Dead battery in SP3. Impossible to get it serviced by Microsoft

[zhenya]

Last week the battery in my SP3 failed. 7whr indicated capacity left. Lasts for about 20 minutes on battery. I called the Microsoft Business support numbers at Global Customer Service phone numbers which resulted in a string of promises about phone calls back from technical engineers that I never received or promises of emails with instructions I'd need to follow for replacement which never came.

At this point the best I can tell is that they seem to want me to send the device in to their service center and that once it's received I should receive a replacement device in 5-10 business days. (although they can't tell me where to send it or for sure how long it will take or how much if anything it will cost) This is completely unacceptable. First, this is my business computer. I am not going to go a couple of weeks without it. Second, at this point they can't even return a call or send a promised email to me. There is NO WAY I am going to send my device to a company that treats me like this.

Anyone here have any alternative solutions for me? The closest store is 70-some miles away and will require me to spend an entire day to get there. Not really an option for a business user.

This is my second Surface, quickly becoming my last.

 

[GreyFox7]

MS as a fledgling computer supplier/manufacturer regularly shows their inexperience and noobness to the realities of building and supporting computer hardware. I think in some way this was the purpose of allowing/agreeing to have the surface sold by enterprise partners (HP & Dell) who have such experience and process in place not to mention the established business relationships and purchasing arrangements with businesses and resellers. For some businesses the paperwork alone to establish a purchasing arrangement can take months. Lenovo spurned their overture but the reason given missed the point entirely, however Dell, HP, and Lenovo have serviceable business offerings for business tablets with replaceable components (battery, ssd, memory, motherboards).

 

[zhenya]

That may be, but my device was purchased through Microsoft. At this point I have a near $2000 paperweight while I have Thinkpads on my desk that I'm in the process of repurposing that are nearing 10 years old. I am literally at a loss as to how to proceed. I've been on the phone twice with Microsoft again this morning and been disconnected both times without them being able to offer any resolution for what should be a straightforward repair.

 

[hughlle]

Are you required to go through business channels? Any time i've had an issue with an MS product I just go on live chat and an RMA is arranged then and there no questions asked.

 

[zhenya]

On chat with them now. Somewhat more helpful, but they want me to completely refresh the device. Restoring from that is a major hassle and in near 20 years of IT work I've never seen a battery failed like this fixed through software.

 

[zhenya]

They want me to pay $450 for a replacement device. Right.

This does it for me and Microsoft hardware. Lenovo, Apple, many others give a 3 year warranty on their batteries. My Surface is 3 months out of its warranty period and now they want me to spend 40% of its original cost on a battery replacement.

 

[hughlle]

They want me to pay $450 for a replacement device. Right.

This does it for me and Microsoft hardware. Lenovo, Apple, many others give a 3 year warranty on their batteries. My Surface is 3 months out of its warranty period and now they want me to spend 40% of its original cost on a battery replacement.

It is out of warranty, why should it be free? Noone hid this fact from you when you were buying.

And i'm just on apples website, it is 1 year warranty for everything from iphone to watch to macbook. After 1 year you are required to go through their battery service which is not free. For the 12" ipad pro, the out of warranty service charge is £500..

 

[Plantje]

If you have your credit card connected to your MS account you can use "advanced support" and get a new device before you have to send in the old one.
You have to wipe your data anyway, that's completely normal

 

[zhenya]

Fine, but Apple's battery service for laptops costs between $129-199 and I have confidence that I will actually get my device back in a timely manner. And with experience with Apple and Lenovo customer service, I know for a fact that they would work with me under such a circumstance.

I have no pretentions that it should be free. But $450 for a battery that has failed after 14 months is insanity.

 

[zhenya]

If you have your credit card connected to your MS account you can use "advanced support" and get a new device before you have to send in the old one.
You have to wipe your data anyway, that's completely normal

I have no problem wiping my data if I have confidence I can restore it to another device. But I'm not going to just send it off into the black hole of MS service at this point and 'hope' I see something in return.

I cannot locate any information about an advanced return in my Microsoft account on the Surface site, and I have never been given this as an option despite repeatedly asking if they can do that from the very first call.

 

[hughlle]

Fine, but Apple's battery service for laptops costs between $129-199 and I have confidence that I will actually get my device back in a timely manner. And with experience with Apple and Lenovo customer service, I know for a fact that they would work with me under such a circumstance.

I have no pretentions that it should be free. But $450 for a battery that has failed after 14 months is insanity.

It is cheaper for a reason. It is far easier to service a laptop than a sealed tablet, hence why i quoted you the price for having an ipad pro serviced. If your ipad fails after 14 months, you'll also be eligible for a hefty fee.

 

[zhenya]

It is cheaper for a reason. It is far easier to service a laptop than a sealed tablet, hence why i quoted you the price for having an ipad pro serviced. If your ipad fails after 14 months, you'll also be eligible for a hefty fee.

iPad battery service is $99 for all ipads, including the Pro. Apple - Support - Service Answer Center

Unfortunately MS would not sell me extended service after I missed the very short initial window of opportunity to purchase it. Apple will sell a warranty any time within the first year. And from experience, when you are close on the warranty timing, they have been extremely accommodating.