Model: Dell UltraSharp U2725QE
Age: 11 months (Advanced Exchange Support active through December 3, 2028)
Computers: MacBook Pro (macOS) and a Windows PC
Firmware: updated to the latest version
Service Request: 233659632

THE PROBLEM
- Video over the Thunderbolt 4 upstream (140W) port stopped working suddenly.
- Charging over the same cable still works.
- HDMI input displays normally.
- After a full power reset, video came back temporarily, but the picture now drops whenever the cable is moved even slightly at the monitor's port.
- The cable has stayed plugged in on the desk for the monitor's whole life and was rarely unplugged.

TROUBLESHOOTING COMPLETED
- Tested multiple certified Thunderbolt 4 cables. All of them work normally on other monitors and docks.
- Tested two computers (macOS and Windows). The same computer ports work with another USB-C monitor.
- Reinstalled drivers, and set the input manually to Thunderbolt.
- Updated the firmware with Dell Display and Peripheral Manager. The update ran over the Thunderbolt cable, so the data connection works.
- Factory Reset is greyed out in the OSD.
- Full power drain: unplugged every cable, held the power button, then connected power first and Thunderbolt alone second. This brought video back temporarily, and macOS showed the monitor's USB4 hub at 10 Gb/s and its 2.5G Ethernet, but the picture still drops with slight cable movement at the monitor.
- Dell Display and Peripheral Manager on macOS also says "connect a Dell monitor" while the monitor is connected and detected by macOS.

THE SUPPORT EXPERIENCE (October 31, through Dell's Messages support)
1. I went through every troubleshooting step support requested, and gave a full written summary of the testing.
2. Support then asked whether I had tried a different cable, which was already in the summary. I confirmed again: multiple cables, tested over many hours.
3. I was next asked to configure the monitor's KVM settings, even though the problem started before I ever used KVM, and KVM settings only route USB, not video.
4. At 10:58 AM, the claim was denied as "wear and tear." No inspection, no request for photos or video, and no warranty clause cited. Dell's US Limited Hardware Warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship. A Thunderbolt port that fails at 11 months, with a cable that stayed plugged in, is a defect, not normal wear and tear. Dell's own monitor warranty article (KB 000140860) gives cosmetic issues as its example of excluded wear and tear. This is a functional failure.
5. I disputed the denial and asked for a supervisor. At 11:05 AM I was told the matter had been brought to a supervisor's attention, with no timeframe.
6. When I asked for a case reference, supervisor name, contact time and method, I was told at 11:36 AM that a named supervisor would join the chat "within an hour."
7. When I tried to track the case on Dell's Service Requests page, it returned "Invalid match for service request number and email." I asked which email was on the case. The reply was "Okay" and nothing else.
8. At 12:44 PM, past the promised hour, I asked again. Ten minutes later I got a pasted apology saying a supervisor would review my "computer issue" and contact me "shortly." This case is about a monitor.
9. In nearly two hours, no supervisor ever joined, none of my questions about the case email were answered, and the wear-and-tear decision was never explained.

I'm escalating by phone, but I'm posting here because this is not how a warranty claim on an 11-month-old premium monitor should be handled.

QUESTIONS
1. Has anyone else had the U2725QE Thunderbolt upstream port become intermittent, or drop video with cable movement?
2. Has anyone had a functional failure on this model denied as "wear and tear", and how was it resolved?
3. Could a Dell community manager please review Service Request 233659632?

Related thread with similar symptoms (Thunderbolt charges, no video): "U2725QE, firmware M2T102, unrecognized on Macbook Pro (M4)".

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