The keyboard on my laptop has been failing for the past year or two. Some crucial keys (namely, the End and Down Arrow keys) don't work, which isn't a big deal for chatting and email, but is quite an impediment for most programming work. At home, I almost always use my laptop in its docking station connected to my real keyboard and screen, so the faulty laptop keyboard has never been a problem. On my recent trip to Clemson, though, I found myself using it quite a bit, and the lack of a Down Arrow key really started to be a problem. One night I got on the phone and called Dell and ordered a replacement keyboard, along with a complete set of replacement screws (I'm missing a few on the bottom of the laptop). They said it'd take a week to ship, which meant it'd show up in Covington right around the same time that I'd be returning.

When I got back, I did find a box outside my door from Dell. I took it inside and opened it excitedly, eager to finally have a fully functioning keyboard again. When I opened the box, though, the contents were not quite what I expected:

One screw. The entire box for one tiny screw. And it wasn't even one of the screws I needed. To their credit, I must admit that the packaging did its job — the screw did arrive without damage or breakage.

I called Dell to ask if the rest of the order was still on its way, and they said no, their records showed that the order had been fulfilled with that one box, and that yes, they showed that they had charged my credit card for $43 as expected. The woman helpfully offered to credit the funds back to my card and then transfer me to the parts department so I could try placing my order again. When I finally got to talk to them half an hour later, they told me that they are out of keyboards for my laptop and that I should try calling back in two weeks. Thanks, Dell.

As a postscript to the story, I went on eBay and found a brand new replacement keyboard for $13, so I ordered that. Hopefully they'll send me a keyboard and not a drill bit or something.