Call From Microsoft

OGR

Not sure if this one was a scam or not, really can't make my mind up.

Reception call saying they have a guy from Microsoft so I take the call. He asks if it is the IT department to which I reply yes and says he is calling from Microsoft in Edinburgh from the Network and Infrastructure department or something along those lines. He said that Microsoft have had a lot of feedback from customers saying they are not hands on enough and wanted to make sure we were getting the most from our systems.

I was sceptical from the start and only really answered the questions in the vaguest sense such as suggesting that we were running VMware + Windows Server, have Exchange and SQL etc. He asked who we buy our software from and if we were happy with the prices to which I simply told him the supplier name and said we were happy and after that basically just spent my time trying to stear him towards ending the call. He asked if we had any plans for 2013 to which I said because of the current climate we are going to be making do as most of our hardware is only 3 years old. He said he would call back in 6 months time to see if we were still happy or had any plans going forward.

Googled Microsoft Edinburgh and they do have an office there but couldn't find anything about the department or anyone else receiving such calls. Can't really work out if this is a scam what he was looking to get from it, perhaps if I said we were unhappy he would have tried to offer me prices. Something about the whole thing didn't feel right from the start but it doesn't seem as obvious as the people who call trying to sell universal HP toner for only £28 a cartridge for example. I have only ever had M$ actually contact me once before in my 12 years here and that was for a license audit a couple of years ago, cant remember if they just called or if they emailed us.

Anyone else had a call from this 'department'?

Guardsman

He did not try and sell you anything or try and get your bank details and since he is not going to bother you again for a few months then I presume it's genuine.
I would also be wary if somebody said they were from Microsoft due to all the scams going on.

Ummm could it be somebody from your department having a laugh.

OGR

There is only one Scottish person in the entire firm and it is a she, his accent was very convincing, don't think it was put on.

I got the feeling during the entire call that he was trying to push me to say I wasn't happy with the price we were paying for M$ software or that we were going to be implementing new systems in the near future so that he could try to sell me something.

mr_fishbulb

Do you have a Microsoft account manager you can ask?

OGR

No, we do all of our Microsoft dealings though our hardware supplier.

JimmyTheWig

Just sounds like a rubbish sales call. So rubbish that he forgot to sell you anything!
When I read the thread title ("Call From Microsoft") my first reaction was "another scam..." but I can't see the scam in what you've typed. If you're going to scam someone by tricking them to do something with their PC, don't contact the IT dept who should, at least, know better.

InsideInsurance

It could simply be underhanded tactics more than a "scam" in that you will shortly receive a pitch from another company pitching to become your new supplier and they'll be able to "focus" their pitch based on what MS services you said you were using and your current supplier can be used as a benchmark for setting their opening prices etc.

giraffe69

We used to have calls like this where I used to work. They weren't scams as in the conventional eastern European trying to get hold of all your details but someone selling Microsoft products and either not being completely truthful about his company name or in some circumstances having a name which is similar to Microsoft, saying it quickly and indistinctly to the receptionist and hopefully getting through to someone with their hand on the purse strings.
If you wait for Microsoft to call because they want to be more hands on you will live a long time.