Hello Mr. Balmer
Dear Mr. Balmer:
I have a question for you. I’d like to know if you could explain to me the current Microsoft business model of Treat the Paying Customer like a Thief. Near as I can tell, for giving Microsoft my money I am rewarded with being treated like dirt by my OS and two of your customer service representatives.
Let me give you some background.
On Thursday, June 12, 2008, I had some computer problems. I was caught in a boot loop. After some research, I found the instructions on Microsoft’s site so I could fix this. It worked.
When I got to the login screen, my system informed me I had to register my product. So I told it to do so. Then I was informed that this product has been registered too many times.
What happened over the course of the next hour convinced me that Microsoft really doesn’t want customers or money.
When I got to Microsoft’s website and tried to locate information to contact Microsoft, the link to contact the division that handles product activation took me to a page in the Knowledge Base that told me how to activate the product activation program in Windows. That was page extremely useless and I got there via a link that said Contact Product Activation. The page informs me that no number is given as there are many local activation numbers I can contact. That information was nowhere to be found.
After finally managing to call Microsoft and finding a phone system option for software activation, I was referred to a page in the Knowledge Base by a recording. This page explains how to fix this problem through my registry. Which would have been fine if Windows would let me get to my registry or any other part of my computer. (I obtained this information via another computer in the house.)
I called Microsoft again and managed to reach technical support at approximately 12:30pm CST. First, let me say that those phone lines really need some work. Quite a bit of static there.
The man I worked with professional and helpful. The problem is, Microsoft procedures forced him to do a lot of things that were profoundly not helpful. He had to put me through to an automated system so I could read my activation ID to a computer. After a few false starts, it finally understood me and accepted my activation ID. However, it couldn’t understand me when I told it that there was only one computer in the home with this software installed. And I was transferred to another person. Thankfully, this gentleman was still on the phone with me and had informed me that no matter what, he’d be listening in and following me if I get transferred. He spoke to another woman who asked me to read the numbers. I did twice and neither time could she either understand me or enter the numbers correctly. As I was trying to explain that the automated system had approved the numbers, she hung up on me in mid-sentence. I was calm. I was polite. I was hung up on.
The tech support gentleman opted to send me to the automated system again. Once again, it approved the new activation numbers but could not comprehend that only one computer in the home had this software. Once again I was informed by the system that I didn’t meet license requirements and was transferred.
This next woman finally got my system working. After she repeatedly asked me, in multiple ways, how many computers had this software installed. Because treating customers like they are liars is apparently part of the new Microsoft marketing model. The gentleman I worked with was polite, professional, patient and had a sense of humor. I think he could have done a better job if you simply let him generate the new product key for me.
Or better yet, DO NOT force me to get a new key every time I have to reinstall Windows. No other product on this earth puts me through so many hoops just to use it. No other company assumes I stole the product and am not the legitimate owner.
Based on what I described here, what is my incentive to ever buy another Microsoft product? Why would I buy your products if this will be my experience from here on into the future?
You can verify this with case number 1069896330.
I will now go eat my Baconator and growl menacingly over it.