Dell Venue 8 Pro bad choice of USB Micro-A socket with USB Micro-B plug. Already broken!

Finally I got some time to call Dell Support. They said I will be charged for the service and parts. But since it is a new tablet, they don't have the parts and will inform me in 5 days or I need to call them back in 5 days to check!! I told them about the design flaw and they neither accepted nor denied knowing about that. I told the supervisor also that Dell needs to recall these, change the Micro-A socket on the tablet free of charge.

I agree that it is a nice tablet otherwise. Now mine works as a nice glossy coaster for my coffee cup. The rubberized back helps with the grip even!!!

Hi Guys;

I posted a comment on Paul's Dell Venue Pro 8 review with a link back to here  - I know Paul moderates his comments - so he'll read it.

Anybody else want to zip over there and post there own comments?

http://winsupersite.com/mobile-devices/dell-venue-8-pro-what-dell-got-right#comment-494861

Cheers,

David

The USB is the only way to charge!

1) I suggest tweet @dellcares

2)Leave a comments on winsupersite about your problem - maybe Paul will notice and write an article - his article will draw more attention then yours or mine will

3) Escalate with Dell Support!!!

this same problem happened to my son's new Dell Venue Pro 8.  The micro usb broke within a few days (only had the tablet 8 days).  Dell said they wouldn't fix  - they would only replace b/c it's a new product, HOWEVER, because it was user error, they wouldn't replace it either!!!  They said to take it to an authorized local repair provider.  When I asked for a list of them, they said they didn't know!!  I went back to Staples where we purchased it and they won't take it back or allow us to purchase the additional warranty (even though it's within the 14 days because it's already broken.  UGH!!

My question is:  is there a wireless charging pad I can buy to charge the tablet without using the Micro USB?  I see some charging pads require Qi technology but I don't know if Dell Venue Pro 8 has that.   

I also would like to know what Dell charged to fix the micro USB port.

Thanks!

While I appreciate your response, one line in particular bothers me and that is this, "we are working on a solution for future products." That's great for those who eventually buy the next tablet, but what about those of us who bought this one? Are we just beta testers who are out of luck if this design flaw causes our new tablets to become unusable? Even those who have it occur within the first month or two of the tablet's release?  I just bought this tablet, and luckily have not had this problem yet, but I am seriously considering returning it after reading these customer concerns and Dell's responses to them.  I was willing to deal with the stylus/touchscreen issues until Dell released a patch to fix them but a design flaw like this that would essentially render a $350+ device unusable coupled with customer "service" that appears to be unwilling to make things right has got me worried. Its bad enough that the port is so restrictive in the first place considering its the only one on the tablet.

I apologize if my tone comes across as rude as that is not my intention, I'm merely frustrated with this situation. What happened to the days where a company would do whatever they had to do (within reason, of course) to make sure their customer is satisfied? Its not like this issue is clearly documented in the materials that come with the tablet or that the provided cable has a sticker on it notifying customers that there is a right way and wrong way to insert it into the tablet. If either one of these steps had been taken prior to selling the Dell Venue 8 Pro, I would probably agree that these cases are the customer's fault and that they should pay for the fix but, that was not the case and it should be up to Dell to make sure each and every DVP8 customer is supplied with a working tablet that was built to last.

I bought the DVP8 because I was tired of the Apple system and wanted to move everything over to Microsoft's and I thought Dell had built the ideal tablet for my needs. In fact, I was about to purchase either the XPS 18 or 27 to compliment my DVP8 and round out my Windows 8 at home experience.  However, this glaring issue, along with Dell's lack of interest in fixing this problem has me seriously considering returning the product and going with a different company all together.

Please make this right for your customers. Either fix them on a case by case basis or recall the whole batch and replace the port with one better suited for this tablet's use. After all, that is the right thing to do. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely, James Bryan Beavers

PS. In reading some of these posts, its clear that some people who have had this issue should have known better than to force the cable but what if a loved one had done it?  Also, there are probably thousands of people out there who do not visit these forums regularly and are not aware that this issue is even a problem.  In fact, my best friend bought this tablet for her mother, who knows little to nothing about computers, as her first tablet. I stopped typing this post to call her and let her know about the issue so her mom doesn't ruin her tablet. She wants me to call her back to discuss where we should go from here.

Three weeks ago my Venue connector broke and they promised to replace it.  I'm still waiting.  I have better things to do then to spend an hour on the phone with Dell support but I think I'll need to do that soon.

I'm in Canada btw - so we don't get the "great" support that you guys get in the US!

David

Mine is not broken yet, but it wont charge..  bad design.

What is the consensus on how to get this resolved ? Do we all insist on sending back to dell  so that the numbers start to show that there is a design problem?  

Thanks for posting, I'm so glad I saw this.  I am very intrigued by the 8 pro tablet, but in searching if it has any Qi specs, I found this thread.  This is a nonsensical problem, and I"m sorry to hear how Dell is handling it. 

Reconsidering purchase.

Being over 35 I agree.

im just thinking a typical user who doesn't visit this discussion will stand a high chance of breaking the connector in 2-3 years. 

I hate to sound like a broken record (an analogy  those under 35 probably don't get), but you can significantly lower the risk by clearly marking one side of every usb plug that you use with the tablet.