Writing this post to comfort anyone who (still) holds faith in Microsoft Surface Pro. You are here because your Surface Pro, be it 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 had crashed, you have tried all means to power on/off, reset your surface using a USB recovery drive, forced a shutdown/restart/boot or whatever, but none of it worked.

Also, you stay in Singapore where there is no physical service centre and the reviews online are scaring you. Me too.

I still had about 1 year of warranty, so I have nothing to lose if I sent my malfunctioned surface pro back for repair (actually I was very worried that they would return me a refurbished set with a million scratches).

(1) Log in to your Microsoft account: https://account.microsoft.com/account?lang=en-gb

[Please log in to the account that you have added/registered the surface pro to. If you have not added/registered the surface pro, just log in to any Microsoft account and register it.]

(2) Click on the device which you wish to repair.
a. You should see a “Start order” button, click that.
b. Answer a few questions regarding your device (e.g., issue type and elaboration on your issue).
c. Fill in the shipping address (the address you wish the courier will pick up and deliver to).
d. Select service method (select warranty if it hasn’t expired).
e. Select shipping method (select courier which will be free if your warranty hasn’t expired).
f. All is set, you will receive a confirmation email with an order number and some information regarding how to pack your device.

(3) Steps to take before shipping away your beloved device:

Step 1: Verify your serial number

If you have multiple devices, please make sure the device you return for service matches the serial number provided in the email. (Serial number can be found at the back of surface pro.)

Step 2: Back up your device

The device you send over might be replaced if it could not be repaired. If you still can log in and access your files, back it up. If you cannot even log in to your laptop, you can say goodbye to the files in there unless the files are stored in OneDrive.

Step 3: Erase your data

Once again, if you cannot even log in, you cannot erase anything. Well, you can hope that your laptop is so beyond repair that all your information is gone.

Step 4: Prepare your device or accessory for shipment

Please pack your device carefully so that internal and external components are well protected during transit. Put lots of bubble wrap and make sure there is a box to hold everything because that is required by Singpost. Surface Book customers: Remember to include both the Clipboard and Keyboard that were originally paired together to avoid your device being sent back to you unrepaired. (Once again, this instruction is only for Surface Book users, NOT Surface Pro.)

Step 5: Schedule a pick-up for your shipment

SingPost will call you within two business days to arrange a pick-up of your non-functioning device or accessory. Please note that pick-ups are scheduled within a three-hour window, Monday – Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. (I missed the first call from Singpost which came at around 7pm and they called again the next morning at around 11am. Do keep a lookout for the call as it could be very troublesome if we missed the call.) If you do not receive a call from SingPost, please call +65 6845 6485 and reference the order number to arrange a pick-up.

12 days after shipping my device away…

I received a Surface Pro in a sturdy box. I opened the box with trepidation. It looked new! I searched ‘high and low’ for scratches…I was very sure it was not the original device because I could remember where the scratches were and now there was no scratch at all!

I set up the device and was happy all is well thus far (using it to type up this post) 😊

May your experience with Microsoft Support be as good as mine!

Cheers,
PinkOlifant