Rule of thumb: Rechargeable batteries are usually only good for about 500 charges unless they use expensive chemical technology and a very smart charger. If you suspect that is the case and you are approaching that figure, your only option is a new battery, or a very long power lead.
You should time your telephone call to coincide with English speaking working hours, as they work on a rolling 24/7 worldwide basis, tech support logging in and out as their working time zones passes. Twitter can often get you to the right support person or area with a quick tweet or two if you are in a rush.
I also had an 'Microsoft experience', in a previous life as a CTO of a large corporation with many tens of thousands of Microsoft installs. Went to a small product presentation from Steve Ballmer for industry, and afterwards was awed by his imposing height and while shaking hands as I was introduced to him, he asked if we were happy with his products and were were any issues that needed addressing? Immediately I responded that their backup product sucked real bad and was thoroughly unsuitable for a corporate world, and he turned to one of his aides and quietly just said 'take care of that'.
It was! Pronto! They purchased a well known third party backup suite outright and incorporated it into their very next OS release. Impressed!