Well that was a frustrating ordeal, but all is good now.   Got the computer repaired, spoke to a corporate rep after expressing how frustrated I was, and they made it good.  I was pretty much decided that this may have been my last dell, but after taking to corporate, I'm satisfied with the resolution to this issue.
I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the level of service I have received on my recent service request for my wife's Dell XPS 15 laptop.  I called mid-afternoon on Friday to report an issue with my motherboard (HDMI connector had failed).  The dell phone tech then spent the next 2.5 hours installing software updates on the laptop (though not actually doing any real troubleshooting) before they gave up and agreed it was a hardware failure. First, I was told that I would have to ship my laptop to a dell warehouse to have the issue addressed (I have next-business-day on-site support on my warranty).  I refused to ship the system, and the tech got annoyed at me. Next, the tech tried to "bully" me into shipping the system, saying something along the lines of "Well I hope there are no nicks or scratches on the plastic then, because that will result in an extra change if you're not shipping it".  That is the first time I lost my temper, since first its completely untrue, and second, I also have the Accidental Damage coverage on my warranty. After I did not get an email, I reached out to dell to confirm the service was scheduled using the chat feature while logged into my dell account.  I was assured the service was scheduled and I would be contacted. Monday came, and I still had no email, SMS, or phone call, so I reached out to dell *again* to confirm the service.  I was told that they had not yet shipped the motherboard, and they had no idea when it would be received, but I should wait another 24 hours before contacting them again.  I also told them I was not receiving their emails, which was not resolved. Then today comes, and I leave work to find a voicemail on my phone from the support partner that was dispatched to say they were on their way to my house (which I was not at, since I didn't have an appointment scheduled yet).  I got a second voicemail with a timestamp about 20 mins later saying they got to my house, but the people that lived there said they had the wrong address (which is true -- dell entered the wrong street name in the ticket). I called dell back tonight, and was told that the service dispatch had been cancelled due to the incorrect address, and they would have to ship *yet another* new motherboard to the tech so they could come out to the correct address this time.  I'm now told that I will have to wait another 2 days to have the computer fixed, and that I will be getting a call from the technician to schedule a service time (maybe I'll get lucky and that will be true this time, but given past history, I'm highly skeptical). So much for next-business-day support -- I called mid-afternoon on Friday, and am now being told I will receive service on Thursday at the earliest. I have been a long-time (15+ years) customer of dell, buying exclusively dell computers for my personal use.  Recent experiences make me question this decision, and since I am probably due for a new laptop soon (mine is now 5 1/2 years old, so I'll likely replace it soon) I've got a hard decision to make.  Dell does make quality products, but recent service experience leaves me with a very bitter taste in my mouth, and makes me distrustful of dell's commitment to their service agreements, and willingness to "make it right", as they have done in the past.
Unacceptable delay in service