Microsoft
Reviews and Complaints

Trying to open my microsoft account to access the email account I have had for 15+ yrs.
Used every password I EVER use - and still no help. Made the mistake of using 2 step verification thinking it would make my account safer - what it didn't tell you is that you can't ever get in again. I even had a 25 digit recovery code which when entered said "not invalid." Of course, I can't try to obtain new 25 digit recovery code since I can't get into the email account.

So the plan suggested I open new account so I could communicate with "contact support." I did that and now Outlook will only give me new account. The previous account has over 30 files containing prior received and sent emails. This is a work email address so the files are extremely important and time sensitive.

I tried desperately to get a live person on the phone to resolve the problem unsuccessfully. The information I have received on the recorded phone message and online is that I can only reset the security info online - and now I have to wait 30 days to reset security info! This is a work (tho not formally business acct) account with a ton of information saved and responded to (also saved), email addresses of business people that I cannot access for 30 days ! REALLY!

WHY CAN'T I GET A PERSON ON PHONE WHO CAN ASK ME ENOUGH QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE WHO I AM, HELP ME INSTALL A NEW PASSWORD AND MOVE FORWARD - NOT IN 30 DAYS! THIS IS RIDICULOUS - CAN'T GET A HUMAN BEING ON THE PHONE ---- REALLY!

Had one issue corrected by customer support assistant.
Needed further assistance regarding DVD that will not load onto a NEW laptop.
It is not possible to get further support and all messages are refused and returned.
"support.microsoft.com" Email message cannot be sent from Mail.com OR Gmail.
...the new computer refuses to send the email message.
The 800 642-7676 number does nothing and simply asks for money to get help.

It appears MS support and complaint department are both closed to its customers.

I regret purchasing a new Windows laptop. There are many problems that cannot be resolved. For me, Microsoft is a unreliable corporation and abuses its customers...Terrell Jenkins

RE: SRX1438581918ID - 02/surface laptop / boot to windows /resolve

Dear Surface Support

Let me make this as clear as I can.

YOUR SERVICE IS UTTER CRAP AND I WILL BE SEEKING COMPENSATION PLUS ADVISE OTHERS NOT TO BUY YOUR PRODUCT.

Since seeking help from Microsoft with the above problem I have had a so called Tech Expert from your company who spent some time trying to tell me wrongly the unit was not covered by warranty, failed to understand clearly what was said to her then failed to find a satisfactory solution to the Surface Laptop in question. After seeking advice I was told it could not be repaired due to a fault caused by a Microsoft Windows 10 update.

She then advised I would receive in the mail details and documentation to return the computer and have it replaced. Meanwhile my Granddaughter, who required the unit for school, was computer less. Now a full week later I have still not received said documentation even though I have received two emails seeking when I will return the unit. Responses to those emails returned to say the issue was being escalated which seems to man it is being passed to the next desk along at the Tech Centre in whatever Country is being used due to cheap wages.

Back to the Computer. After reviewing the various problems that existed my IT Qualified son bypassed the Boot Up of the unit (your Tech Assistant ought to have known this step), switched to Safe Mode, turned off the Bit Locker then activated all the account details thus repairing the Laptop. Seems Microsoft are getting the service from it's Tech Centre commensurate with the wages they are paying.

I no longer need to return the unit. In fact I shall be returning to the market to seek another brand. One which offers proper Tech Support sounds appropriate.

This is a serious complaint from a Consumer and will be forwarded also to Microsoft Headquarters. Just not good enough.

Ray Hutchinson
14 Clarendon Views
Doreen Vic 3754

1127 Heritage Drive
LaSalle, Ontario, Canada
N9H 2C1
e-mail: [protected]@cogeco.ca
Phone: [protected]

Case Number: [protected]

To whom this may concern:

On Thursday, August 16, 2018 I tried to get online help from Microsoft for a malfunctioning computer I purchased online from the Microsoft (MS) Store (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) on December 28, 2016. When I bought the computer (Dell Inspiron 15, i5559-4682SLV Signature Edition) I also purchased Microsoft Complete for Laptops (for $125) which purported to be a "two-year, complete extended service plan" for the computer. Unfortunately after spending four hours speaking to self-identified first level techs in a call-center in Manila without resolution of my computer issues, I was referred to a second level tech who would, reportedly, contact me in four days, that is, on Monday August 20, 2018. To get the immediate attention of a 2nd level technician I was told that I would have to pay an additional $50.00 right then.

I was unwilling to pay any extra money given that I believed that MS Complete for Laptops should have covered what was required - without an excessive wait for the service. Subsequently, I attempted to talk with a MS Store representative in Mississauga, Ontario but was sidelined to another call center in El Salvador. After explaining the issues plaguing my computer - once again - I was transferred back to Manila and consequently hung up the phone in frustration.

A little later the same day, using the subterfuge of pretending to be a prospective purchaser for an item in the Mississauga MS Store, I managed to contact a real person (Josh in the Tech Room). He said I could bring the computer into the store the next day (Friday, August 17, 2018) and he would look at it. However, given that I live in LaSalle, Ontario (approximately 220 miles from Mississauga, Ontario) this option seemed irrational. When I asked if I could simply mail the computer to the Store I was told that the Store would not accept a mailed (or couriered) delivery; it had to be delivered in person. This would have required a four hour drive to the Mississauga store; an undetermined amount of time waiting for the necessary service; and another four hour drive back to LaSalle with the, hopefully, fixed computer. I reluctantly agreed to deliver the computer to the store (in person) but later decided it was likely to be a costly waste of my time because no guarantees were being offered that the computer would be fixed - only that they would look at it. What, then, if they couldn't repair it and required it to be left with the store for a few days until ready. Was I to leave it, drive back to LaSalle, and wait for the call to return to pick the unit up?

I finally accepted that I was not being offered a sensible solution to my computer troubles but was only being shuffled from department to department because there was no intention to honor the words stated in the Microsoft Complete warranty of protection for my laptop; that is "Accident protection and extended service for your device - plus unlimited software support and training from Answer Desk - for two full years."

Bill Gates should be ashamed that this warranty scam is being perpetrated in the Microsoft name.

John Russell

I had the unformate experience of dealing with one of your chat support techs. Name was Garmini or something like that. Not only did he keep me on the chat for over an hour trying to fix the issue (not getting all of my live.com emails), but when he sign off I realized he had deleted my other 2 email accounts. This individual was not knowledgeable and actually got online to search for help. I had done that previously and they went to the same site I had used. This person needs to be dismissed.

Please stop calling with someone who does not speak plane english or is from a different country as I do not hear well and can not understand them your tech support program has ruined two computers and I do not wish to lose a third so if you must talk with me please SEND AND EMAIL or write to me at P.O. Box 276 Locust Grove, Oklahoma 74352
Thank you
Jim Mann

I purchased an XP247 yesterday and when I loaded the disc nothing appeared on the screen.
I the entered your chat service with Olivia"I think" When I explained my problem she asaid she would pass me over to technical dept and asked for my telephone number.
"minutes later I got a call from a company called"Epsolve or something like that
Their agent then took over my computer and told me I had lots of viruses and that was why it was not working (I, m on Windows 10 and have Windows Defender installed
All of a sudden I was being told that she could fix it and sort any other problems for a year for £99.99 or for a longer period for £199.99
I explained that I had been using my previous printer that morning (Epson SX235) without any problem and I declined her offer. She then said the printer wouldn't work unless I sorted it
At this stage I hung up
I then proceeded to download drivers etc from your website and the printer is working perfectly
The call changed fro help to sales which is not what I wanted or asked for
I, m very unhappy with this way of selling

Microsoft corrupted my email and no one helps. Microsoft terrorizing me, 60 years old permanently disabled woman every day asking more and more proof that it is my account and does not let me in. CA Attorney General, US Attorney General, FCC, FTC, BBB Washington State, no one do anything against that outrageous and ongoing power abuse. Microsoft kidnapped my Hotmail account again. Two years ago I complained against Microsoft that was sitting in my email and was manipulating with my account. They even did not allow me to change a password. 30 days I fought to return my email under my ownership. They control every my step. They want to know every my step. That sickness going on and on and I cannot find help against that torture. They locked up my email today again, right after I complained to FTC that they already tried to attempt to do that again and nothing could stop them, they did it. I am so sorry that I ever got into Hotmail and now I do not know how to get out of that corrupted company. I needed my email every day, because right now everything done electronically by email. That outrageous torture should not continue. How to find help against criminals in power and agency do not help at once and retaliation gets enforced after my valid complaints. Please help immediately. This is an emergency. They corrupted everything: my Skype, my Hotmail, my Microsoft word. They began to attack me through no reply emails with false statements that I asked them to close my account and/or somebody else using my account. I have no doubt that it is them who are using my account. Is anybody else would like to fight that abuse? Thank you.

An Open Letter to Satyan Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
Dear Mr. Nadella,
As the CEO of Microsoft, I think you should be aware of how your support staff deal with clients and how frustrating it is to try to recover an account because of a typo. As a writer/editor/on-line English teacher my world has come to a halt when my account was suspended.
Tuesday 17 July 2018 started as a good day. Then I tried to renew my Office subscription -- it had expired while I was in the process of settling in Ecuador - and everything turned to confusion.
After five days of unreturned phone calls, unanswered emails, and rejected account recovery forms I figured out the problem. Somehow I managed to get a typo. So the correspondence from Microsoft went to that non-existent address.
Since there is an option to fix the address I am obviously not the first - nor likely the last - to make that mistake. However, after too many attempts to count, the Microsoft "system" still wouldn't accept the correction. Could you please have your technical people fix that problem?
When I tried to get a call-back I was told my phone number didn't exist. Live chat was a waste of time.
The problem is that your front- line people can not do anything except babble the same jargon. I received a series of messages to a gmail account - in Spanish - telling me that my application didn't meet the "requirements" - whatever they may be.
One thing is that the credit union where I deal in Canada changed Mastercard companies in May, 2018. No, I do not have the old account number.
Instead of going around and around in circles, why doesn't Microsoft establish what they will accept as legitimate? How about a copy of my passport? A scan of my social security number? My maternal grandmother's maiden name? These are tangible pieces of evidence - rather than the idiotic questions like "How much was your last Skype purchase?" Really, as though I would remember the exact amount and the precise date as it is an automatic deduction.
I am writing to you with the hope that I can have my Microsoft account restored. Otherwise, Microsoft will litter my gmail-inbox with more messages - in Spanish --saying that I can't prove I am the owner of this account.
The case number is [protected], My telephone number is [protected] and my email address is as above.
I am in Ecuador with family and friends wondering why I haven't called. Frustrating and totally unnecessary if Microsoft put a second level of "real" identification in place that could be dealt with in person, rather than another form letter. Some human interaction would go a long way to solving technical issues.
Thank-you for your help.
Sincerely,
Jody Hanson, PhD

My surface shut down by itself 2 months ago. When I turned it on it asked for the BitLocker key. It didn't accept my key so I called Microsoft Service, an employee told me I should take it to an expert, I took it there and paid 40 euros. In the meantime I called again and another employee told me that the only way to use my laptop again is to reinstall Windows and losing all my data. What a great situation! I agreed on losing all my date while I'm working on my Master Thesis. She said it was easy to do it myself and sent me the details on an email. So I went back to the expert to pick up my laptop because he would charge me another 60 euros for that... I bought a USB Stick for 12 euros to upload the new Windows and had to ask a friend to download it for me... Then I followed the instructions, it seemed like it worked but during the progress it just stopped. Same thing happened the next 3 or 4 times I tried it. Having spent so much time and being in a real need of a laptop I took it back to the expert, it took 1 month he said that there is nothing to do and I should call Microsoft and I would probably have to sent it and they would repair it… I called Microsoft as soon as I heard these news, waited for another 25 min since I obviously have nothing better to do with my life explained the whole story again and the employee said that we could fix it together, he said that I could follow some steps and fix it, but I still hadn't received my laptop from the repair store yet. So I was suggested to hang up pick up my laptop and call again, when I asked if I could have a direct number so I wouldn't have to wait all over again or for speaking to the same person I was said that this is the procedure. So again after paying a repair fee I take my laptop home and call again. This time I waited for 32 min… Guess what ? another person is on the phone now and I have to explain all the above again… He suggested immediately to send my laptop and it would be replaced. I thought ok I've already lost all my data it doesn't matter. But then BOOOM apparently it will be replaced by another used item! Which means I paid 1400 euros to have a new laptop for using it for 7 months, then have it broken for another 2 months and now having it replaced by a random used one… I can only say I am extremely disappointed and upset, this whole story costed me money, time and just messed it up my studies.

I downloaded a Microsoft app that cost me nearly 100 dollars but no where in the app or when you get the app does it say it's a monthly payment so now theirs 106 dollars being taken out of my bank account, I would like my money back and also get rid off the app or the Microsoft PowerPoint out of my account please, if nothing is done I will take higher measures to get the money that was tooken from me,
Thank you
To contact me here's my number [protected]

Have been a microsoft customer since windows 3.1 in 1992. I have numerous windows keys, office keys, project and visio keys. Recently I replaced my windows 7 ultimate desktop with a windows 10 workstation. Microsoft convinced to me go with office 365 to replace my office professional 2010. So I did. I want to access my visio and project files and can't because visio and project are now incompatible with office 365. Therefore I would like to purchase visio pro 2016 but don't feel I should pay the full retail price. And I don't want to add another monthly subscription fee to my current microsoft fees.

Microsoft should offer an upgrade price path to those vested customers that allow them to keep current with core set of invested in products. If not this will force me to search for another solution - and it won't be microsoft.

On february 4th, 2018 I purchased what I thought was the professional microsoft office product from best buy. When I received my new laptop with the microsoft office product installed I noticed it was the home and student version which was of no use to me. I called best buy to return the product and get the proper version installed however they told me they could not issue the return, I had to get in touch with microsoft directly. I proceeded to call microsoft on february 21st, 2018 using this telephone number; 1-877-696-7786. The man I spoke with initially told me that microsoft could not issue a refund, this had to be done through best buy. I still needed the microsoft professional product and so purchased this product and had him install it for me. He then told me that the refunds department may be able to help me with the refund of the home and student office product. I did not get the name or employee number of the man who helped me. He transferred me to a woman who said that the most they could do was issue me a refund cheque of $122.08 (I paid $169.99 cad at best buy) plus the amount I paid to ship the product. I simply had to mail in the microsoft office home and student card I received from best buy as well as my name, address, the return # which was 181392, the case # which was 1416373494 and a copy of my shipping receipt to this address: microsoft product returns, 2031 burroughs avenue, san leandro, ca, 94577. She assured me that if the package arrived to them within 30 days of my original purchase date they would send me the cheque to my mailing address and that I should receive it within 4-6 weeks. I confirmed that the package was received on february 27th, 2018, well within one month of my purchase date of february 4th, 2018. Unfortunately, I did not get the name or employee number of this woman either. After 7 weeks and still no cheque in the mail, I called the refunds department and the women I spoke with told me there was no evidence that I was to be issued a cheque and this is not something the refunds department does. I'm writing this to report a scam occurring in your refunds department. Now that i've mailed out the microsoft office card I can't even try to receive a refund from best buy. All i'm looking for from microsoft is a refund of the $169.99 (cad) I spent on the product and the cost to ship, $24.00 (cad). I could easily put some value on the time i've spent on the phone, but I just want this to end. I sincerely hope that microsoft can help with this, I can't even express my level disappointment with this entire situation.
Regards,
Joann adam-bland

My name is Nicky Sass. I am a south African and my hotmail and live account was hacked on the 12th of April 2018 by a computer based in Nigeria. They have change my security settings I have tried to contact your departments on numerous times and answered all the relevant security questions. And yet these accounts remain in the hands on these nigerians. The 2 accounts in questions were security to each other and had the same passwords.the relevant accounts are: hi5greenfrog @hotmail.com & Nicky.[protected]@live.co.za.please contact me on Nicky.sass.[protected]@gmail.com.

I bought a surface pro on 2016 with extended warranty. I was able to replace my surface pro during warranty period due to some product issues. now I have problem of using function keys (Ctl+ c, F1, F2...).Today I have taken to the store and show them they said my key pad faulty and it will not covered by my extended warranty.it will cover only computer not the key board. What should I do? I am having hope and appreciating your excellent customer service will help my problem.

Three years ago I purchased Office Home for three devices. Today Microsoft updated my desktop and uninstalled my programs without my permission. How do I get my programs back on my computer and other devices? I paid for the Microsoft Office Suite with permanent installation and now Microsoft has removed the programs I paid by remote control. They used one of their forced updates to take it off of my Desktop, my Amazon Fire, and my other laptop. This looks like internet theft.

My live.com email account has been locked by your company, I have tried 3 times to go through the process of providing sent email addresses and subject lines with no success. I have tried calling many, many times and I cannot get through to a live person, can someone PLEASE call me?

My email address that was locked is [protected]@live.com

My phone number is [protected]

secondary email address is [protected]@att.net

Stephen Ricci

To whom it may concern,

This personal account was cancelled last year on the 17/10. I started university, installed my free software and cancelled this account online.

Why have you been billing me? I have paid another full year when I have a free account!

For the past 3 weeks I have been having non stop problems with my student account and that is how I came to realise this personal account was activated and overriding my uni account. I don't understand how or why but I need it fixed please. I am having issues with onedrive and haven't been able to access assignments when needed, my outlook mail has been affected too.

If this had not happened I wouldn't even known Microsoft was still billing me in addition to having a free account.

Could you please resolve this situation as soon as possible?

Many thanks,

Dana Tietjen

[protected]@hotmail.com
[protected]@student.swin.edu.au

I received one message to my cell phone from my bank that "rs.424.80 spent on pos/ecom using ib debit card on 06/06/2018 23.09 at microsoft * office 36 msbill from my bank account"
Without my authorization an amount of rs.424.80/- has been deducted/debited on pos/ecom using my debit card on 06.06.2018 at 23.09 at microsoft * office 36 msbill from my bank account. Kindly refund the amount. My name is s. Manikandan, chennai. Phone. No. +91 [protected]. My bank is indian bank acct no.[protected].

I never purchase any thing from microsoft. Kindly refund the amount to my bank account.

CASE # 1428657229 I have been working on for over 8 hours and have gotten zero help. They messed my computer up worse than it started. Then they hang up and disconnect from your computer. I have called back numerous times and just keep getting transferred over and over and hung up on. I have never been treated this way as a customer just trying to fix the problems the updates are creating. I cant believe the poor customer service that Microsoft has. please call me at [protected] or [protected] if anyone can help me. I have spent over 8 hours today on the phone with all these departments and they just hang up when they cant figure out the problem.