Giving out Dell service tag, bad idea?

Hey guys

I am selling a Dell M6400 on ebay. Is it bad to give out a service tag to someone interested? I am worried someone is going to clone it, though I know it's pretty locked down with Dell. I would never post it, but I have had three people ask for it and no bids. Thanks

 

I would ask why they need it, and see whether you can provide the info they need by other means (e.g. proof of warranty by redacted screenshot, component list also redacted)

 

There's no reason to give it out at all as long as you state the warranty status and say that you're ready to transfer ownership to the buyer.

Buyers who ask for a service tag are either planning on doing something shady, or they want to check if the system is stolen or otherwise has problems.

 

I concur with the above posters.

Post a picture of the warranty status and list the specifications of the system in the posting.

After that, there is no reason to give out the service tag before purchase.

 

The only good reason I can see to ask for the tag is to check with dell to see if the unit is stolen or if it has any account flags that would prevent them from getting service.

I personally would ask for a service tag to check for such things and if a user would not provide that or at least the express service code then I would probably choose not to buy from them. This would be the case when dealing with an individual rather than a reputable re-seller. The only exception is if they can provide proof w/o giving up tag information.

It's a two way street of trust though and on either end you could have a person with bad intentions so it's a risk either way.

 

With the service tag, they can check the original configuration of the PC and warranty status.
Most likely this is the intention, to see if you're right about the parts and hardware.

There's not much harm of sharing the service tag. If there was, they would include disclaimers, and won't place the sticker in such an open location.

 

QFT !

I see no problems with giving out a ST. And if I were buying a Dell product on ebay or Craigslist i would do the same to see if this is a problematic computer. Buyers can also be suspicious as to why you are selling the item especially if it is still under warranty another reason for the request.

 

From a buyer's perspective, I would pass if the seller was witholding the service tag information since it seems like they were trying to withold information. I used to buy and resell tons of Dells and I always gave them out if asked (although I never put the service tag out there in the advertisement etc).

 

Thanks guys

Yeah, I did give it out 3-4 times. Its funny that someone would ask 20 questions, get the tag, and not make a bid

 

eBay sellers tend to be notorious for not being 100% with all the details. They might just write , "NVidia GPU", or even omit that altogether. Whereas, with certain Latitude models, there are defective GPU's, and non-defective GPU's. That's why I won't bid on anything unless I have the service tag and can look it up.

Can't imagine what sort of nefarious purpose a service tag could be used for.

 

Today I reported a seller who was selling Red Dead Redemption as "Brand New and Unopened" and at the bottom of the listing he goes on to state that he finished the game in 1 month and is now selling it, huh? That's not New, that's used !

So yeah buyers need to be careful and ask question when buying stuff on Ebay.

 

Agreed. It would behoove you to share the tag as it's the only way the buyer can be sure you didn't alter your system. They can't do a damn thing with it.

 

As a buyer i would always ask for the service tag. As a seller i woud expect to be asked for it.

Its a bit like asking a for a car number plate. Its so the buyer can check the notebook is genuine and its original spec/warranty etc. They cant do anything that will benefit them with it.

 

Yup - Giving out the service tag is a good idea.

I got fooled once by a guy in the states. Said the laptop had blu ray (I would of found out it hadn't if I did a a ST check) and it ended up not having it. I lost alot of $ thanks to that @#$@#$.

 

It depends on the situation, I always upgrade my systems, sometimes substantially, so there's nothing that running the service tag would show up.

Service tags can be used to get someone else's Windows 7 Upgrade package, so there's one "nefarious purpose" example. As usual, it's better safe than sorry.

 

Surprised it hasn't come up, but you can program new System Tags into replacement motherboards. It's not difficult, just need access to tools that only Dell Techs normally know to use. I had to do it on my 1558 when a tech forgot to program it during an on-site service call. Piece of cake, really. Anyway, by doing that, I could have assigned any tag i wanted, and gotten someone else's warranty coverage had i known the tag.

 

There is more to warranty coverage than just having the service tag information, or updating a replacement motherboard with a service tag. When you call in to tech support, they ask for the owner's information for a reason... to verify ownership. Simply cloning a service tag on another motherboard will get you nowhere.

As a former Dell employee, if I were buying a used system, I would want the service tag number before purchase so I could verify the service contract coverage, original specs & service history... mainly the service history. If the seller is claiming they never had a problem with it & then I discover that the system has dozens of case numbers attached to it, I'm going to go deeper into the details to see what each issue was for. Minor issues & I'd probably still buy it. Major issues & I would probably pass on it.

If the seller refused to provide the service tag for me to check on the system, they would not get my business.

 

taz, how do you check for service history? That's something new to me.

 

You can't do it without having access, or having a rep pull up the history for you (not sure if they are supposed to share that info though).

 

Yes you can do it yourself. If you couldn't, I would not have stated it. It's a headache to get to the information, but completely possible.

All you have to do is create an account at http://support.dell.com (if you do not already have one), then click the "support history and status" link on the left side under "Product Support".

On the form, you then choose "History of Support Requests", "service tag" (enter the service tag there), under "View Results Starting" choose a date over 5 years from today's date (to ensure you get all information since systems can have up to 5 years of service coverage), make sure all product lines are checked, click submit. You should then see a list of the cases for the system in question. Click a case number & look for a service call number. That shows when a replacement part was ordered &/or a tech was sent out.

Want to test it? Here is the service tag for a now expired system that I had a motherboard replacement done on in 2008:
CNY24D1

Follow my instructions above & you will find a Service Call Number of 102320402. Copy that number, go to "Support History & Status" again, change the form to check "Service Call Status", enter that number in "Service Call Number", click submit. Click that service call number in the results & you will see what was done to the system... on-site service for a motherboard.

Even if the system is not listed as one of your systems, the instructions I just provided will still work.

 

Looks like this is the link:

https://support.dell.com/support/supporthistory/servicecallsearch.aspx

Nice find!

 

Yes. That's the current link, but since they change the URLs occasionally (at least 2 times that I remember), I felt it better to just give instructions on what to look for. I will edit the previous post to include the main support page though.

Aside from checking the history when you are considering buying a used system, it also works well on system exchanges before they arrive. The online shipping/tracking info usually has the express service code or service tag listed in the notes or purchase order section, allowing you to research the history of the system days before it arrives & to prepare what you plan to say if it does not meet the terms of the service contract (equal to, or better than, the original) and what to look for problems with (if it was returned for specific issues, you know to pay close attention to those issues, to make sure they were resolved before you received it).