Surface Pro 4 Bulging Battery / Screen. 3 1/2 years old.

Anonymous
2019-06-30T14:34:09+00:00

So, like many others on this forum, we have a Surface Pro 4, in which the battery has decided to self-destruct, destroying a £1,700 machine.

The screen hasn't popped off, but the battery has swollen enough to prevent the hinge from opening as it should and for the glass on the front to be very distorted, and it registers random screen input, all the while running hotter than the central heating.

I've spoken to support. They unhelpfully told me that because my warranty is up, I would have to pay several hundred pounds (£333) to replace the machine with a refurbished unit. To me, this is completely unacceptable. These devices are clearly flawed by design. This issue is too wide spread for it to be a coincidence. The batteries used in these devices are obviously flawed, and when I suggested as such, Sean L, the person dealing with my case, stopped responding (A few days after that, I wrote to Microsoft's twitter support who confirmed that the case had been closed. Thanks Sean L.)

If the device is dangerous (as suggested by the agent who I spoke to on the phone in the first instance) and it does catch fire while we are away this summer, and it subsequently burns down a multi-million pound Cambridge University building? What then, Microsoft? You'll wish you'd just replaced it then, won't you.

Surface | Surface Pro | Power and battery

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-03-11T06:09:29+00:00

    Yeah I'm pretty pissed off about this, my Mac Book Air 2012, is still working fine. Paying $3500 AUD (for a premium product) then being asked to pay a further $716.10 for a replacement unit before it catches fire because of the battery is pretty unbelievable! If this isn't a product defect please, please give me an example of a legitimate product defect?

    I would have considered an option to upgrade if that was available, but no such luck. Thanks a bunch Panos Panay, product clearly has a defect mate, and very disappointed in the non existent after sales support :(

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-02-19T00:19:56+00:00

    Thanks, I am using thinking of lodging the complaint as this is safety issue

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-01-30T05:55:09+00:00

    Hi Edd,

    Why a private message??

    Why not publicly comment on a common problem we all face with this model of surface pro?

    Regards,

    Adrian

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-11-28T21:42:33+00:00

    I also have a $2000 Microsoft paperweight, which used to be a Surface Pro 4.  

    Same general problem, expanding battery pushing out the screen.  Was told by MS that it was not safe to use it.  Because I'm outside of warranty, they offered a discounted replacement for $450.  This was after being told by 2 different support techs that they "had my back". (They should at least change their script).  This was after 2 weeks of back and forth with them, all the while with them telling me that they'll make sure I'm taken care of.  

    I turned them down.  With a refurb, you don't know what you're getting, but more importantly, they're not standing behind their product which has a dangerously defective component.  For $450, I can get a refurb from another company whose battery is less likely to burst into flames.  Totally disappointed that Microsoft doesn't stand behind their product.  For spending more than $2000, I expected a lot more.

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-11-06T21:25:43+00:00

    Quite agree with everything you say. Your situation is identical to mine and the offer they made to you is the same as the offer they made to me. In other words throw good money after bad with no guarantee that it won't happen again or throw the machine in the garbage. Is there anyone out there who knows the ins and outs of class action suits and could start the ball rolling?

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