Microsoft apologizes for OneDrive ‘frustration’ – but unlimited storage isn’t

Last month, Microsoft came under fire for cutting back its free storage tiers for OneDrive and Office 365 users, seemingly because they were actually using them to store stuff.

In addition to the return of the the 15GB+15GB storage tier, Microsoft will also give any customer using its free OneDrive storage service (and are now using more than 5GB of storage space) a free year of Office 365 personal, which comes with 1TB of storage. Till then, current subscribers can still enjoy unlimited storage on OneDrive.

Speaking about the decision, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “We’ve heard clearly from our Windows and OneDrive fans about the frustration and disappointment we have caused. For this, we are truly sorry and would like to apologize to the community”, says Douglas Pearce, Group Program Manager.

In order to take advantage, follow the below link and opt-in to keep your storage. Fortunately, Microsoft is responding positively to feedback and compromising with its customers in this instance.

For users with more than 5GB stored on Microsoft’s servers, the company is offering a free year of Office 365 Personal, which includes that 1TB of cloud storage.

Apple iCloud users get 5GB of free space; 50GB costs $1 a month; 200GB goes for $3 per month; and 1TB costs $10 monthly.

Microsoft backtracked after it was hit with a wave of bad press, and more significantly, a storm of protest from consumers, who posted more than 70,000 complaints on the OneDrive user forum. “The 15 GB camera roll storage bonus will also be discontinued”. Thank you for sticking with us. This offer will arrive via email early next year.

There is a catch to retain your free storage levels and it is a step that must be done prior to the end of January 2016. For anyone unhappy with the decision to not offer unlimited storage, we will offer a full refund.

For customers of our free service who have over 5 GB of content and who are directly impacted by the storage change, we will offer one free year of Office 365 Personal, which includes 1 TB of storage.

But, listen up: If you want to keep your 15GB of free storage, you’ll need to claim it. Head over to this page and click the button to “Keep your free storage”.