Need Service or Repair: Good Luck.

[buntij]

The Microsoft support system (USA) for Surface doesn't work and nobody at MS can provide any type of repair or service at this point. Going on 5 hours of being on the phone with the Surface team this week.

I revived by Surface an day one and unfortunately dropped it and shattered the screen. The eight days since have been a nightmare of hours of calls with Microsoft either a) trying to walk me through a broken web based system to pay for a swap - which always ends up with them admitting the site doesn't work and/or B) having them try to manually set up a repair which always ends up with them saying an email will be sent in 5 minutes with instructions to ship it in or them admitting they can get the system to work either. There is not other alternative. They say everyday that the system will be fixed, but for eight straight days it hasn't been.

Now I don't mind paying for the swap out (it's $299.99 if you use the website that doesn't work or $319.99 if you call and they try to use the web site that doesn't work.) And I understand some kinks in the system. But really, there are few things worse in techland than pre-ordering a new device, getting two hours to play with it and then NOT being able to get any service.

You would think that a multi-billion dollar company could make this work.

 

[leeshor]

After all these years of hardware as a sideline, now you find out that Microsoft is a software company at heart.

This is only my opinion and it may sound contrary but I have never ever had good luck with Microsoft keyboards and mice. Some of their other hardware is quite failure prone. Dealing with a hardware problem with Microsoft is beating your head against a wall. Being in the computer business for 23 years has taught me well.

 

[JamDunc]

To be fair, and to counter the above poster, apart from the 360 RROD issue, all my microsoft hardware has been top notch. Same with my housemate, although he never had a RROD.

When I have had problem hardware, (the RROD in my case), the service in the UK, which if I remember correctly was based in the US somewhere, was nothing short of professional. No problems and all sorted promptly.

Even better is their customer service telling me when they discover a problem I didn't know existed (the Xbox power brick and the Wireless Steering Wheel) and they sent out the replacement bits pronto.

So it does surprise me to hear about the issues above but I do hope you (and they) get it sorted soon!

 

[gjvah]

After all these years of hardware as a sideline, now you find out that Microsoft is a software company at heart.

This is only my opinion and it may sound contrary but I have never ever had good luck with Microsoft keyboards and mice. Some of their other hardware is quite failure prone. Dealing with a hardware problem with Microsoft is beating your head against a wall. Being in the computer business for 23 years has taught me well.

I've had the opposite experience. I've never had serious hardware failures on MS hardware. In fact the only thing that ever broke was xbox 360, and they handled everything as promised. On a side note, my MS Sidewinder keyboard has suffered a few spills, a TV falling on it (wall mounted 42", long story) and still works like a charm.