Do I Hold Any Grounds?

[Oldmana]

So I've been using Surface products for the past couple years and I've had some terrible problems in that time. Allow me to explain the situation..

I originally purchased a used SP1 that was way out of warranty. This device had this issue where if you attach, detach, or mess with the keyboard, it had a chance of shutting off cold. Extremely annoying! I've lost a lot of work from this issue. This really immobilized the device because I was always afraid of it shutting off. In a little bit of time, I accidentally busted the screen in while it was bag somehow.

I then purchased a used SP2, thinking that Microsoft surely fixed this electrical problem in the second D generation. Of course, it did the exact same thing. The device was 2 weeks out of warranty, but I visited the Microsoft store to see if they could do anything for me. After the front-end guy saying there's nothing he could do, I had the manager come out and he replaced it with a refurbished SP2 within 5 minutes. I was impressed with that outcome. But of course, this one did the same thing plus had a chance to shut off cold if I unplugged it from a power source. I said "screw it" and didn't go back for round 2 at the Microsoft store(big mistake).

Fast forward to last week, just shy of 2 years later.. I had turned on my SP2, plugged it into a power source, and used it for about an hour. I unplugged the power from the wall, and the Surface instantly turned off. I thought it was just the usual electrical issue until I saw that it wouldn't turn back on. It turns out that it will only stay on if it plugged into the wall. There is nothing wrong with the battery itself.. It is detected and is quite healthy. While the device has no power, the system clock stops ticking.

I took my SP2 to the Microsoft store and they ran their usual software troubleshooting crud, even though it's quite obvious that there's hardware problems at hand. Of course, the front-end guy said there's nothing that could be done. I requested for the manager and the assistant manager came out. He presented 3 options to me:
1) Do a factory reset (that's not gonna do sh*t)
2) Trade in the device for $100 credit($100?!) and purchase another device(after this experience?!)
3) Live with a bricked SP2(super helpful)
I then asked for the actual manager and he informed me that she, along with other managers, would be out for the next week at meetings. I took a card for the manager and emailed her my situation the day after my visit. I'm still waiting to hear back, so that's where I'm at.

Quite frankly, this has been a ridiculous experience and I believe they ought to at least throw a bone here. If they do nothing for me, there's absolutely no chance I'm coming back to buy more products. What chances do you all think I stand here? Or any advice?

 

[Afy]

Its a device, and devices do die.
The SP2 is quite old now in terms of a computer, so I would just bite the bullet on this. Unlike other laptops of the same vintage, these aren't quite so readily fixable, it is a trade off.
It's just bad luck, I hope you haven't lost any data.

 

[hughlle]

So have you tried a reset?

And i dont think you have any ground to stand on. You should be happy that they gave you the first replacement to start with. They already threw you a bone. Why should they throw you another when you consciously decided to keep a defective device?

 

[Oldmana]

Its a device, and devices do die.
The SP2 is quite old now in terms of a computer, so I would just bite the bullet on this. Unlike other laptops of the same vintage, these aren't quite so readily fixable, it is a trade off.
It's just bad luck, I hope you haven't lost any data.

Err.. regardless of the age of the model, that shouldn't affect the longevity of a unit. With that logic, a computer from 2000 would last a month before failing. 2 years lifetime for an Apple-priced product is ludicrous.

So have you tried a reset?

And i dont think you have any ground to stand on. You should be happy that they gave you the first replacement to start with. They already threw you a bone. Why should they throw you another when you consciously decided to keep a defective device?

Despite the evidence of it being a hardware problem, I did do a factory restoration. Did nothing, as expected.

What bone were they throwing me? $100 for a $1000 tablet? A desktop of equivalent specs costs more than $100. As far as I know, all SP1s and SP2s have this hardware issue(I've had 3 units..). At the time I took my SP2 in 2 years ago, the SP3 was the latest Surface and there's no way in hell that I would deal with the thermal throttling in the SP3. Keeping the SP2 was certainly in my best interest.


Anyways, I did apparently hold grounds. Here's a post I made on another forum:

Well guys, I'm floored right now.

I went into the Microsoft store today to speak with the manager. I had emailed her about my experience with my Surfaces, and I reiterated what I had said in the email. She asked me what I expected out of this situation.. I said something along the lines of, "I'm not sure, but I hope to get something out of this considering the hardware faults." She immediately proceeded to offer me a Surface Pro 3. I wasn't sure whether she was trying to sell me one or give me one, but I had explained that the SP3 had major overheating issues and that it would be undesirable. She then offered me an SP4 of equivalent specs.. for free!!

I asked her if I could upgrade from the 128 GB/4 GB model to the 256 GB/8 GB model. She was happy to do that and the upgrade cost $150. I also purchased their $300 bundle for the keyboard, extended 3 year manufacturer[correction: only 2 years]/2 year accidental warranty(so no more funny business now), bag, and Office 365 1 year(which I'll probably sell). My total was $470 with tax. They took the SP2 and I kept the old keyboard. Absolutely killer deal. I couldn't have expected a better outcome.

 

[toaf]

my SP2 acted up for abit. I played the game of cleaning the contacts and a charging game. it took some playing around, but it seems to be working again. I think some update hosed the SP2 battery/charging it messed with my power cover too. I was playing with it so much I really don't remember what seemed to fix it. but those where the things I did

 

[GreyFox7]

Um, got coffee?

 

[Oldmana]

my SP2 acted up for abit. I played the game of cleaning the contacts and a charging game. it took some playing around, but it seems to be working again. I think some update hosed the SP2 battery/charging it messed with my power cover too. I was playing with it so much I really don't remember what seemed to fix it. but those where the things I did

I don't know what your device was doing, but I'm pretty sure that my battery had some disconnect with the motherboard.

Um, got coffee?

Huh?