I'd rather use a microwave

I received a Rival Hot Pot electric kettle as a gift from a friend about a week ago. In that week, I have used it probably three times. The product gets the job done; however, I admit that it is probably not something I would have purchased for myself as I find using a microwave is just as convenient.
The first thing I noticed about the kettle is that it has about 7 different temperature settings. However, they are not numbered. There is one labeled "Low" and one labeled "High", and there are five dots in between those two settings that indicate the other temperature settings. However, I read the instructions and it says Low is to be used if you would like to warm up milk or other beverages and High is to be used to boil water. The instructions do not mention what the other settings can be used for and honestly, I really don't see what purpose they serve.
Another con about this product is the power cord is attached to the kettle itself, and it gets in the way when I clean the kettle. I wish Rival could find a way to connect the cord to a base or something and have the kettle removable from the base so washing it out would be a lot simpler.
I also wish that the kettle came with a timer or an alarm to let you know when the water is done boiling. There have already been a few times when I took poured the water from the kettle into my cup thinking it would be boiling and ready to make coffee with, yet I find out that it wasn't boiling yet. The kettle makes a noise that sounds like the sound of boiling water, but it isn't always boiling.
In my opinion, this electric kettle is just another thing to (hand)clean and I would honestly rather use the microwave to heat up my water when I want coffee or soup. I could see where it would be nice to have in a dorm room or to take when you travel to use in a hotel, but I don't think it serves a purpose at home in the kitchen.