British tech retailer Currys has announced that it is now the first retail repair provider (ASP or authorized service partner) for Microsoft’s Surface devices in the UK.
This means that if you’ve bought a Surface laptop – even if it isn’t from Currys – you can go to a Currys store and get in-person support right there, and if needed, book your malfunctioning Surface in for a repair.
That’s a very useful move, as it gives Surface buyers an alternative to the only possibility that existed before, which was contacting Microsoft directly for support and advice on how to proceed if you had a problem with your device.
Currys will be able to directly replace a Surface device that’s still within its warranty coverage, should it have died completely in some way, and various repairs can be carried out. That includes replacing a duff display, or thermal module, Surface Connect ports, or a wonky kickstand, and other key components besides.
Currys has a small army of technicians, some 1,200 strong, at a repair lab in Newark, Nottinghamshire, to take care of these repairs.
Currys notes: “This partnership is part of Microsoft’s commitment to reducing electronic waste and its carbon footprint, by making its devices more repairable and extending their lifespan. By collaborating with Currys, Microsoft believes it can better help customers achieve their goals through technology, while also protecting the environment.”
Analysis: Real improvements – but there’s a blot on the horizon
This is a good move for UK consumers in terms of providing more options for help with a problematic Surface, and any subsequent repairs needed. It’s a welcome initiative from that point of view, as are Microsoft’s efforts in general to make Surface devices more repairable in recent times.
In fact, Microsoft has made some very real improvements in terms of repairability ratings of late (ratings which, if you go back to the last decade, were terrible frankly).
All of this is very laudable, albeit there’s still some work to do and a notable elephant in the sustainability room. That would be Windows 10’s End of Life date, when support runs out later in 2025 – and how that could be an environmental disaster waiting to happen, as old PCs that can’t be upgraded to Windows 11 at all potentially head for landfill by the skip-full.
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