[Updated, accounts no longer banned] Google goes after Pixel resellers by blocking the buyer's accounts

[LucidMew]

updated source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/18/google-reverses-decision-ban-pixel-phone-resellers

 

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The company emailed users who had been banned, noting that it had reviewed their appeals and re-enabled their accounts.

 

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Given the scale of Google’s business, however, many of the banned users felt that the punishment didn’t fit the crime. Eleff wrote: “I’m not defending those who violated the terms of the sale, but I do think it is heavy handed for Google to block access to all of their services for doing so. Was violating Google’s phone resale policy really worthy of an effective digital death penalty?”

 

Banned users couldn’t access their emails, voicemails, or uploaded files; they lost access to the photos they’d stored in Google Photos, and any accounts linked to their email address as a password reset or login service.

it looks like it's all well and good. And I can bet that people won't do that sort of thing again, now that they got a taste of the consequences of what google can do to completely destroy your online presence. 

 

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source: https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/17/google-blocks-pixel-phone-resellers/

 

 

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Around 200 people purchased the phones via Project Fi and shipped them directly to a reseller in sales tax-free state New Hampshire, according to bargain-hunting site Dan's Deals. The phones were then resold to others, and the small profit split with the buyers. 

 

however according to the TOS,

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buyers may not "commercially resell" any device and it locked their accounts, denying access to photos, emails and other personal data.

 

it's not the first time Dan's Deals have done this sort of thing, but it is the first time that they/users have gotten punished for it

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The dealer in question has been doing similar transactions since the original Nexus phone without any blowback from Google, according to Dan Eleff, the owner of Dan's Deals. This time, however, Mountain View effectively gave users a "digital death penalty," by issuing a straight-up ban with zero warning, he says. "I'm not defending those who violated the terms of the sale, but I do think it is heavy-handed for Google to block access to all of their services for doing so."

 

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However, the move might put a chill down Google users' spines when they realize how easily they could be cut off from their data. As Eleff points out, buyers could lose access to things like "gift cards, bills, travel confirmations and work documents," throwing their lives into disarray.

 

lol, rule breakers should get punished (this is coming from someone who just yesterday got banned for pirating Pokemon Moon). The buyers should know that you can't buy it third party, and only on Verizon and Fi, through Google. No sympathy from me.

 

[Mira Yurizaki]

Well, denying users their data entirely seems a bit harsh. Lock it down to read-only or something.

[Mooshi]

Good. Resellers are dicks.

[AlexGoesHigh]

Google ban hammer is a nuke, tbh with how important their services can be to some people banning them on everything google offers is overkill, i don't think reselling should be punished with blocking you out of your gmail, especially if that their main email address, which for a lot of people is, i think banning them out of the google store would be enough or at least a week long ban and not permanent.

 

Just 5 mins ago i read in the android subreddit someone posted that he got permabanned, apparently just for moving cities and not updating his address on his account, because google won't tell you why you were banned expect that there was suspicious activity on that account, now he can't access his purchases and can't use his CC on a different account otherwise that account will get banned too

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/5dif8j/psa_google_can_lock_your_account_forcing_you_to/

 

I hate resellers with a passion but locking you out of services that have anything to do with the item in question is overkill, that's like getting banned out of a clothing store just because you sold someone tickets for a sports event in there, the two doesn't have any correlation whatsoever.

 

I do agree with the fact that reselling an item for profit should have some form of punish but this one IMO isn't the way to do it, all they did was piss off those 200 people, and make them use throwaway account and gift cards in order to keep their business going.

[Arty]

15 minutes ago, AlexGoesHigh said:

 

This isn't the simple buying a phone then selling it,

This was a whole system created to undermine the system.

Multiple people buying lots of phones, reducing the stock, and creating a monopoly where the places where the phone could be bought decreased there by increasing the price for everyone. 

It was well within google TOS to do this, They didn't have to, but used this to make an example out of them.  Just like every other company and government agency would....

[Snadzies]

Putting this one in the "Google being retarded assholes" folder.

Not many in there but they do something worthy of it from time to time.

[Zodiark1593]

Quite an ornery punishment there. Google doesn't seem to be in the mood to take prisoners anymore. 

[Bensemus]

I get that Google is a private company and can do what they want with their services but with how important our email is now I don't think they should be able to just flat out ban you from everything with potentially no way to get get your data back. Disable all the functionality but give people a way to get their data and go somewhere else. The people didn't break any laws, just a TOS. A bank can't have a clause that you can't let people see your balance and if they catch you they lock you permanently out of your bank acc. They can drop you as a customer but they have to give you your money.

[Space Reptile]

5 hours ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Well, denying users their data entirely seems a bit harsh. Lock it down to read-only or something.

then they shud read the TOS that they signed as they bought the phone ,

its a contract , break it and face consequences

[Master Disaster]

So you create a throwaway google account, buy phone, resell, profit, get banned, rinse, repeat???

[DrMikeNZ]

1 minute ago, Master Disaster said:

So you create a throwaway google account, buy phone, resell, profit, get banned, rinse, repeat???

Many did.

 

Resellers should face criminal prosecution. This response seems a bit weak.

[Arty]

7 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Block what accounts? How would Google know who ended up getting those illicitly obtained phones, let alone their google accounts? 

they aren't banning the people who use the phones, they are banning people who bought the phones with the intention of undermining the system.

[Arty]

1 minute ago, huilun02 said:

So they are banning people who didn't intend to use the phones, who probably used fakes accounts to make the purchases.

yes, but the thing is a lot of them were stupid and used there real accounts. (they literally didn't even ship the phone to their house, they all shipped directly to the same warehouse, which is how google's system flagged them.)

[dalekphalm]

As long as those unsuspecting buyers didn't get punished, I have no problem with this.

 

I have ZERO sympathy for the scum that would buy the phone (which is already in limited availability) for the sheer purpose of reselling it at a premium price once Google runs out of stock on their website.

 

These people are basically the phone equivalent of Ticket Scalpers - such as the scum that were selling Tragically Hip tickets during their last tour ever (because the lead singer has terminal brain cancer), at like $1000 a ticket (These are $200 tickets, at best).

 

Good riddance. Sucks they lost access to their accounts. I guess they should stop being douche bags then.

[Guest Kloaked]

11 hours ago, Snadzies said:

Putting this one in the "Google being retarded assholes" folder.

Not many in there but they do something worthy of it from time to time.

Did you even read into what is going on, or are you one of the resellers?

[dtaflorida]

Good to know. I'll be sure to use one of my many junk accounts when buying anything from google from now on.

[dalekphalm]

9 minutes ago, dtaflorida said:

Good to know. I'll be sure to use one of my many junk accounts when buying anything from google from now on.

So you buy stuff from Google with the intent of intentionally reselling it at a premium once stock runs out, so that someone who would have bought it from Google has to buy it from you instead?

 

Perhaps. Perhaps not. But that is why these Google Accounts were banned - they straight up (and quite clearly) broke the TOS of Google services. Even if it wasn't against the rules, I still have no sympathy of those resellers who prey on people. As I mentioned above, they're just as bad as ticket scalpers.

[corrado33]

15 hours ago, LucidMew said:

lol, rule breakers should get punished (this is coming from someone who just yesterday got banned for pirating Pokemon Moon). The buyers should know that you can't buy it third party, and only on Verizon and Fi, through Google. No sympathy from me.

 

You pirated a very heavily online game on a system where you can't monitor/block internet connections and were surprised when you got heavy repercussions?

 

You, sir, are the worst pirate I've ever heard of. 

 

Google is perfectly within their right to do this. It's in the freaking terms of service. Nobody should have sympathy for these resellers. 

[dragosudeki]

1 minute ago, corrado33 said:

-snip-

You completely misread what he said...

He did it knowing full well that rule breakers should be punished.

 

You, sir, are the worst reader I've ever seen.

[dtaflorida]

14 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

So you buy stuff from Google with the intent of intentionally reselling it at a premium once stock runs out, so that someone who would have bought it from Google has to buy it from you instead?

I haven't, but it's good to know anyways. Disassociating my personal data from physical device just makes for good precaution. It's not like I bother reading the TOS of everything I buy. At the end of it's life selling the phone to a recycler essentially breaks TOS as well. 

[Misanthrope]

ToS my ass: this is a motherfucking hardware product I can do whatever the fuck I want with it up to and includying selling it for a profit. This is anti competitive bullshit Google, fucking stop.

 

It's bad enough carriers lock equipment to their networks but at least they have more of a justification since you're not paying for the equipment upfront and is build onto a service plan, but courts have found jail breaking to be legal making this action illegal.

[Misanthrope]

13 hours ago, Mooshi said:

Good. Resellers are dicks.

No. Resellers take advantage of supply and demand, something Google themselves control. They want to make their product desirable by limiting supply and putting a high price tag on them but resellers are just part of that fucking beast Google themselves create intentionally.

[dtaflorida]

1 minute ago, Misanthrope said:

It's bad enough carriers lock equipment to their networks

Project Fi is a reverse of a carrier lock. You need to buy Google's phone to use the carrier LOL.

[corrado33]

9 minutes ago, dragosudeki said:

You completely misread what he said...

He did it knowing full well that rule breakers should be punished.

 

You, sir, are the worst reader I've ever seen.

Um, no, I didn't. Read again what the OP said. I'll paraphrase. He said the rule breakers (resellers) should be punished, with that statement coming from someone (the OP) who was recently punished by a big corporation for pirating something.

[Misanthrope]

2 minutes ago, dtaflorida said:

Project Fi is a reverse of a carrier lock. You need to buy Google's phone to use the carrier LOL.

That wouldn't mean current jurisprudence wouldn't apply: jailbreaking should be legal if you're paying for the hardware. You're not buying a Google contract no matter how many Terms of Service they shove up your ass, you're buying a physical product. As such you're entitled to do whatever the fuck you want with it.