This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(294.40000000000003, 49%, 38%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ESS%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
I have an active Visual Studio Enterprise subscription through Volume Licensing (VL). In the Visual Studio Subscriber portal, the Technical Support benefit clearly shows:
“4 incidents included”
I need to use one of these incidents to open a Windows Server 2025 break-fix support case for recurring system crashes/BSODs.
However, when I go to:
Visual Studio Subscriber Portal → Benefits → Technical Support → Get Help
the Concierge Chat fails immediately with:
“Failed to start chat with agent. Please try again later.”
I have tried again at different times and in incognito mode as well, but cannot get through to an agent.
I also tried opening the Windows Server case through Microsoft Engage Center / Support for Business, but that portal reports that I have no support entitlement associated with my account.
My understanding is that the Visual Studio Enterprise Technical Support benefit first needs to be claimed/activated so that I can receive or associate the appropriate Contract ID and Access ID, after which the included support incident can be used for the Windows Server case.
The Visual Studio subscription itself is active, and the Benefits page correctly recognizes the entitlement and displays 4 included Technical Support incidents. The problem appears to be specifically with the Get Help / Concierge Chat handoff.
What is the alternate process for claiming one of the included Visual Studio Enterprise Technical Support incidents when Concierge Chat cannot start?
Specifically:
I have already submitted a Visual Studio Subscription Support request under Portal not working → Controls or buttons aren’t working, but I am looking for the correct escalation path because I need to open the underlying Windows Server technical support incident.
This is a non-production development/test Windows Server 2025 system, consistent with the Visual Studio subscription support benefit.
I can provide subscription/account information privately to Microsoft support, but I have intentionally not included any personal or subscription identifiers in this public Q&A post.
A family of Microsoft suites of integrated development tools for building applications for Windows, the web, mobile devices and many other platforms. Miscellaneous topics that do not fit into specific categories.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(185.6, 51%, 27%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EVC%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
You have a valid Visual Studio Enterprise subscription, and the Subscriber Portal correctly displays that your benefit includes four Technical Support incidents. The problem begins when you attempt to activate or use one of those incidents through the Get Help → Concierge Chat workflow. As you described, the chat fails immediately with the message “Failed to start chat with agent. Please try again later.” This failure matters because Concierge Chat is the mechanism Microsoft uses to activate the support entitlement and generate the Contract ID and Access ID required to open a Windows Server break‑fix case. When the chat cannot start, the activation step never completes, which is why the Microsoft Engage Center reports that you have no support entitlement associated with your account.
This mismatch that the Subscriber Portal shows four incidents, while the Support for Business portal shows none, indicates that the entitlement is visible but not provisioned. The Subscriber Portal and Microsoft’s support entitlement system are separate back‑end services, and the handoff between them depends entirely on the Concierge Chat workflow. When that workflow fails, the entitlement cannot be pushed into the support system, leaving you unable to open a Windows Server 2025 case even though your subscription is fully active.
Because the Concierge Chat is failing consistently across multiple attempts and browsers, the correct next step is to rely on Visual Studio Subscription Support to activate your entitlement manually. This team can validate your subscription, associate the Technical Support benefit with your Microsoft account, and issue the Contract ID and Access ID that allow you to open a Windows Server break‑fix case through Support for Business or by phone. You’ve already submitted a support request under Portal not working to Controls, or buttons aren’t working, which is the right category for this issue. If needed, you can escalate by requesting manual activation of the Visual Studio Enterprise Technical Support entitlement due to Concierge Chat failure.
Once the entitlement is activated, you will be able to open your Windows Server 2025 support case normally. If the portal still misbehaves, Microsoft’s phone support can create the case using your Contract ID and Access ID. Your subscription is valid, your incidents exist, and the underlying issue is simply that the Concierge Chat outage is preventing the entitlement from being provisioned. A manual activation by the subscription support team will resolve the problem and allow you to proceed with your break‑fix request.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(57.599999999999994, 61%, 15%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ES%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Concierge Chat started working today, and Microsoft Support was able to generate the Contract ID and Access ID for my Visual Studio Enterprise Technical Support benefit.
However, when I add the agreement in the Microsoft Engage Center, it says the agreement was added successfully, but then gave this message with a i symbol:
“We were unable to find an eligible support plan associated with your account.”
The Microsoft Support representative then attempted to troubleshoot the issue using Quick Assist, but that also failed. I am currently waiting for next steps.
So the original Concierge Chat problem is resolved, but there still appears to be a back-end entitlement/provisioning issue between the Visual Studio subscription benefit and Engage Center.
This has unfortunately been a very difficult process just to open a technical support incident that is already included with the subscription. The separate systems do not appear to be well integrated, and the overall support experience has been unnecessarily complicated.