Tech support representatives from major PC makers are apparently advising customers to avoid upgrading to Windows 10 or to downgrade if they already installed the latest OS.
There's no doubt that Windows 10 brings notable improvements compared with the well-criticized Windows 8, but that doesn't mean that it's perfect or that everyone's in love with it already. Moreover, Microsoft's rather aggressive campaign to convince as many people as possible to upgrade to Windows 10 has sparked lots of criticism, with many feeling like Microsoft is trying to forcibly shove the new OS down their throats.
In addition to the firestorm of criticism over the aggressive Windows 10 upgrade notifications, Microsoft now seems to have another issue with its new OS. According to an interesting new report from Laptop, PC tech support representatives are actively advising customers to stay away from Windows 10.
The publication reveals that tech support reps for Dell and HP are either telling customers not to upgrade to Windows 10, or to roll back to the previous OS version if they already upgraded.
At the same time, Laptop also points out that some of those tech agents failed to understand some core features of Windows 10.
"Phone-support reps from Dell and HP told us they discourage users from upgrading to Windows 10. An HP rep even tried to help us roll back to Windows 8.1 during one of our support calls. A Lenovo rep had nothing negative to say about Windows 10, but was confused about how Cortana works," Laptop explains.
One of the explanations given was that PC makers are committed to Windows 10, but tech support means helping people get their PCs to work again, even if that means downgrading to an older version of Windows.
The publication further details how they called Dell tech support asking how to invert the touchpad scrolling on a Windows 10-powered Inspiron machine. The agent at the other end of the line reportedly said they receive tons of calls from users running Windows 10 and recommended uninstalling the OS because "there are a lot of glitches in Windows 10."
Changing the touchpad scrolling direction in Windows 10 is the same process in Windows 8 or Windows 7, which makes the rep's reply a bit unwarranted.
An HP rep, meanwhile, reportedly tried to remotely downgrade Laptop's Pavilion x360 and failed, after which she recommended a $40 recovery USB key to roll back to the older Windows version.
These incidents spell trouble for Microsoft's Windows 10, but it remains to be seen just how things will unfold in the future. Windows 10 already enjoys a wide user base, but it's possible that some of those users may soon decide to downgrade, especially if tech support advises them to do so.
