Microsoft Store

Yet another in a never-​ending string of examples of how Microsoft takes something that should be easy and makes it customer-​hostile.
After getting endless annoying prompts to upgrade my Win 8.1 PC to Windows 10, I finally threw in the towel. BUT, being experienced with loading a new Windows OS on a machine, I wanted to do a clean (wiping the disk) installation to get rid of all the gunky files from the last install. In the past I’ve always had the disk, but they won’t provide one for free upgrades with Windows 10. The online instructions were not clear, so I tried to call my nearest Microsoft Store (University Village, Seattle) to see if I could simply get a clean install there. I wound up punching many numbers on a phone tree, ending up with a call center that, from the accent, was probably in India. First, I asked if there was an easy method to do a clean install on my own. The «support» guy on the phone, with a heavy Indian accent, says No… and then starts to think. He puts me on hold for 10+ minutes trying to find an answer, at which point I hang up. So I call back again, and this time tell the next guy what I want to do, and ask — very explicitly — if they will do a clean install AT THE MICROSOFT STORE WHILE I WAIT. I was really, really clear about that. He said, Yes, they will.
So I schedule an appointment at the U Village MSFT Store. I show up 5 minutes early, very few people around. At 10 minutes past my scheduled appointment time, a guy shows up. I tell him I want to do a clean install of Windows 10. He says, «OK, that means a check in.» I say, «What do you mean?» He says, «You’ll have to leave the computer and come back in about 3 – 5 days.»
I picked up my PC and walked out. I cannot tell you how pissed I was.
As a comparison, I did the identical process with my Macbook about two weeks earier — at the Apple Store that is about 25 yards away from the Microsoft Store. I had an appointment at the Genius Bar, walked up, they served me on time, plugged my Macbook into a local server, and in less than 15 minutes I had a brand new OS on my Macbook.
I’ve been using Microsoft products for nearly 20 years. After all this time, Microsoft still cannot get it right. It’s pathetic. If I were not forced to use their products for work, I would leave them forever. I’m really fed up with it.

The staff at the Microsoft Store is substantially more customer-​friendly than its competitor across the parking lot. The store deserves four stars for customer service, but the drawback is that, like the store across the street, you pretty much have to beg to buy the latest top-​of-​the-​line item. Without sufficient inventory, a lot of the good work is for naught.
Being told that I could go to Alderwood to buy a $ 2500 computer has its own annoyances, but the staff was helpful in tracking the item down that I wanted to buy and having it reserved for me there. Staff 10, business model 3.

this Microsoft store is like a mirror of the Apple store across the street. Similar or same setting. Well I use apple iphone so for me to come here and charge doesn’t apply here. Its nice and bright. Staff are very friendly. Its definitely not as busy as the store across the street.
this place has lot of stool for sitting. Good to come in and rest and look at their products at the same time.

I went into this dreadful store with my Surface today. I was distraught because a tiny amount of coffee on a corner of the machine killed the whole thing (but that’s a review for another place and time). The tragedy of my tablet’s death cannot be understated: my in-​progress masters thesis disappeared before my very eyes (I know, I know, I should’ve saved a copy to Onedrive or backed it up. But that’s not what this review is about). Needless to say, I required a gentle transition into mourning the loss of all the work I’d done in the last year.
Instead, I was treated like cattle when I arrived at the store. The Wal-​Mart greeter with a walkee-​talkee couldn’t be bothered with being friendly. She made it clear that her business was getting me to the next trough.
But I wouldn’t be writing this review if it stopped there (I worked in customer service for years, and know we’re all entitled to have crappy days).
I was then hearded to a table to wait. A twerp tech boy trotted over, plugged my machine in, tried to start it, and ignored everything I said to him. Then in a robotic voice says, roughly, «I hate to be the one who breaks this to you, but we can’t recover anything from your Tablet.» For Christ’s sake. Even if that’s true, half his job is customer service. That’s why he’s not in the back doing real tech work.
I’m so upset at this point that the idea of rewarding their terribleness with a purchase nauseated me. So I headed to Office Depot right next door (and with better parking and fewer d-​bag customers).
The rep at Office Depot approached me, asked me if I needed help, listened to my problem, helped me find an affordable NON-​Microsoft machine, and then he volunteered to take a look at my dead tablet. He outshone the dip at Microsoft by 1.) taking the stupid thing apart, 2.) acting like he gave any more than zero f@$&s about my plight, and 3.) discovering that the tablet doesn’t have a removable hard drive, explained that Office has numerous back up mechanisms that may have saved my life’s work and I should contact them (which didn’t occur to the 12-​year-​old cow shepherd at the Microsoft Store).
In sum, I’ll never go back to the Microsoft Store. And not just because they sell crappy machinery.

My wife got lots of help for the Surface Pro that I bought her. There are several special helpers there and they seem to really care to help the tech challenged (like my wife) to make it work.

Not very pleased with this store. I preordered a Surface 4 Pro and picked it up this morning. I figured I would show up before 9:30 am and pick it up since I had a Dr. appointment at 10 am across the street at UW. Well they had so many issues with their technology that it took them over 30 minutes to ring me up for my order. This made me late to my appointment. Then, as I got my items and left, I noticed when I went back to work that they gave me the wrong keyboard, without the fingerprint scanner that I specifically requested and pre ordered. I was frustrated because I had intended to have my IT department at work set it up for VPN that same day. I called and got a gal who coldly asked, «well are you just going to come back in then?» No apologies, nothing. Yes I am going to come back in, but not happy since it is far out of my way and now have to reschedule my IT appointment at work. It seems the employees here need better training on what they are selling and how to utilize basic customer service skills.
And icing on the cake. Went back to the store after work and they have a line around the block for Halo. So now I’m really upset because I called ahead to reserve the keyboard I need for tonight and no mention of this event. Unbelievable.

This store is gorgeous and the customer service is spot on. Also, you’re kitty corner to anything else you’d ever want to shop for/​need!

We were wandering around University Village when we stumbled upon the Microsoft Store. Last time I was in town, the store was still being built out. Since it was slower at night, I had the opportunity to chat with a gentleman by the name of Zach Willson who was an aspiring engineer who was currently in his second year in school. Since it was my first time to see Windows10, i wanted to get the scoop on the actual operating system. This is the first time in my lifetime, I was able to speak to and interact with an engineer without being lost in translation. We even joked around about technology and the oh so familiar fruit stand from across the way. The store was inviting and Zach pointed at many of his teammates to reference certain aspects of technology. He gave me a quick 5 – 10 minute run down of Windows10. I definitely left satisfied and only solidified my choice of switching back to a PC knowing how the operating system runs and the intricacies that go along with it. A solid experience that I got to enjoy my time to geek out. Even my fiancée gave the thumbs up on some of the laptops she played with. Will I be back to the store to buy? Yeah, I wish but I live many states away. If you want a solid experience, go ask for Zach. He has student hours so just do your math and come in on a random time. He might be there. The vibe is relaxed and as long as you ignore the huge video wall, your senses won’t be overwhelmed. A good step in the right direction for Microsoft!

I made a stupid mistake after buying a Windows computer from Best Buy a year ago. Neither Best Buy nor Microsoft support was willing to help me out, so I gave up until this week because it would not allow me to download Windows 10. I took the computer in twice that day: once to figure out how to backup files, and another to fix a problem with the hardware. Luckily, there’s a tech wizard named Nicholas at the store who was able to fix my issue in about 20 minutes for free. He even cleaned my screen!
If anyone at the store reads this, I hope you give that guy a raise because he gave some awesome service

The Microsoft store makes me sad. They try so hard to copy Apple’s great selection of products (I’m a PC user, BTW), their friendly demeanor, and their incredible customer service. But it’s like Jeff Goldblum getting replicated in «The Fly.»
You would think if you send your computer in for repair (under store warranty), they’d let you know what’s happening to it, yeah? I was told it would be 3 – 4 weeks and I would be kept up to date, but after 4 weeks I had heard nothing. Bupkus. So I went in and waited around (how is it that there are so many people up in your grill, but so few of them can actually be of help?) and finally heard from guy #3 that repairs were finished.
Any idea on when I’d get it back, I wondered? Turns out this was a stupid question, as the guy had no idea, nor any way to find out.
And then when I was finally able to pick it up … it was a different computer. It took the poor sales associate a while to figure out what was going on, but she finally admitted that it wasn’t just a screen replace job, like they had originally told me. Some data was missing, some apps (but not all!), the templates I had custom cut to stick onto my keyboard were missing.
Just like most everything Microsoft does, it was done half-​assed. To their credit, they offered to send it back, but really …
I ended up throwing in a second star for this review because I feel sorry for the people working there. They don’t have customer service structures set up, and the people are trying their best with a very flawed system. Typical Microsoft.

Microsoft Office is expensive software! You purchase 3 product key codes. Good luck ever using them a year later. The software updates and then you need to buy everything again! For an upgrade I had to delete my expensive purchase and re-​purchase a new version at full price. This is not right! Why is it called an «upgrade» when it is a «new full price version purchase»?

the idea of the store is great, the execution is lackluster.
the design is fantastic, it falls short with too many people working; they’re all up in yo’ grill the minute you walk in, the minute you look at anything, the minute you turn around! sheesh, get off my back and let me browse.
that would be fine, but the worse part of the store is their horrendous service when returning anything. i recently had to return some laptops we purchased via their small business partner manager. the ordering was seamless and the actual return was decent. but getting the actual refund, oh you know getting our money BACK, was awful. after 2 weeks,
we noticed the funds weren’t returned. getting a hold of anyone, even the small business partner manager, was impossible via phone. calling the store just led to a runaround and promises of call backs. it took 2 more weeks just to get a hold of someone (email or phone), then another runaround on the appropriate person to track our refund. finally, we were told they had to cut us a check — isn’t this the 2015? you have to cut me a check?! and snail mail it?! say wha?! it had taken 2 months by now just to get a resolution, and being so fed up we agreed to this. big mistake on our end, because 2 weeks later we still hadn’t received a check or a credit card refund. ugh. so another round of chasing people down, a few more weeks later, they promised to cut another check because that was the only option they could provide. how can a technology company fail so hard with their technology?! long story short, it took 3 months to finally get a refund. needless to say we never wanted to return anything again.
hey microsoft, take a cue from nordstrom and learn about customer service and retail technology/​POS systems. you don’t even need to swipe your credit card at nordstrom to get a refund!
bottom line, the experience of the store is like being the only chick in a college bar full of frat boys — you’re hot meat. no stank you. i’d much rather buy online (at best buy, amazon, anywhere else), thanks.

The service at this location is superb. The tech are helpful and understanding. The store across the parking lot could learn how to treat customers. Great job!

I like this place because it is so much less pretentious than the Other Place. The people are always amazingly helpful and down to earth.
My friends and I are in a friendly competition when it comes to computer manufacturers and so I am often in the Other Place. The Microsoft store is so much easier to deal with. I don’t feel like I’m dealing with a bunch of WB rejects at this place.
Oh, I like the products here so much better than the Other Place as well. My friends who buy fruit-​named products have to visit the Other Place a lot more than I do because their fruity computers are always breaking down.

I took my Surface into the Microsoft store because it was suffering from a myriad of problems. They ran updates on it for a full hour, gave it back to me, then told me NOTHING WAS WRONG. The very next day I opened it up and it completely froze on me within 3 minutes.
Absolutely useless tech support. Total waste of time.

My Lumia 530 could not connect to my Microsoft account. I tried a few times to factory clean the devices and followed instruction found on the forum online; but I found no luck. The same account works on my other PC, tablet and phones. Today, I decided to bring it in to the store; expecting someone could look at it and fix it.
To my surprise, the rep told me that his appointment was fully booked today and he could not help me. I told him how important a phone is; and without connection to MS account, my phone is practically useless (no email, etc.). I asked him whether I could drop the phone and come back again the following day (s). He said, the policy could not allow that. He then gave me a card where I was asked to book an appointment time.
While I understand that they are busy, I was disappointed with how they are dealing with the situation. These days, phone becomes a very important device that people cannot live without. And living without a phone for one week (or until i found an appointment time in the near future) does NOT work out.
Microsoft is a great company and I wish they could do a better job in taking empathy on their customer’s situation and in doing above and beyond to help their customer.
Very disappointed. :(

I dropped by the Microsoft store last week to ask about the Microsoft Band and when they’ll have more in stock. The staff member that we talked to was nice, but not helpful — maybe he didn’t have much information. He didn’t know when the Band was going to be restocked and how long the current backorder list was. This experience is consistent with the one I had today. I dropped by again today because I had a question about my Microsoft Band (yes, they are back in stock! Although I think they are going to those on the backorder list for now).
My Microsoft Band kept setting off the anti-​theft alarms when I walked into different stores at U Village today. I asked one of the staff members about it and she seemed confused and a little out of it (maybe she’s new?). She told me that she had not heard about this issue from other customers before and suggested that I go online to the support forum. She couldn’t recall the link of the support forum (it’s
) and she was having trouble coming up with more than «go online to the Microsoft site.» It was as helpful as consulting any passerby.
While I love my new Microsoft Band and am a strong supporter of the brand (I know, I heard we are a dying breed), their customer service could use a revamp. My experience with Microsoft Store online is pretty similar to that at the U Village store as I described above: not really helpful.
1) I got an email saying «thank you for shopping with us» a few days BEFORE I purchased my Microsoft Band. I suspect that they mistakenly took the addition of my name to the backorder list as a purchase activity, which triggered the post-​purchase survey email.
2) Since the domain name seemed suspect (it was sent from @microsoftstoreemail.com), I inquired about it and asked why I received the email. I think a robot answered my email because it was just confirming that it was a Microsoft Store domain and then it included a set of lengthy instructions on how to opt out of future communications, written in legal speak.
3) I added my name to the list online (to be notified when the Microsoft Band becomes available again) and then I called the Lynnwood store to put my name on the backorder list as well. The Lynnwood store called me a week later and I never got any email (not even a confirmation email) from Microsoft Store online.
So far, the interactions and experience I’ve had at the Microsoft Store do not add any value to my satisfaction with the product or the brand.

Very similar to the Apple experience, you are greeted at the door by young people to help you, and they do a good job with smiles on their faces and questions about how your day is going. I have been 4 times, to buy and to return, and found each experience easy and pleasant. Parking is free, busy, but usually easy. The helpful people at Microsoft pointed out a parking building whose sign was somewhat obscured by a tree which helped on a busy rainy Saturday. I bought a new all-​in-​one HP desktop, a ergonomic keyboard, and a pair of Dr Dre’s Beat headphones. The last was returned twice, the second time for a refund, as I got sound out of only one ear. That’s another story. Microsoft was great.

A less-​crowded and more tolerable, Microsoft-​branded version of The Apple Store. I wouldn’t purchase many products outside of Microsoft’s own hardware, but that’s me. But if you do decide to go with another OEM: Microsoft’s policy is that hardware sold within their retail stores cannot contain any bloatware. That’s pretty awesome.
You’re buying clean Windows machines. And I must say: Windows 8.1 is actually quite decent. It’s still not fully realized yet, but it’s been an amazing writer’s tool for me, using OneNote with Office, taking advantage of the tie-​in mobile apps and in using the split-​screen functionality.
I came here to purchase a replacement for my perpetually-​faulty Macbook Pro and ended up getting a Surface (from Best Buy — because I had a mountain of old gift cards). Microsoft’s warranty was cheaper and more reasonable, so I purchased the warranty through them. I thought that I would regret the purchase and return it to buy a new MBP, but I ended up sticking with it. And I’m glad that I did.
After months of typing absurd amounts of text on the TypeCover, I noticed that a few of the keys started to stick. I came in, provided my warranty information, and the entire process took all of five minutes. The assistant manager who helped me was great. She was extremely friendly and professional. I didn’t have to argue or have them fight me on the warranty replacement as I would with just about every Genius Bar experience I’ve ever had (especially the one time they gave me the wrong computer).
The annoyances: like Apple retail, Microsoft has you call a general 1 – 800 number, rather than speaking to the store directly. And they do still ask that you set appointments; though, I have been able to just walk in and talk to someone immediately. However, I will say: their number seemed more helpful than Apple’s was for me in the past.
I’ve been quite happy with the Surface Pro products and I’d recommend that you come here to check them out and learn how to use them before making your final decision on a new machine. Microsoft’s hardware is great and Windows has come a long way. I still prefer some of the organizational layout of OSX, but the workflow on Windows 8.1 with Office and OneNote just can’t be topped, in my opinion.
Just don’t give the employees too much grief for owning Windows Phone devices — it’s company-​mandated.
If you’re in the market for a Windows machine, this is the only place I’d look.

I knew exactly what I wanted when I went into the store. I wanted that cheap $ 49 Lumia 521 phone for the T-​Mobile network. The sales associate was a little pushy with me buying the $ 50 credit which I knew I didn’t need because the person that I was buying it for wasn’t the primary account holder paying the bill. It took her a while to understand. Anyways, it was still a quick in and out.