He didn’t seem to get the picture so I told him “I need support for the display. I own nothing else made by Dell. No tower, no printer. I have a display. It doesn’t have a service tag… I’ve looked several times.” His reply was priceless to me because of the tone of complete disbelief – “You don’t have a Dell tower?” he asked. “No” I replied. “I’ve got a Dell Display that’s flickering and it doesn’t have a service tag. It has a serial number.”

Then I’m told that the serial number will work, but he’ll have to transfer me to someone who can get the case started with that serial number. I get transfered.

Next guy goes through the same runaround. I’ve done this with enough companies to know that I should just be nice and helpful even though I know it’s not going to help. He asks for the service tag. “Doesn’t have one.” He insisted it should be on the back of the tower. So then I explain it all to him and then finish with “the last guy said you could start the claim from the serial number.” His reply? “No, that wont work. We cannot file a claim without a service tag.”

What dumbfounds me even more than how they could possibly build an entire system to exclude a key element of their product line, is the fact that complaints on this go back at least three years and they haven’t changed it.

He can’t start a claim with my name, address, phone number, email address or product serial number. He needs the service tag. Then he mentions the order number so I track that down and it works.

Next he transfers me to someone who can finish off the claim. After waiting on hold for a while, he comes back and tells me the claim cannot be submitted – the warranty period is over. Yep, I noticed the monitor flickering a whole three weeks after the warranty ended. I ask about a grace period and all that. No go.

Fine. I’d like a little grace period but I bought it with a three year warranty and three years had passed. Oh joy.