The Microsoft Surface Premium Experience Is Hurting Bad Right Now
I’ve been buying mostly Surface products for the last several years. You get premium built hardware designed to rival Apple, first party support without going through someone like Dell or HP, and an incredible walk in store experience. But lately all those reasons have been trending down.
Premium Hardware
Yes, the entire line is built with great care to make great hardware. But the Surface Laptop and Surface Book have fallen behind the Dell XPS Line. Dell has really knocked it out the park with those devices making the Surface Laptop and Book look dated. The Duo looks really nice, but I expect the new Galaxy Fold to beat the tar out of it in specs, quality, and sales. The Surface Pro is really the only shining star in the line right now.
First Party Support
What in the word is going on with Windows 10 2004? I buy into Surface because I expect the best possible Windows experience from it. No crapware, no weird driver updating software, and to be first in line for Windows updates. We are heading into August and I still can’t get the 2004 update on any of my Surface devices.
Don’t even get me started on how little effort has gone into Microsoft’s own applications to support the Surface Pro X. If Apple’s transition to ARM goes well as expected, it will be an embarrassment for Microsoft.
The Store Experience
I absolutely loved the fact that if I had any problem with my device, I could go into the Microsoft store and they would handle it. A couple of years ago I had a Surface Pro the screen went out on. I walked into store and walked back out with a replacement. The people that worked there were ALWAYS nice and helpful. It was far unlike any experience I have had with anyone else. It absolutely rivaled the Apple store and exceeded it.
This week my Surface Pro X screen that is only 5 months old started getting white spots below the screen’s surface. In the physical store days, I would have had this entire issue resolved the same day. This time I had to work too hard to find an actual phone number to call for support. I kept going down a rabbit hole of automated help getting me to run a diagnostic tool or telling me the damage would cost $500 to repair.
When I did get to talk to a person, they were quite nice and helpful.
I have zero complaints about the people I spoke with. But the process took three calls and about an hour of work to get to the point where I am waiting 24 hours for shipping instructions and then another 7–10 business days after they receive the device to get it back. This is terrible compared to what we had before. A huge benefit of buying a Surface is gone.
What Can Be Done?
First, Microsoft needs to at least keep up with its partners designs like smaller bezels, longer battery life, glossless displays, and Thunderbolt support.
Second, Windows and Surface should be a near perfect experience with the fastest updates and fewest bugs. With Panos Panay in charge of Windows now, there is no excuse for this not to happen on the next Windows release.
Third, put a Microsoft store rep in Best Buy that will give you the same level of service we got in the stores. If I walk in with a Surface, and I didn’t buy it from Best Buy, it should not matter. These employees should follow the Microsoft support rules, not the Best Buy rules.
Until these things start happening, I don’t see an advantage anymore of choosing Surface devices over competitors. Right now, Apple is the only player that offers a complete experience and that is a real shame.
