Does Microsoft really have a support agent? Does Microsoft really have this service team?

Question

My company is facing an issue with accessing the administrator account due to losing the phone with the Microsoft Authenticator app installed.

We currently has only one email address with admin permissions. Because the phone with Microsoft Authenticator installed was lost, the Authenticator app on that phone did not unbind the account, resulting in my administrator account being unable to log in, and there are no other administrators. Only one administrator but this administrator account cannot be logged in.

You made over 20 calls trying to get a solution, you spent over 12 hours trying to get help for a simple issue and they didn’t have anyone to help you.

Their general customer service staff created a support case for you and told you that they would arrange an engineer to help you solve it and call you back. Three days passed and no help was given.

Is this how Microsoft treats its customers and consumers?

Answer 1

Yes, only my email (the only administrator) cannot log in. This means that our company cannot add or change email information for any new employees.

I submitted a support ticket three days ago. 2-3 weeks to solve such a simple problem? This is not a complex technical problem that requires a professional engineer to solve.

Very disappointed, I will change my company email service provider to Zoho.

Answer 2

Your situation is unfortunate. I do not work for Microsoft, and is a user just like you.

If your company purchased your license from a reseller, and have given them delegated admin access, then they would be able to reset your account for you.

Microsoft does typically ask for the admin to provide a secondary validation method, but in your case this might not apply since the phone is lost

Typically as a best practice, it is always a good idea to have a emergency access account or a backup admin, just in case the primary admin is not reachable (or the authentication device is lost).

The second best practice is for admins, to use a normal account for daily work. The global admin account is set to validate via token (like a fido2 key). These account credentials and token are kept in a safe place and used only as necessary. This would prevent the problem your company is facing.

In your case, you have to raise a support ticket via phone

If you are using a global admin account, the best course of action is to reach out to Microsoft’s Data Protection Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support.

For some countries, it will be an automated conversation like: First, when you call the hotline, it asks what kind of problem you are worried about.

Answered: authenticator.

A: What kind of product are you using?

B: Office 365 for business.

A confirmation: education or company account?

B: For companies

A: Are you an administrator?

B: Yes.

A: Do you have the other admin in your organization?

B: No.

A: You need one.... Service request?

B: Yes

Due to the possibility of social engineering, the data protection team validation process is tough.

Typical resolution time from previous posts in this forum can take 2-3 weeks after your support ticket has been successfully lodged. Only advice I can provide is be persistent and keep checking and asking them to escalate.

I trust that your users are still able to access their M365 services with only the admin access being affected?

Warm Regards