I was also "upgraded" without my permission, and I lost functionality because of it. My company's VPN doesn't even support Windows 8.1, so I was not able to get work done that required connectivity. Not that I ever liked Windows 8 - it took me a lot of effort to get rid of the gaudy tile screen, but at least I was able to make it function.
So, I have installed Windows 7 and rebuilt my machine, costing me two full days of effort. I'm THIS CLOSE to buying a Mac next time I need to replace my laptop.