Leaked Microsoft memo reveals high Surface Book return rates

The Verge ^ | August 14, 2017 | By Tom Warren

[Swordmaker]

Microsoft's Surface Book Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Microsoft dismissed Consumer Reports’ Surface reliability ratings last week, but a new internal memo sheds some light on the issues that the software maker has faced. Consumer Reports surveyed 90,000 tablet and laptop owners and found roughly 25 percent of Surface users have encountered issues by the end of the second year of ownership. Paul Thurrott has obtained an internal memo about Microsoft’s response to Consumer Reports, and it appears to suggest that high Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book return rates could have impacted Consumer Reports’ findings.

In a leaked chart, return rates for Surface Book hit around 17 percent during its launch period, and remained above 10 percent for six months. Surface Pro 4 return rates also reached around 16 percent during launch, but dropped below 10 percent after just over a month. Conversely, Surface Pro 3 launched with 11 percent return rates that quickly dropped below 10 percent and have remained at roughly 5 or 6 percent throughout its lifetime. The Surface Book has suffered from consistently higher return rates than any other Surface product throughout the nearly two years it has been on sale.

[Swordmaker]

Ping for your list

[ameribbean expat]

MSFT hardware...because buggy software wasn’t enough.

[Swordmaker]

FR Consumer Reports thread on this issue.

[Spruce]

I was issued a surface book for work. A bit flaky, but nothing crazy. The surface dock, however is a steaming pile of buggy sh*t

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

And selling out your Chinese customers isn’t enough. Oops, that wasn’t Microsoft.

[caltaxed]

I reluctantly paid through the nose for an Apple laptop after several failed Dell laptops in a very short time. The Dell guys had me do a lengthy, hours long diagnostic evaluation with them each time before they shipped the laptop for repair under warranty.

The Apple has proven to be a much better value with virtually no problems in five years. Turns out the Apple was a much better value.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Sorry, you have zero room to laugh. Your glass house has no walls.

[ex91B10]

I buy used HP laptops, wipe ‘em clean and install Slackware. Screw Bill & Melinda and their leftest causes.

[the_Watchman]

I have been using my Surface Book for almost a year. Initially, I had some severe problems with the screen attach modes. I had to call MS support to get out of one pickle. MS updated their firmware and I have had no more problems.

I am somewhat disappointed that some of the programs I use do not work well in tablet/touchscreen mode. However, I am hoping that the software, originally designed for laptops, will provide some accommodation in the future.

In particular, Logos Bible software depends heavily on right clicking the mouse. Using a pen in tablet mode just isn't easy. Pressing and holding the pen is supposed to work like a right click, but it (or me) is not reliable.

[taildragger]

In the return rate are the Surfaces covered under insurance contracts that are dropped included? I know of one person who has dropped theirs twice and had to invoke the policy twice. Slippery devils, they are a fine tuned machine and IMHO should be put in a back-pack or something and not carried or put on your lap etc casually near hard surfaces, one slip and it is a gone-er.

[Nifster]

Just what I said my experience was when I sold em

[ctdonath2]

How wasn’t it?

[ctdonath2]

And you can’t even manage to reply to a relevant post.

[ctdonath2]

Yup. Apples aren’t perfect, but way better than any other computer I’ve had.
Sent one Dell back 6 times, they replaced nearly everything. Finally worked when I vacuumed out the heat sink (ya’d think they’d notice).

[JAKraig]

I haven’t gotten a Surface 4 yet but I love my Surface 3 Pro and my wife loves her Surface 3, never the first problem and love the pen.

[RJS1950]

I’m working on one right now. Had it a year. Before this I had a Surface 1 and 2 pro. Also have a touch screen laptop and a desktop at home. Never had a problem with any of them and don’t expect any.

Also don’t know of anyone who has had any problems with the Book.

I use it as a highly portable development and database platform an access the Online class platform I teach from.

[caltaxed]

Dell has a nice process for sending the lap top back, the self addressed padded box, but the customer service calls and loss of the computer for at least a week are a huge inconvenience.

Apple builds complicated, leading edge, high quality products better than anyone, and servicing is rare.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Apple Trolls are so predictable.

[ctdonath2]

Apple Derangement Syndrome more so.