Suze Bragg

Google: Whacking businesses behind their knees
September 10, 2008

According to Google's Account definition, "A Google Account functions as a master Google login, made up of a single email address and password. Your Google Account lets you easily jump to any of your Google services that also share this login (such as Google Groups, Gmail, and Google Product Search). This way, once you're signed in, you stay in - no more logging in and out between multiple services."   

It's a great concept.  For three years, I've trusted my electronic life to Google.  They've hosted my email, personal documents, precious photos, group discussion documents, AdWords and AdSense accounts, calendar, analytics and shopping carts for various Web sites I've built for clients.  I believed Google's hype that the data I placed so easily in their hands was safe.  I thought that having this information tied into one login address--the way Google has everything set up--was always going to be accessible.

On Monday, I learned my belief system was flawed.  On that day, I learned a lesson that brought me to my knees.  At 1:00 PM, Google lost my account.  Literally, one minute it was there, the next minute I wasn't able to login.  I discovered I wasn't receiving any of the warning messages Google lists in their Help Center form.  I thought it would be an easy fix.  After all, Google is a huge corporation who must have great customer service.  

This belief system, too, was flawed.  

As the hours crawled by and my panic mounted, I realized this was not going to be an easy repair.  Their Help Center sent me in a spiral resembling themes in Hollywood horror movies, or in the movie Groundhog Day. I had to create another account just to get access to their discussion board to find out why they deleted my original account.  Over the last three days I've waited patiently for a willing person of the non-Google employment team to help me figure out why this happened.  It's Thursday and I'm no closer to receiving help than I was at 1:05 PM on Monday--72 hours later.  I was told to not go anywhere near my account for 5 days or I could jeopardize the process.  Five whole days.  I could take a vacation.

I have discovered there is no way to receive help:
1.   I cannot email Google my problem without getting an auto-response form letter that doesn't answer my question.

2.  There is no email address to contact support directly.

3.  There is no phone number to call when panic strikes.

4.  Unlike many other successful companies, they do not offer Live Chat.

5.  Questions posted on the Group Help Discussion boards aren't necessarily answered.  If they are, they're vague at best.  But a couple people are trying, and for them I'm thankful.

I probably shouldn't be so distressed. I had most of the data backed up on a hard drive.  I can track down and call the people I work with to get their email addresses, and I can start over.  It only adds an additional stress level to my overwraught life, but I learned I'm not alone.  On Google's Help Center discussion forum for email login questions, there are over 9000 people who share my pain.  One guy even offered $100 to get someone to help him. Desperate times call for desperate measures.  Another guy was terrified of being fired since he could not login and manage the AdWords / AdSense for his company.  I don't feel so bad anymore.

I learned that placing trust in this company was not a wise decision. But in hindsight, I did many things wrong.  

Here's what I should have done:
1.  I should have written down the exact month, year and day that I set up my account.
2.  I should have documented the invitation URL I was sent to set up the account.
3.  I should have written down who sent me the invitation and the email that it came from.
4.  I should have updated my secondary email address in gmail.
5.  I should have written down the exact Month/Day/Year I began using each of these:
     a) My alerts
     b) Analytics
     c) The calendar
     d) The first day I started using their bookmarks
     e) The docs I saved and when
     f)  When I discovered their local business center
     g) My Picasa account
     h) The day I first learned that my Google account could access YouTube
     I)  etc.

If I had, maybe I'd be able to access my account.  But I didn't do that, and now Google cannot help me. I provided inconclusive information; namely, just my username and password. I was told to continue to fill out the form, and that some people had luck with three or more tries over the course of a month. I now feel more hopeful.  Who needs email to communicate when I can drive to visit everyone?  Gas has gotten cheaper.  And those requirements I received to create a new web site? Well, those can be mailed to me...with a stamp.  And there is the phone...That's how an Internet expert should run her business, right?

Yesterday Google sent me a How did we do form to see if I like their customer support.  It made me shiver because this, too, was auto-generated...just like their entire support structure. I felt a little violated, like I would if a used car salesman caressed my shoulders in passing. They don't even know my name.  

But all is not lost.  Something good has come out of losing my account:  I just cleaned out my inbox. 

As a small business owner, are you prepared if this happens to you?

Posted by Suze Bragg on September 10, 2008 | Comments (7)