Microsoft urged to compensate customers for Windows 10 chaos

Consumer group Which? received a deluge of complaints from Windows 10 users who reported issues with the new OS

Microsoft has been blasted by consumer group Which? over Windows 10, urging the tech giant to compensate users whose PCs suffered "adverse effects" from upgrading to the new OS.

Which? claims to have received hundreds of complaints from Windows 10 users who reported difficulties after upgrading to the new OS, which was released last summer.

Following the complaints, it surveyed more than 5,500 Which? members, over half of which had upgraded to Windows 10. Of those who made the move, 12 per cent ended up rolling back to the previous version, mainly because the upgrade "adversely affected" their machine.

"Many have complained about being nagged by Microsoft alerts to install the new update and, despite declining notifications to install the software, they told Which? Windows 10 installed itself anyway," said Which?.

"Once installed, people reported various problems, including printers, Wi-Fi cards and speakers no longer working with their PC; instances of lost files and email accounts no longer syncing; and, most significantly, their computer encountering such problems that they had to pay someone to repair it."

On top of this, customers reported receiving poor customer service from Microsoft when they contacted the firm about such problems.

With this in mind, Which? is calling on Microsoft to "honour consumers' rights" and compensate users where necessary.

Although the upgrade to Windows 10 was free, Which? said many customers ended up having to cough up for someone else to fix their computers.

Andy Trish (pictured), managing director at Microsoft partner NCI Techologies, told CRN that customers could deserve compensation regardless of whether they had to pay a third party to fix problems.

"If I say to you we're having a coffee morning and we will fix your computers for free, if we mess up your laptop - even if we've done it for free - you're entitled to compensation because we've affected how you work," he said.

"My personal opinion is that I don't - and never have - agreed with Microsoft pushing Windows 10 to clients in any way, shape, or form. It should have been [available] if you want it, not a case of you having it anyway."

In a statement in response to the claims made by Which?, Microsoft said: "The Windows 10 upgrade is a choice designed to help people take advantage of the most secure, and most productive version of Windows. With more than 350 million monthly active devices now running Windows 10, the vast majority of customers who have upgraded to Windows 10 over the past year have had a seamless, positive experience.

"That said, for the relatively small number of users who may have issues with their upgrade experience, Microsoft offers a variety of options to get assistance including free customer support."