Is Azure Developer Email Support Worthless? Seems to be

Question

What is the point of Azure Developer support option? I've had a number of interactions with the team, but my last interaction was some of the worst "support" I have ever received.

It started with an issue on the Azure CLI, where I raised a ticket, selected email as my preference, and waited over a week for a response. As I was not getting a response I raised a 2nd ticket and got the issue resolved in about 15 minutes.

When email support finally got back to me, I asked about some kind of refund due to the breached response time SLA. They said they would forward to their billing.

They came back a week later, and asked about the CLI issue. I told them I was expecting a response from billing. They came back this way 2 more times before telling me to raise a new ticket with billing which I did.

The new ticket with billing asked me to a number of questions which I answered. A new engineer came in and asked me the same questions which I answered again. After a few weeks they told me the refund was approved, only to email me today and tell me that they don't refund for missed SLAs.

At this point I've interacted with 7 different engineers on this, who have asked the same questions 4 times, given me very different answers and near as I can tell all that has been accomplished is they wasted my time. I dont see the point of paying extra for a service that just wastes your time.

Am I missing something?

Answer 1

It sounds like you've had a frustrating experience with Azure Developer Support, and your concerns are valid. Let me break down a few points about the Azure Developer support plan and possible reasons for the poor experience:

1. Azure Developer Support Plan Overview

The Azure Developer Support plan is designed for individual developers or small teams. Its main features include:

• Support during business hours (not 24/7).
• Technical guidance on how to use Azure services.
• Email support (which, as you've experienced, may not be as fast as expected).
• Promised initial response times, typically within business hours and within 8 hours for medium-impact issues.
• No 24/7 support (which is available in higher-tier plans like Azure Standard or Professional Direct).

While it offers basic guidance for developers, the Developer plan is typically not as proactive or responsive as the higher-tier plans.

2. Missed SLA and Support Process

The significant delay in your issue being addressed, as well as the hand-off between different teams, points to a failure in Azure’s internal processes. While you did experience quick resolution through one ticket, the delayed response to your original email ticket breached the expected SLA (Service Level Agreement) for the Developer plan, which should have been followed up on.

3. Communication Issues

You mentioned that multiple engineers asked the same questions repeatedly, which is frustrating. This may have resulted from a lack of coordination between different support teams, highlighting potential weaknesses in case management.

4. Refund Policy

Unfortunately, Microsoft does not typically issue refunds for breaches of SLA for lower-tier support plans. According to Azure's policy, refunds are usually not available for missed response times for the Developer support tier. Refunds are more likely considered when you have purchased higher-level services (like SLAs on core Azure services).

5. What You Can Do

Here are some suggestions to avoid similar issues in the future:

• Escalate your issue if you notice repeated delays or confusion between support teams. Most support tickets have an option to escalate.
• Track Response Times: Document when SLAs are breached and reference them clearly in your communications with the support team.
• Evaluate Plan Upgrade: If you frequently need more hands-on, faster support, you might want to consider upgrading to a higher tier like Standard or Professional Direct. These plans offer faster response times and a more dedicated support team.

In conclusion, while the Developer support tier is budget-friendly, it can sometimes fall short in terms of the quick, organized, and seamless experience you might expect for more urgent or complex issues. You are not missing anything; your frustration is a reflection of the limitations of the service and the shortcomings in communication within Azure’s support system. If support responsiveness is critical for you, it may be worth reevaluating the support plan or escalating issues more proactively.It sounds like you've had a frustrating experience with Azure Developer Support, and your concerns are valid. Let me break down a few points about the Azure Developer support plan and possible reasons for the poor experience:

1. Azure Developer Support Plan Overview

The Azure Developer Support plan is designed for individual developers or small teams. Its main features include:

• Support during business hours (not 24/7).
• Technical guidance on how to use Azure services.
• Email support (which, as you've experienced, may not be as fast as expected).
• Promised initial response times, typically within business hours and within 8 hours for medium-impact issues.
• No 24/7 support (which is available in higher-tier plans like Azure Standard or Professional Direct).

While it offers basic guidance for developers, the Developer plan is typically not as proactive or responsive as the higher-tier plans.

2. Missed SLA and Support Process

The significant delay in your issue being addressed, as well as the hand-off between different teams, points to a failure in Azure’s internal processes. While you did experience quick resolution through one ticket, the delayed response to your original email ticket breached the expected SLA (Service Level Agreement) for the Developer plan, which should have been followed up on.

3. Communication Issues

You mentioned that multiple engineers asked the same questions repeatedly, which is frustrating. This may have resulted from a lack of coordination between different support teams, highlighting potential weaknesses in case management.

4. Refund Policy

Unfortunately, Microsoft does not typically issue refunds for breaches of SLA for lower-tier support plans. According to Azure's policy, refunds are usually not available for missed response times for the Developer support tier. Refunds are more likely considered when you have purchased higher-level services (like SLAs on core Azure services).

5. What You Can Do

Here are some suggestions to avoid similar issues in the future:

• Escalate your issue if you notice repeated delays or confusion between support teams. Most support tickets have an option to escalate.
• Track Response Times: Document when SLAs are breached and reference them clearly in your communications with the support team.
• Evaluate Plan Upgrade: If you frequently need more hands-on, faster support, you might want to consider upgrading to a higher tier like Standard or Professional Direct. These plans offer faster response times and a more dedicated support team.

In conclusion, while the Developer support tier is budget-friendly, it can sometimes fall short in terms of the quick, organized, and seamless experience you might expect for more urgent or complex issues. You are not missing anything; your frustration is a reflection of the limitations of the service and the shortcomings in communication within Azure’s support system. If support responsiveness is critical for you, it may be worth reevaluating the support plan or escalating issues more proactively.