Update.
It turns out that my second Surface Pro was NOT a brick. Instead, the external power supply (the charger) was functioning only intermittently and my Surface Pro’s battery was dead.
Apparently the wire that connects the little re-charging block to the Surface Pro was fraying, and the wire inside was damaged. Now it seems to have frayed right through inside, and doesn’t provide any charge at all.
So now my second Surface Pro is back to being a brick. Again.
Guess who made the charger? Right! Microsoft!
So now we’re 3 for 3 with defective/defunct devices from Microsoft. At least they’re consistent.
But wait, there’s more! I decided that I’d better buy a replacement charger. So I went to the Canadian Microsoft site (I’m in Canada), and found that a replacement (a refurbished replacement) will cost me $64.
If they had any. Which they don’t.
Ditto experience at the US Microsoft site. So now it looks as if my Surface Pro is going to STAY a brick.
But that’s not all! On the webpage where it offers the non-existent charger, there are two reviews, each giving the Microsoft product and their experience a 5-star rating.
You can guess what my reaction was – No Way! So I wrote a short, neutrally worded summary of my experience and gave the product a 1-star rating. It’s a moderated site (I supposed in case I swore or said something libellous or inflammatory), so I received a message saying that I’d receive an e-mail before my review went up. I did receive an e-mail, and I thereupon confirmed that I had posted the review.
That was three days ago. The review has still not appeared. Now, as well as not being able to trust Microsoft’s product quality, I also can’t trust Microsoft’s integrity.
And I need a tablet. It won't be a Surface. My mission now is to forestall any of my friends and business acquaintances from buying a Microsoft product, especially a Surface.
BTW, here’s the review I posted:
Poor quality
I bought this Surface 48W Power Supply with USB Charging Port for $64 in April 2015 and by the end of October 2015 it would not charge my Surface Pro -- the wire leading from the block to the Surface pro frayed and the metal wire inside broke. Very shoddy. And I have no choice but to buy another one, for another $64, otherwise I can't use my Surface Pro. The Surface Pro itself had already had to be replaced after only 18 months... so at least Microsoft is consistent!
