On Dell's US site the customer support board has been closed down. The Register queried them on this move, and got this answer (after two days)...
Because many of these non-technical issues can only be addressed by authorised Dell representatives, with access to customer information, Dell believes that questions are best handled through other secure online tools. Even though the Customer Care board has been closed down and posts will no longer be accepted, customers can still access archived posts and information through the DCF search tool or FAQs under the general board.
Some interesting links in the article to forum posts with less than glowing depictions of Dell customer service.