Buying a seat does not give it to anybody. Purchasing and assigning are two separate steps, and the first one alone leaves the person exactly as they were.

A short delay separates the two as well. A newly bought seat takes a little time to become visible for assignment, so trying immediately can fail even though the purchase went through.

Both of those look identical from the outside, which is why this gets reported as a failed purchase when nothing failed.

Symptom

The purchase was confirmed and the person still has no licence.

Or an assignment attempted straight after the purchase was refused for having no licences available.

Cause

The first case is that no assignment was made. Buying adds seats to the client’s subscription and does not choose who gets them.

The second is timing. Seats take a short time to become visible on the Microsoft side after the order goes through, usually well under two minutes.

A third and rarer case is assigning a different subscription from the one bought. Names are similar enough that this happens.

Fix

1. Wait a minute or two after the order before doing anything.
2. Ask Avvi what the client has available and confirm the new seats are showing.
3. Assign the licence to the person, naming the subscription exactly as it appears in that list.
4. Confirm the person now has it.

Doing these in order turns a confusing sequence into two ordinary requests.

If something doesn’t look right

If the seats have not appeared after several minutes, that is longer than the usual delay and worth reporting.

If the assignment is refused for no availability while the list shows seats free, check that the subscription you named is the one with the seats.

If the person has the licence and cannot use what it provides, allow a few minutes and have them sign out and back in.

To report it, open a support conversation from the Help drawer with the client, the product bought, the quantity and roughly when.

FAQ

Q: Does buying assign it automatically?

A: No. Buying adds seats, and assigning gives one to somebody.

Q: How long is the delay?

A: Usually well under two minutes.

Q: The purchase says it succeeded. Should I buy again?

A: No. Check availability first, because buying twice is a real cost.