A long wild ride with Google Fi.

[PracticalChip]

As someone who works in IT, I normally I'm not really the type of person to whinge about anything(what goes around comes around and such), but this is one of those things that absolutely has to be shared.

 

Make sure you look at the dates on the top right-hand corner of the emails...

 

So without further ado

 

Act I: The beginning of the end.

 

we open our little story with a rather common issue on google pixel 3's.

 

cut email off with all the obvious drivel, factory reset, et cetera, et cetera.

 

However...odd. They haven't come across such issues?

 

https://piunikaweb.com/2019/04/29/google-pixel-3-speakerphone-issues-persist-even-after-rma-users-report/

 

Really? That took all of two seconds on their own platform(google.)

 

Onto email two. I respond with the usual, imei, has it been water damaged and my shipping address.

 

 

Their response is naturally "its been in the water, it must be water damage!"

 

 

My response quickly put's an end to that line of questioning.

 

If water is still in that speaker after 6 months of daily (ab)use, then I need to go to the Catholic church. This phone just had a miracle.

 

 

Wow, that was almost painless for an RMA process...And still under warranty! (This is relevant. Please remember this for later.), how nice!

 

 

Naturally I confirm this in seconds.

 

 

Oh wow, that was so refreshing! everything worked beautifully! I even printed off my RMA form to be ready for my new phone!

 

 

 

Interlude

 

Hmm Thats odd...its been a month. Where is my phone at...Let's email google shall we...

 

 

Oh wow, quick response and a tracking number! I'm sure this can be forgiven now that coronavirus is just now causing worry in North America.

 

Also that's odd...the tracking says its coming from where I live to where I don't live...must be a mistake, I'll let it go.

 

 

 

Act II: The Global pandemic.

 

I leave them alone during this time, things are obviously quite difficult, problems happen and such. I'd be a horrible person to file a complaint during such a harrowing time.

 

 

Act III: Return of the F*** I mean Fi.

 

Well....Its now early to mid June...Things are opening back up, lets see whats going on with my phone, As you can tell by this point I'm a tid bit shorter in my responses as its been about six months....

 

 

Ah...

"I'll need the secret code from you. However, please keep in mind that this secret code is valid only for 30 minutes and may expire by the time the representatives actually access it (In case of high volumes)."

 

Hmm...For a company of your size and the amount of employed engineers you would think they would have a way to use email support effectively, oh well....

Besides lets get a show of hands for who here enjoys chat with outsourced tech support...Anyone?? Really, I was sure there would be someone!

 

 

 

For Science! (attached was a screenshot of the pin)

 

 

Drat! another failed experiment!

 

 

Act IV: My name is Bob From Chicago.

 

Actually its Prahasith(Which is actually prophetic from the Act 3 name...Prahasith), I wouldn't dare attempt to pronounce that, But I figured a nice tech support meme would be a fitting act name...

 

I spend about 20 minutes with them on chat. Sadly I only take 2 screenshots.

 

 

He goes on about how I need an order ID, which they apparently never put into their system(which naturally he wont say, but the email's don't lie!) I send him all the Case ID's hoping thats enough...Its not...He asks for the Order ID again...I respond again I don't have one, he then asks for the tracking number I told him I was sent. At this point its been 20 minutes on the chat, and i'd rightfully had enough, I explained that it had been 6 months with a half working phone, and that turnaround time was inexcusable, so i close the chat and then sent an email to google support:

 

 

As you can see I really hate the fact that Twitter and is the new tier 2 tech support, and I truly am not a fan of having to appeal to our benevolent tech creator gods. Sigh...When in Rome(SACRIFICE THE PHONE! THEY MUST BE APPEASED!!!)...

 

I then receive this response...This pretty much sets the stage for this post.

 

 

Hol' up now.

 

"Be informed, that the order is out of warranty at this time

 

If your claim is covered and your damaged device is replaced: $79"

 

So it was in warranty...Then your cock up caused it to no longer be in warranty and now I owe money?

 

Pride. Meet toilet. All hail our Tech Creator gods, we must sacrifice to the land of blue birds and check marks!!! Insert Ctuhulu Lorem Ipsum song.

 

 

This final image is where I am at now. It is the only image that has been cropped with information cut out(included unedited screenshots with personal information)

 

As you can tell at this point I've pretty much lost all sense of civility. Will keep you all updated. I've always been a LTT follower and watched the Ars Technica bit with linus and figured id finally start taking part in the forum.

 

And of course as you can guess by my format, I spend a lot of time on TFTS on reddit. Sadly this is the reverse of TFTS, so it won't be a fitting story for that avenue or it would be there as well!

[Senzelian]

Yeah these guys seem like morons.

But you look like one too if you write stuff like that:

 

Are you in the US?
How old is the phone?

[PracticalChip]

1 minute ago, Senzelian said:

Yeah these guys seem like morons.

But you look like one too if you write stuff like that:

 

Are you in the US?
How old is the phone?

Honestly, I wrote that because it seems as though its the only way to get things done nowadays. You have to post things to social media. Its a depressing world we live in.

 

I am now, Originally from UK

 

Phone is a Pixel 3, its JUST out of warranty. let me see here...

 

[Senzelian]

Just now, PracticalChip said:

Honestly, I wrote that because it seems as though its the only way to get things done nowadays. You have to post things to social media. Its a depressing world we live in.

 

I am now, Originally from UK

 

Phone is a Pixel 3, its JUST out of warranty. let me see here...

 

I understand what you mean. It's ridiculous how companies treat their customers.

But even more ridiculous are the customer protection laws in the US and that's why I asked where you're from.

This sorta sh*t would never happen in the EU.

 

One year of warranty is garbage. You might aswell have no warranty at all.

[PracticalChip]

2 minutes ago, Senzelian said:

I understand what you mean. It's ridiculous how companies treat their customers.

But even more ridiculous are the customer protection laws in the US and that's why I asked where you're from.

This sorta sh*t would never happen in the EU.

 

One year of warranty is garbage. You might aswell have no warranty at all.

Agreed...Consumer Protection here is an utter farce.

 

But, yeah its a terrible warranty. They have a device protection plan you pay I believe its $10 a month for, however I did not get it for this phone, because unlike Linus, I am not known for dropping things, and have never in my life dropped a phone and had it break, though after saying this I am guaranteed to drop my next phone.

[Underi]

This is just ridiculous, I think that you need to take this to someone higher up and/or to social media. Obviously they've never given an order id that you would've "100% gotten". Feels like a bunch of misinformed people inside the company fucking up things.

[Senzelian]

9 minutes ago, PracticalChip said:

Agreed...Consumer Protection here is an utter farce.

 

But, yeah its a terrible warranty. They have a device protection plan you pay I believe its $10 a month for, however I did not get it for this phone, because unlike Linus, I am not known for dropping things, and have never in my life dropped a phone and had it break, though after saying this I am guaranteed to drop my next phone.

$120 a year...
Jesus Christ!

 

They are basically saying:
"Here is your brand new Pixel 3. We expect it to break after a year anyway, which is why we don't offer a longer warranty period. But if you want to, you can spend $120 a year to extend the warranty, which people in the EU get for free for an additional year. Sound fair, right? Sign here!".

[PracticalChip]

1 minute ago, Senzelian said:

$120 a year...
Jesus Christ!

 

They are basically saying:
"Here is your brand new Pixel 3. We expect it to break after a year anyway, which is why we don't offer a longer warranty period. But if you want to, you can spend $120 a year to extend the warranty, which people in the EU get for free for an additional year. Sound fair, right? Sign here!".

 

Yeah, it is rather abysmal.

 

3 minutes ago, Underi said:

This is just ridiculous, I think that you need to take this to someone higher up and/or to social media. Obviously they've never given an order id that you would've "100% gotten". Feels like a bunch of misinformed people inside the company fucking up things.

Thats what I have had to do sadly =(, I really dislike doing this sort of thing. It feels cheap and impersonal to be forced to brigade just to get basic service.

[PracticalChip]

Update 1: To the Twittersphere(vomit.)

 

After having threatened(I hate myself.) to post it on twitter and such, and after not even getting a support response to my last email, and to the point where I sadly am angry enough to say some unfortunate words....

 

 

I also suddenly get an email...

 

 

Soon after I happily hop over to the website and suddenly I see:

 

 

 

So uh...I paid for a brand new phone, got that...Now i get a refurbished phone back....Lets go back to a second lovely little article I linked previously.

 

https://piunikaweb.com/2019/04/29/google-pixel-3-speakerphone-issues-persist-even-after-rma-users-report/

 

Notice in the title there it says:

 

"Google Pixel 3 speakerphone issues persist even after RMA, users report"

 

Now with Headlines like that in place...Why on earth would I accept a Refurbished product?

 

 

 

Final update...I have given up. I just accepted the refurbished phone. I am for obvious reasons not happy with the result, and will be leaving google fi very soon. The quality of support has been absolutely abhorrent.