Hello,
I currently own a Surfacebook 2 which I have purchased the extended warranty for. This warranty expires July 2020. Unfortunately, my screen has cracked and I need to replace my current laptop.
I purchased this laptop in Canada and now live in Hong Kong. I won't be returning to Canada and also have no contacts in Canada. I have contacted costumer support as well as Microsoft support in Hong Kong. It seems the Hong Kong stores cannot honour the warranty and replace my laptop because it was purchased in Canada. It has to be brought back to the Canadian store.
The staff at Microsoft in Hong Kong tried to request to have the laptops warranty honored in Hong Kong but Microsoft said they wouldn't do that and the laptop would need to be shipped to Canada. Due to the current situation in Hong Kong and Canada with COVID-19, international postage is suspended for the foreseeable future. (https://www.hongkongpost.hk/en/about_us/whats_new/notices/index_id_898.html).
In addition, the Microsoft store in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where I purchased the laptop is now closed until further notice as a non-essential business. Even were I able to ship the laptop to Canada and have a friend or acquaintance take it to the store, there is no way to return the device for the foreseeable future.
I am very unsure of what to do and feel really let down by Microsoft and their warranty. Microsoft in Hong Kong apologized and really tried their best to put in a special request to simply receive and replace the laptop in Hong Kong but the request was denied. My husband has a Macbook Pro that needed servicing and he was able to take his laptop in to the Hong Kong Apple Store with no issues whatsoever. They fully honoured the warranty and provided full services and replacement parts no questions asked.
I understand that the terms of service in the Microsoft warranty do not allow for a replacement in Hong Kong due to the Out of Region terms, but as an international teacher who works abroad, I found this very disappointing to discover and these terms cause me to be very reluctant to buy anymore Microsoft products in the future.
In addition, it has been extremely difficult to find contact information due to the time difference and high cost of international calling to receive support for my issue from the Canadian store as there are no text, web chat or email contact options. As a large international company, Microsoft should be much more willing to support its clients' needs around the world.
In light of the unique situation that has developed and my unique circumstances, I would like to receive possible solutions to solve my issue. I have paid quite a lot to ensure that I have a quality product and, at the sales team's suggestion, also paid quite a lot to ensure that I was protected by an extended warranty and yet I have been unable to use the product or the warranty for quite some time due to difficulties with Microsoft's service department and the current global situation. In addition, I am one of many who have been negatively impacted by layoffs and economic difficulties and really need my computer as soon as possible to continue to teach, run my business and tutor online.
Any solutions you can provide would be much appreciated. I've been very happy with the laptop, but in light of everything I would like to receive much better support from Microsoft.
Thank you for your time, I hope to hear from you soon.
Stay safe and healthy!
Aleksandra Softley