Here's where the major problem comes in. I contacted Dell Support through a live chat and was told that because I purchased my laptop from Best Buy, they could not help me with support issues. This is disappointing, one of the reasons I purchased a Dell computer is because I've always received excellent support from them in the past.
The following is the live chat between the Dell Support Technician and myself:
This is an automated email sent from Dell Chat. The following information is a log of your session. Please save the log for your records.
Your session ID for this incident is ########.
Time Details
08/13/2008 11:33:03AM Session Started with Agent (Prashanth_156460)
08/13/2008 11:33:09AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Thank you for contacting Dell XPS Premium Support. My name is Prashanth and my rep ID number is 156460. How may I help you today?"
08/13/2008 11:33:53AM Ian Oliver: "I'm having trouble with my Dell XPS Laptop. When I disconnect the power cord, I cannot adjust the display to be as bright as it is when the power cord is connected."
08/13/2008 11:34:27AM Ian Oliver: "I'm using the Fn+UP keys"
08/13/2008 11:34:43AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "All right ."
08/13/2008 11:34:53AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Does it change when you use fn and up arrow key ?"
08/13/2008 11:35:02AM Ian Oliver: "No."
08/13/2008 11:35:29AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "May I know from where did you purchase the system?"
08/13/2008 11:35:39AM Ian Oliver: "Best Buy"
08/13/2008 11:36:26AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Ian, I will be able to help you with the very basic things like the one that you have tried already however any issues with the system would be answered by best buy technical support itself."
08/13/2008 11:36:55AM Ian Oliver: "I'm sorry. This is a Dell laptop, shouldn't I be able to get support from Dell?"
08/13/2008 11:37:07AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/best_buy?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs"
08/13/2008 11:37:13AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Please check this link once."
08/13/2008 11:37:42AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "You can check the 6 FAQ for the same."
08/13/2008 11:37:50AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Q: Who can I contact if I need technical support?"
08/13/2008 11:37:58AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "A: If you need support for your personal computer, please contact any Best Buy store."
08/13/2008 11:38:46AM Ian Oliver: "Thanks. This will be the last Dell product I ever purchase."
08/13/2008 11:38:56AM Ian Oliver: "Please notify your supervisor."
08/13/2008 11:39:06AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Please give me a minute, my supervisor would like to have a word with you."
08/13/2008 11:39:18AM Ian Oliver: "Thanks."
08/13/2008 11:41:45AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Are we still connected?"
08/13/2008 11:41:49AM Ian Oliver: "Yes"
08/13/2008 11:43:54AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "Hello Ian! This is Ashish, supervisor for Chat Support. How are you doing today?"
08/13/2008 11:44:04AM Ian Oliver: "I'm good, how are you?"
08/13/2008 11:44:19AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "That is really good to know, I am doing good thank you."
08/13/2008 11:45:05AM Ian Oliver: "How can we resolve this issue that I'm having with my display brightness?"
08/13/2008 11:45:41AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "Well, as we start with this."
08/13/2008 11:45:55AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "I hope you know that you purchased a Dell product from Best buy, Right."
08/13/2008 11:46:04AM Ian Oliver: "I am aware."
08/13/2008 11:46:38AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "And I believe you must have checked the link provided by Prashant to you on the policy regarding the customers purchasing the computer from Best buy ?"
08/13/2008 11:46:55AM Ian Oliver: "Yes, I saw the link"
08/13/2008 11:47:46AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "Have you tried updating the BIOS?"
08/13/2008 11:49:40AM Ian Oliver: "Thanks for your help, I don't think updating the BIOS will help for this problem. It seems to be related to the video driver, I've updated to the latest video driver for my video card from the Dell Support web site (this did not resolve the issue). I've"
also downloaded the previoius driver, again from Dell's Support web site and this did not correct the issue either.
08/13/2008 11:54:37AM Ian Oliver: "Ok, we're done here. I suppose I shold have read the fine print, and not purchased the laptop from Best Buy. I work at a University, where we have over 300 Dell computers, and have always received great support from Dell in the past. When I purchased"
this laptop I was expecting the same kind of support. It is my fault for not reading the warenty/support policy. I will not make this mistake again. Thanks again for your help, sorry for the trouble.
If you require further assistance, please visit us at support.dell.com
This post is a word of caution to those considering purchasing a Dell computer from Best Buy, know that you will not be receiving the high quality support that we've come to expect from Dell.
I will not be purchasing another Dell computer from anywhere other then Dell in the future.
