Microsoft Store - Southpark

Reviews 3

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Dean Evans

The Surface Pro 4 that wasn’t This is an indictment on the quality of service at the Microsoft store, there were 4 failings by the staff that resulted in me keeping my Surface Pro 3 and furthermore will reinforce the habit of when I think Microsoft, to actually, buy Apple instead. Background I went into the Microsoft store in Southpark on Sunday November 1st to get a peek at the new Surface-book. While browsing an associate approached me to ask if I would like to purchase a surface book. I informed him that I had purchased a Surface Pro 3 in August and would rather upgrade to a Surface Pro 4. I was elated when he/associate informed me that I was eligible for a $550 trade-in based on my Intel i7 256GB SSD configuration, however the trade-in was only available through Saturday Nov. 7th. I told him/associate that since I didn’t have my Surface Pro 3 with me that I would be back prior to the end of the buyback program to trade-up to the new Surface Pro 4. (i7 Skylake processor not available during buyback) I brought in my surface Pro 3 (SP3) the very next day, neatly packed in the original packaging with all data wiped in order to trade-up to the Surface Pro 4 (SP4). Upon revealing to the team that I wanted the new Skylake i7 processor they informed me that model wasn’t available until November 20th. (It’s still not available as of this writing, the MS website says Dec. 18th) My issue here is the delta between product availability and the buyback program and the sales associate not informing me that the equivalent product was not yet available during my initial visit on Sunday when he was well aware that I was trading in an i7 SP3. (Hassle to pay for Surface Pro 4 in advance) Since there was going to be a three week period before I was going to be able to get my new SP4 I told the associate that I just wanted to pay for my i7 16GB mem, 256GB SSD configuration immediately instead of receiving a gift card for $550 to be used at a later date. More importantly I wanted to lock in my SP4 instead of being waitlisted once stock arrived. The associate told me that he was unable to allow me to pay in advance. After I questioned why, he consulted a manager who said that he could possibly do an override once all the information was entered. (No transfer or pro-rated return of protection plan on SP3) As the associate was dutifully taking my information, I remembered that I had purchased a 2 year protection plan for my existing SP3 so I asked what I thought was a reasonable question, could I transfer my plan to my new SP4? To which the associate responded no, you’ll need to buy another $300 bundle. I was floored….I then asked if I could get pro-rated on the return since it had only been a few months. Again I was told that wasn’t possible. The associate at that point got another manager in order to explain to me that the protection plan was tied to the device and was non-transferrable nor refundable. At this point my $1,200 upgrade is now a $1,500 upgrade. I’m fuming and the only reasons I didn’t walk out then is because I had driven 45 minutes and I was getting another 8GB of RAM with the new SP4 which would come in handy for video editing. (Couldn’t ship to my home) The kicker for me was when I asked the manager (at this point) if I could have my new SP4 shipped to my home once it came in so I would not have to drive another 90 minutes roundtrip to pick it up to which his reply was no, I have no facility to do so. To which I gave a very matter of fact reply, “this illustrates why I buy Apple products and I’ll be taking the $1,200 that I couldn’t give to you and buy an iPad Pro. Microsoft doesn’t realize that with premium priced hardware should come great customer service if you want customers to keep coming back. Apple has figured that bit out, until Microsoft does, you’ll find me at the Apple store.

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Ashe Lockhart

Im not an Apple Fan Boy, so I was looking forward to having a good experience at this store. I mean, why should the iToy fans have all the fun. And I really, really want to like this store...but Im not really there yet. Ive been in the store a few times, and the employees generally have good product knowledge and are happy to find answers to questions they dont know right away. They are friendly and outgoing and will take the time to work with you. Its obvious that Microsoft is giving them good training and trying to set up a good user experience. But the employees are just a little too eager to help. They dont have the same laid-back, but proficiently professional approach that is characteristic of employees at the Apple Store. They are just a little to "in your face," like sales people at the average new car dealer. And their attempts to cross-sell and up-sell are too transparent and too pushy. Its as if they had not considered the possibility that the customer might have done some homework and is pretty clear on what they want. They have one or two people who focus on working with business customers, which could be a really distinctive offering. Im looking forward to learning more about the business services offered through the storefront. I have not met the person who handles business services, but someone who supposedly works with the business consultant helped me, and she was in over her head. Her product knowledge and professionalism were not what Id expect from someone working with business customers. She came across as inexperienced and naive, which is not what youre looking for if youre a business customer with relatively sophisticated product knowledge. Overall, its a good start, and Im looking forward to working with them in the future. The store is a much better experience than Best Buy, but a couple of stars away from beating the experience one gets in an Apple store. 3/16/15 - I bought a Dell XPS 13 and had high expectations given the stellar reviews its been given in the media. Not quite as sweet in real life as I hoped. The QHD+ screen is too high resolution for Microsofts scaling capabilities and Intels onboard graphics. And text on an external monitor could not be rendered smudge-free at any resolution/scale through any connection. The matte finish carbon fiber interior is nice and easier to touch than Apples cold, hard aluminum, but it is a fingerprint and grease magnet. Itll collect enough DNA to make a CSI tech happy. So I took it back. Overall return experience was 3 stars. Obvious efforts to cross-sell me into a Surface were annoying. I need a more serious business machine with a matte finish screen, and the Lenovo T series is where Im headed. It would be nice if the MS store carried those product. So, Im glad MS opened this store in Charlotte, but its not on par with the Apple experience and lacking in sophistication for more advanced users.

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steve singer

Life is interesting. I too have been to both the Apple Store and Microsoft Store. As for sales style, I found the opposite to be true. I was left to play at the Microsoft Store. I found the staff attentive but not pushy. I found the staff at the Apple Store to be more the "car salesman" type. OK, so enough for my review of another review. The Store is laid out well. The products are set up in wide open spaces. The selection far exceeded my expectations. I have been there a few times. The first two times to look and see all the shiny new things. Again, I found the staff were happy to show me how something worked and then just let me be. However, if I had a question it took only a few seconds to find someone who could answer. My actual buying experience. I bought a phone from this store. Kudos to the management of the store as I believe the management sets the tone for any business concern. The staff are extremely knowledgeable. In the few instances where my sales person could not answer a question, they were quick to say so and seek advice from a coworker who could. I would have given the store 4 stars had my phone worked well when I got it home. Sadly it did not. I wanted to save a buck and bought an LG phone. It was my return experience that bumped my review up to five stars. So back I went. To Tom and Omar, thank you. These two gentlemen spent quite a bit of time helping me figure out what was wrong with the phone. They took my issue personally and took the phone through every conceivable pace before pronouncing it unfit for my particular needs. Please understand, the issue was not the phone, the LG would be good for most folks. But for my particular situation it was not a good fit. I collect a lot of music and some phones dont like them old files. I have had this issue before with Android phones. After they had exhausted all avenues they brought the manager, Brandon, into the loop. They explained the situation to him. I had already found a phone, a Microsoft-branded phone, that suited my needs. We put that phone through some hoops and it passed muster. It played all my obscure files. Once I selected the new phone, Brandon, the manager, would not allow me to pay the difference in price between the two phones. The staff hung out with my until we were sure the new phone was up, ready and was doing what I needed a phone to do. It gets better. If you have school age kids, the store offers a variety of after-school activities. While I was in the store this afternoon my six-year-old granddaughter was learning how to write code. It is wonderful to walk into a clean well-appointed, well-maintained business with courteous and knowledgeable staff. Sadly, it is a rarity these days. Five and a half stars guys!!