DELL Warrantees and eBay

[shaithis]

So I purchased a Dell new from eBay almost 3 years ago, I asked the seller at the time whether Dell would honour the warranty and he said they would and told me how to check...which I did and all seemed fine, I put the service tag into the Dell site and it told me the date the warranty would run to (11/11/2009).


Fast-forward 2.5 years.....and I want to send the monitor to Dell for them to check out some blemishes that have appeared on the screen.

I have now spent a week making phone calls, sending emails and filling in silly web forms and have gotten no-where near to even talking to someone at Dell about the problem with the monitor.....all I keep getting is "I can't see your warraty, you need to fill this form out" - funny how I can see the warranty FINE via their public website and they keep rejecting my form...

Basically, when checking the service tag online there is an IBU code, this is supposedly where the monitor was originally sold (in my case it says Americas), Dell will only provide support in the region of the IBU and I need to transfer the warranty to my region.....

Now, I have supplied Dell multiple times with the name and email of the auction lister, the auction ID, the PayPal transaction ID, the date of purchase etc and they refuse to transfer it without a copy of the original invoice.......which I do not have (and TBH, not sure if I ever did have it).

The eBay seller has not responded to my emails over the last week either.


Anyone who has had a lot of dealings with Dell know how I can get around this? To say that I am furious with Dell at the moment would be a massive understatement! To me it seems like they are just using red tape to avoid honouring their own warranty.

[Vimeous]

I wouldn't go screaming at Dell TBH.
You appear to have a grey-import which may, or may not be covered under warranty. Have you confirmed if the original warranty is international?

Business laptops are often sold with the international warranty so if you're abroad and it breaks you have comeback. However its not necessarily standard. I've not yet heard of desktops or hardware peripherals offering the same form of cover. They tend to be tied directly to their regional distribution so EMEA in the UK etc.

It's also worth noting that without proof of the original purchase it's difficult to get warranty cover from many manufacturers . As a matter of course manufacturers will ask for the details and it's likely to be at their discression if they'll honour a warranty you're no evidence of paying for.
This their one protection against answering warranty claims from fake or stolen goods.


I've had nothing but good support from Dell over the years, despite the occasional non-native callcentre. Hopefully you'll be able to resolve this ammicably.

N.B.
I have been unable to source Japanese-market Dell hardware direct from Dell EMEA for our engineers. A mechanism doesn't seem to exisit to achieve it. Maybe it's a similar issue between Dell Americas and Dell EMEA that's causing so much grief?


EDIT:
Just re-read your post and realise the machine was new and not s/hand. Do you have the original email receipt for your purchase? Or is that the invoice you're saying you don't think you have?

[staffsMike]

I've had nothing but good support from Dell over the years, despite the occasional non-native callcentre. Hopefully you'll be able to resolve this ammicably.

As much as I like dell, I've never had a native callcentre for a support call.. Sales is another matter of course.

[shaithis]

So basically I am stuffed unless the seller contacts me and gives me a copy of his invoice....if he still has it and if he contacts me.

While in the meantime the remaining part of my warranty dwindles away....

It is Dells fault. They refuse to accept all the information I have given them and they allow grey imports to be sold. What is an end-user like myself supposed to do?

[scaryjim]

... they allow grey imports to be sold. What is an end-user like myself supposed to do?

Buy directly from the Dell outlet or a reputable UK-based Dell reseller?

Your anger here should be directed at the ebay seller, who - based on your account of the transaction - has probably misled you about the validity of the warranty once the equipment was imported into the UK. It isn't Dell's fault that their equipment has been resold outside of its original market. Complaining at Dell for "allowing" grey imports is like a drug addict complaining at the police for "allowing" their dealer to sell heroin... I'm sure Dell do everything in their power to avoid people reselling outside of the intended market, but it's next to impossible to ensure complete enforcement.

[Vimeous]

As much as I like dell, I've never had a native callcentre for a support call.. Sales is another matter of course.

LOL
Well we getted passed abroad for desktops and laptops on standard warranty. Our Servers enjoy european support. Usually same-day response stuff is local, NBD is non-european.


shathis sadly I agree with scaryjim on this one.
Your plight highlights one of the greatest advantages and also nightmares of modern shopping. I suspect the ability to buy goods for a price you want to pay has never been matched but equally the ability to judge the seller and what they sell is getting much harder.

Question: Do you have the original Dell manuals? If so there should be warranty document detailing what it covers and where it covers it. Hopefully it will mention international cover and if so you have a leg to stand on and should continue to pursue Dell.
If it's not clear you may have to call the US warranty support number and request clarification. However it is likely to be a) very expensive to call and b) a waste if you don't get the answer you're looking for.


If possible I suggest you try and soldier-on with the outstanding issues you have while saving for a replacement.
You don't say what you monitor spec you have but I recently bought a 19" 1680x1050 Iiyama for a friend for the princely sum of £100. While it doesn't have an adjustable stand the picture is superb for the money. It really highlights some of the fabulous value that can be had right now.