Member Avatar for allis0

I have a tale of woe to tell which is all the worse because of Microsoft's abject failure to put things right.

On the first day it became available (26th Oct), I started the Windows 8 Pro download upgrade process. It's only £24.99 from here in the UK. On my first attempt, when prompted to enter payment details, I used my debit card. The response was an error message saying that the payment could not be processed and the software wouldn't go any further. So I then resorted to using my Paypal account to acquire two keys and a backup DVD. That worked fine.

On 29th Oct there appeared a debit card payment for £24.99 to "WINDOWS8 ESD BY AR CD 9987" on my bank statement. The following day I spent ages telling 3 different MS reps what had happened. I had to keep repeating myself because they find it nearly impossible to imagine that meaningful information could exist outside their omniscient computer systems. There was a glimmer of hope when the session ended with me being told I would be sent an email to which I needed to reply with a copy of my bank statement for verification. The email came and I duly replied with said copy of my bank statement. I have not received a single email from them since even though more than four days have passed (it is now Saturday, 3 Nov). I have rung twice since and despite spending ages on the phone each time have got absolutely nowhere. The last piece of "advice" I got was to get the bank to cancel the charge because a refund was not possible as there was no record of the event on "the system". I omitted to mention that the original event also failed to trigger a single email to me.

My bank tells me that I have to wait 17 days before I can raise a dispute of the charge with the bank.

The upshot is that, at least in my case, the download upgrade software, or backend systems, manifested a very serious bug. I expect many others may have experienced this. Please say if it has happened to you. Given the seriousness of this bug I would have expected MS to pull out all the stops to investigate and fix it. Instead they just seem to be ignoring it and don't seem at all bothered that they have robbed one of their customers.

If anyone has any ideas as to how I can get my £24.99 I would be extremely grateful. It is an utterly insignificant part of Microsoft's many billions but about a quarter of what I have in the bank right now!

  • 3 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 241 Views
  • 4 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

Dani AI

Generated

For anyone landing here after 's post, a compact, practical checklist that helps with a charged-but-no-license situation and a short set of safety steps to avoid upgrade-related data loss.

Payment and evidence checklist:

  • Gather everything into one file: screenshots of the checkout page and any errors, the bank transaction line (merchant text and transaction ID), and any emails (Inbox and Junk). Note exact timestamps and the last four digits of the card used.
  • Check the Microsoft account order/payment history and screenshot any page that looks like an order or receipt.
  • Open a support case and insist on a case number. Save chat transcripts and record agent names and call times. If regular support stalls, request escalation to a supervisor and try the vendor's official social channels for visibility.
  • If the payment went through via a third-party service (PayPal) or a card, open that platform's resolution center early — know your card/bank dispute window and act before it closes.
  • Use the same organized evidence pack whenever you contact support or your bank; it makes investigations faster and reduces repeated requests for the same documents.

Upgrade safety (to avoid data loss):

  • Make a full image backup plus a separate copy of critical files to external media or reliable cloud storage before upgrading.
  • Uninstall third-party antivirus before attempting an OS upgrade; as noted, AV conflicts are a common cause of upgrade failures. Rely on the OS built-in protection while you upgrade, as observed.
  • Run the OS compatibility check, update firmware/drivers, disconnect nonessential peripherals, and create recovery media so you can restore the system quickly if needed.

Document every contact, stay methodical, and escalate persistently if necessary. For future digital purchases, consider payment methods with clearer dispute protections (for example, a credit card or a trusted payments service).

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

Couldn't you buy it locally, on DVD? I have no idea what you can do other than what you have already done.

My recommendation: stick with Windows 7, do not upgrade to Windows 8. I upgraded and now regret it becuse all the data on my hard drive is now destroyed. A new update was downloaded this morning and my computer hasn't worked since.

Edited by Ancient Dragon
Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

Windows 8 didn't cause my hard drive crash -- incompatible antivirus program caused it.

Member Avatar for allis0

Some good news at long last! My bank statement tells me that on 5 Nov MS refunded my £24.99. They didn't bother to contact me about it, even by email.

I am very relieved to have my money back at last.

Member Avatar for caperjack

Windows 8 didn't cause my hard drive crash -- incompatible antivirus program caused it.

win8 installes with windows defender running fulltime /realtime ,and i have been using win8 for a few mnts now and have no problems with defender ,and i install many iffie programs and download from a torrent sites ,have to say it did catch a couple of things so far.

Edited by caperjack
Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.