Last week I bought a new laptop because my old one is showing signs of impending failure.
I’ve been working on computers for over 30 years. I’m no tech whiz but I’m more savvy than a lot of older adults because my career required me to be. There are always glitches when migrating to a new computer but until last week, they couldn’t defeat me.
Until now, Microsoft. Somehow in the process of linking my account to my new computer and getting lost in the 2-factor sign ons and security keys, I was unable to login with the account that I use to access important programs like Microsoft 365 and OneNet. The only way I got my new computer running was to use a different email address.
I frantically searched your site for the magic bullet that might connect me to a real person, by phone or chat, to help me straighten things out. I downloaded security key apps, which promised codes I could enter somewhere, with no explanation about how to use them.
It’s the first time I’ve felt completely helpless when faced with a technical issue. I’ve always been able to find support.
But you, Microsoft, make that virtually impossible. Both your website and your “help” numbers send me to automated decision trees that end up in a circular loop, especially because, by now, my account was locked and I’d lost access entirely because I couldn’t log in. Even the recovery code I’d so carefully noted was completely useless.
Eventually you drove me to what I now know is the nuclear option: I filled out a form that informed me my account access would not be restored for 30 days.
Did you know there are sites that appear to be on Microsoft.com that offer phone numbers, answered by real people, that offer to help solve this problem? Desperate to get this fixed before leaving next week for 3 weeks abroad, I called one and spent over an hour on the phone with them. It seemed legit at first and I jumped through the hoops as they asked me to make sure all my financial sites were secure. (They were, and are.)
It was only when the agent asked me to enter a code from a text message sent to my phone, authorizing a transfer of funds, that I put the brakes on, refused, and ended the call. I then changed my network password as well as those of all my financial institutions.
This is what you’ve driven me to.
So here’s the deal, Microsoft. When I do regain access to my account, I plan to cancel my Microsoft 365 subscription and migrate my OneNet files to another cloud platform. This is not an insignificant decision for me; I’ve used Microsoft Outlook for over 2 decades. I use PowerPoint and Word as well.
But you know what? Outlook is the only one of these programs I will truly miss. Google Drive’s word processing, presentation and accounting programs work just fine for my needs.
I see from Microsoft-supported forums that there are a lot of other people who are just as frustrated as I am with the inability to get help in real time. You’d think a company of your size would care more about its customers and provide a realistic way to easily connect to live support. Shit, I’d even pay for it!
As a former customer service professional let me tell you, Microsoft — yours sucks. In the whole scheme of your business model, I’m an insignificant loss but I still wanted you to know that you’ve lost me.
Capitalism is evil by nature.