Ugh. I have no luck

[berfles]

First Surface Pro 3 had a dead pixel. I drove an hour to the MS store today to exchange it, looked at two others before I finally found one with no dead pixels. Drive an hour back home and see this:



I can't believe I missed that. I wound up buying the extended warranty too which guarantees me a brand new device for two years if I do anything to it, but I'm still so annoyed by this.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I'm sorry that your local Microsoft Store didn't have better Surface Pro 3 units available. I'd be annoyed too, since it is not a cheap computer.

 

[berfles]

I don't really know what to do. Maybe just let myself decompress a bit and drive all the way back there again and try one more time? With something like this though how can I prove it came this way and that I didn't do it, or doesn't it matter so long as it's within the 14 day exchange window?

 

[Guytronic]

Oooo...painful my friend.
I have luck like this also :unhappy:
Wishing you better luck!

 

[berfles]

Do you think they'll give me a hard time and assume I dropped it or bashed it on something?

 

[Wyn6]

Do you think they'll give me a hard time and assume I dropped it or bashed it on something?

Possibly. You said you purchased Complete, right? If so, I think that may allow you to replace it.

 

[TechFreak1]

Ouch that sucks, normally you should be able to exchange or return for a refund with-in the 14 days (some retailers offer 30) from purchase. Then again you bout it directly from Microsoft not a standard retail chain, so you may be able to get a replacement (I say may as we don't have MS stores here in the UK sadly, so cannot comment on their return policy).

 

[WillysJeepMan]

IMO that little nick/ding is better than a dead/hot pixel. I don't know the specifics of Microsoft's extended warranty plan but if it is the one-and-done type I'd wait to use it for something more substantial.

this is the reason I wait 3-4 months before buying a new generation of device.... That time gives them the opportunity to refine their manufacturing process.

 

[berfles]

Possibly. You said you purchased Complete, right? If so, I think that may allow you to replace it.

Yep, Complete.

Ouch that sucks, normally you should be able to exchange or return for a refund with-in the 14 days (some retailers offer 30) from purchase. Then again you bout it directly from Microsoft not a standard retail chain, so you may be able to get a replacement (I say may as we don't have MS stores here in the UK sadly, so cannot comment on their return policy).

That's what I was thinking, I just got this thing three or four days ago, if it's within 14 days I should be able to exchange it as many times as I want, shouldn't I? I'm going to get in a chat with MS again and call the store after as soon as they're open.

IMO that little nick/ding is better than a dead/hot pixel. I don't know the specifics of Microsoft's extended warranty plan but if it is the one-and-done type I'd wait to use it for something more substantial.

this is the reason I wait 3-4 months before buying a new generation of device.... That time gives them the opportunity to refine their manufacturing process.

I paid $1300 for a computer that is touted for being beautiful and sleek, there's no way I'm keeping one with a chip that's down to the bare metal underneath. I am extremely picky with things and they have to be pretty much perfect, that's why I'm so mad at myself for missing this in the store. I didn't want to wait 3-4 months because by that time the SP4 will probably only be another 6 months away :angry:

The way it was explained to me in the store was that the extended warranty only covers things I do to it or things after the 1 year manufacturer's warranty runs out. If it's something that dies on it from a defect within that year, I can't use the extended warranty. Since this is still within the 14 days of my original purchase I don't see why I wouldn't be able to exchange it again.

 

[berfles]

Went back in today and they let me look through two more devices. One had a big piece of dust under the screen, the second had a dead pixel again toward the lower left side. They basically told me my options were to take that one or get a full refund, which I understand since I can't just keep ripping through their inventory. They documented all the bad devices and took pictures because they said they're in touch with the Surface team and wanted to report my experience.

I guess I can live with a single dead pixel, though now that I got it home my keyboard doesn't seem to attach to the left side when I try to put it in the new SP3 position. I know it's not the keyboard, so if I can't figure something out I'm done with SP3s in general and waiting for the next iteration.

 

[berfles]

Contacted MS and they're going to process the replacement themselves after I explained my whole situation one more time. They're sending a brand new unit that will be tested and made sure there are no dead pixels and everything is in working order. 2-3 day shipping and I have to mail the current one back to them. This is my last attempt I guess, glad they seem to be taking care of me though.

Until then, here I sit typing on my crooked *** keyboarded SP3 :/ Here are some pictures to show what I mean:

 

[Guytronic]

You may have poor luck...
...yet it seems you have incredible patience!

And for that I tip my hat to you!
(A pic is worth a million words!)