Google. An amazing company. Amazing products, an amazing experience. However, their customer service has always been a massive fail. I’ve seen websites vanish from Google after getting removed from search listings and, for over 10 years now, we’ve tried unsuccessfully to get into Google News, every time with absolutely no response.
Now developers are starting to get annoyed with the company, as they wait for their February payments from Android app sales. A recent attempt by Google to look into the matter pointed developers to a link.. which didn’t exist. Now their forums are filled with comments like this..
I’m sick of Google. No payment yet and 10% of transactions are consistently declined. Google, you’re our payment processor, you’re supposed to deal with fraud and not decline .. a single transaction. You take a 30% cut already, you have no right to take another 10 just to avoid dealing with fraud. Oh and the Android Market “internal error”… how many orders cancelled due to one of those do you guys get? Well done Google, *applause*.
Now the problems are appearing on the BBC and in many newspapers. Although some developers have started receiving emails from Google Ireland which apologise for the delay, we have to say that it’s really not good enough.
Why?
Well. My name is Leigh Geary, and I used to be an MVP. The MVP Programme was setup by Microsoft to “recognise the best and brightest from technology communities around the world”. It’s a way of opening up the doors – letting you guys communicate back with the people behind the Windows Phone OS. In recent months this whole ecosystem has been turned upside down, and personally I’m feeling that the doors that Microsoft used to hold open are now closing. Whilst I could feel annoyed about it, the truth is that this “closed door” stance is pretty much how other companies already operate.
Dealing with many thousands of customers isn’t easy, but bad press like this and this and this could have easily been avoided.
It’s probably painfully clear at this point, but I’m annoyed at how unimportant the community and the users seem to be at times. Only a few companies sit on Twitter, Facebook and email, actively monitoring the mood of customers and nipping problems in the bud. It should be happening more. Customers, developers – they are a priority.
Link – Google Forum
Credit – The Guardian
hear, hear Geary… Just look at how HTC have worked with developers and see how great the products have been because of that…