Exactly. Until Google & MSFT can reach the gold-level standard of AppleCare tech support they will eat Apple's dust. MSFT & Google still think they can abuse customers because that's the way it's always been before. WRONG!!!
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Google hit with flood of Nexus One complaints
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Exactly. Until Google & MSFT can reach the gold-level standard of AppleCare tech support they will eat Apple's dust. MSFT & Google still think they can abuse customers because that's the way it's always been before. WRONG!!!
Not shocking. Google does not like to talk to human beings.
I have worked with google as an advertiser and a publisher for years and they have the worst support of any company I have ever dealt with.
The support is literally non-existent. They don't believe in human interaction. They believe everything can be managed by computers. I have not been following the nexus thing closely, but that they would have this kinds of complaints with this device does not surprise me in the slightest. In fact I should have known it would be a potentially massive problem for them.
For years Google has kicked out advertisers and publishers from their business with nothing but a form letter. Literally no recourse, no appeal, no discussion. I got kicked out of Google Adsense when I did nothing wrong, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it, nor any way to every talk to a person about it.
This has been Google's major flaw all along. It is a huge one too. With a very tiny support structure that can't actually continue to expand their business, especially to products people pay for... The business communities and web publishing communities have essentially bent over and taken it from Google because of their huge market share. They don't have that market share in phones and the public will not just bend over and take it.
I really did not realize they were going to expand this horrible support model to a consumer product. This seriously could be the beginning of the end for Google. Their entire business is predicated on the fact that they don't support anything with humans.
I have worked with google as an advertiser and a publisher for years and they have the worst support of any company I have ever dealt with.
The support is literally non-existent. They don't believe in human interaction. They believe everything can be managed by computers. I have not been following the nexus thing closely, but that they would have this kinds of complaints with this device does not surprise me in the slightest. In fact I should have known it would be a potentially massive problem for them.
For years Google has kicked out advertisers and publishers from their business with nothing but a form letter. Literally no recourse, no appeal, no discussion. I got kicked out of Google Adsense when I did nothing wrong, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it, nor any way to every talk to a person about it.
This has been Google's major flaw all along. It is a huge one too. With a very tiny support structure that can't actually continue to expand their business, especially to products people pay for... The business communities and web publishing communities have essentially bent over and taken it from Google because of their huge market share. They don't have that market share in phones and the public will not just bend over and take it.
I really did not realize they were going to expand this horrible support model to a consumer product. This seriously could be the beginning of the end for Google. Their entire business is predicated on the fact that they don't support anything with humans.
I'm sure; they're just about as Teflon-coated as Apple.
IMO, launch issues are one thing.
Google not offering telephone support for a flagship device that they require customers buy directly through them is another.
Whoever at Google thought email-only support would be a great idea deserves an atomic wedgie.
I'm sure; they're just about as Teflon-coated as Apple.
IMO, launch issues are one thing.
Google not offering telephone support for a flagship device that they require customers buy directly through them is another.
Whoever at Google thought email-only support would be a great idea deserves an atomic wedgie.
They probably figure that email support is no worse than AT&T's telephone support
(I had my own fun experience with them this weekend.)I'm sure; they're just about as Teflon-coated as Apple.
IMO, launch issues are one thing.
Google not offering telephone support for a flagship device that they require customers buy directly through them is another.
Whoever at Google thought email-only support would be a great idea deserves an atomic wedgie.
That's not true. Google has no goodwill among consumers. They are gonna learn the hard way.
Decided to go see what the fuss was about.
After actually going to the Google help forum, you can see that they really need to create some subcategories for questions... like How To Buy, How to Setup, User Tips, etc.
At least half of the flood of questions are from people all over the world asking if they need a credit card to order one, if they have to get a data plan, and so forth... not actual ownership problems.
After actually going to the Google help forum, you can see that they really need to create some subcategories for questions... like How To Buy, How to Setup, User Tips, etc.
At least half of the flood of questions are from people all over the world asking if they need a credit card to order one, if they have to get a data plan, and so forth... not actual ownership problems.
http://www.neowin.net/news/main/10/...m_campaign=Feed:+neowin-all+(Neowin.net+News)
Nexus One doesn't seem to like 3G
Many reports have been coming in pertaining to the Nexus One's 3G reception issue. You can see in the image below that the phone is running on EDGE, while the G1, right next to it, seems to have a strong 3G signal. T-Mobile USA has made an official statement saying that they, along with Google, are investigating the issue and hope to have more information soon. In the meantime, many Nexus One-ers are forced to deal with EDGE as their phone's signal of choice.
Gizmodo posted the results of a test conducted by one of its users. The test seems to have isolated the issue to a software glitch. He concludes that since, in his tests, the phone was able to find and receive all ranges of signals (both 3G and EDGE), the problem must be in the way the phone handles them. For some reason, the software seems to prefer EDGE most of the time, regardless of signal strength.
Below is a temporary solution that the user found. For those who can't stand the slowness of their EDGE connections, this may be worth trying. The only problem with the fix is that when you do actually leave 3G coverage, you won't automatically fall back onto EDGE. You'll have to go and change the settings manually.
"OK. I found 'Phone Info' screen through 'Any Cut'. This looks like a screen not intended for average users. It clearly has settings that should not be messed with. However, it does have a pull down menu that was set to 'WCDMA Preferred'. I changed this to 'WCDMA Only'. The phone reset, and never again saw the ***** 'E' on the signal indicator- ALL 3G. After about 1/2 hour of speed tests (150k - 800kbps) and google satellite map downloads (all definitely faster), I switched back to 'WCDMA Preferred'. Guess what? After a few minutes, I was back on EDGE, even with a good signal. Switched back to 'WCDMA Only', and 3G it remains."
If it is, indeed, a software problem, perhaps Android 2.1 isn't ready for prime-time, just yet. One would think that Google's internal testing of the phone (called 'dogfooding') would have caught such a big issue, before the phone was released to the public. Even so, an simple software update could, potentially, be rolled out, over-the-air, to fix the glitch. It will be interesting to see if the problem falls on Google's shoulders, or if T-Mobile will have to get their hands dirty. Being that the problem seems software related, T-Mobile will probably be off the hook. This would create another problem, as it leaves customers to deal with Google's, nearly non-existent, customer support. Users are reporting that Google is only offering support via email, and that responses are received within 2 days.
Nexus One doesn't seem to like 3G
Many reports have been coming in pertaining to the Nexus One's 3G reception issue. You can see in the image below that the phone is running on EDGE, while the G1, right next to it, seems to have a strong 3G signal. T-Mobile USA has made an official statement saying that they, along with Google, are investigating the issue and hope to have more information soon. In the meantime, many Nexus One-ers are forced to deal with EDGE as their phone's signal of choice.
Gizmodo posted the results of a test conducted by one of its users. The test seems to have isolated the issue to a software glitch. He concludes that since, in his tests, the phone was able to find and receive all ranges of signals (both 3G and EDGE), the problem must be in the way the phone handles them. For some reason, the software seems to prefer EDGE most of the time, regardless of signal strength.
Below is a temporary solution that the user found. For those who can't stand the slowness of their EDGE connections, this may be worth trying. The only problem with the fix is that when you do actually leave 3G coverage, you won't automatically fall back onto EDGE. You'll have to go and change the settings manually.
"OK. I found 'Phone Info' screen through 'Any Cut'. This looks like a screen not intended for average users. It clearly has settings that should not be messed with. However, it does have a pull down menu that was set to 'WCDMA Preferred'. I changed this to 'WCDMA Only'. The phone reset, and never again saw the ***** 'E' on the signal indicator- ALL 3G. After about 1/2 hour of speed tests (150k - 800kbps) and google satellite map downloads (all definitely faster), I switched back to 'WCDMA Preferred'. Guess what? After a few minutes, I was back on EDGE, even with a good signal. Switched back to 'WCDMA Only', and 3G it remains."
If it is, indeed, a software problem, perhaps Android 2.1 isn't ready for prime-time, just yet. One would think that Google's internal testing of the phone (called 'dogfooding') would have caught such a big issue, before the phone was released to the public. Even so, an simple software update could, potentially, be rolled out, over-the-air, to fix the glitch. It will be interesting to see if the problem falls on Google's shoulders, or if T-Mobile will have to get their hands dirty. Being that the problem seems software related, T-Mobile will probably be off the hook. This would create another problem, as it leaves customers to deal with Google's, nearly non-existent, customer support. Users are reporting that Google is only offering support via email, and that responses are received within 2 days.
Here's one good reason to avoid a Nexus One
Read this earlier. It was a twist ID never would have thought of. http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/01...ain-of-lack-of-customer-service/?mod=yahoo_hs
Read this earlier. It was a twist ID never would have thought of. http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/01...ain-of-lack-of-customer-service/?mod=yahoo_hs
So from a customer service point-of-view, you're agreeing with Google's decision to not offer telephone pre-sale buying assistance and post-sale technical support?
So from a customer service point-of-view, you're agreeing with Google's decision to not offer telephone pre-sale buying assistance and post-sale technical support?
No. I didn't say anything like that. Please read again more carefully.
I said that their website needs to be divided into subforums, because actual owner questions were being flooded out by mundane sales questions.
It's like the early days of Apple's iPhone forum, when there was only one topic area. Now there's many areas and it's easier to read and find help, same as with this forum. That's all.
As for more personal sales and tech support, sure, Google needs to share responsibility with T-Mobile. The whole debut seems poorly planned, from the leak to the execution.
My take-away from the "fuss" of the article was that there was no prompt way to obtain Nexus One support.
Organizing the forums, while a great idea, doesn't seem like it'd really increase the promptness of support to a level that most would find acceptable for a flagship device being sold by the largest technology company around.
When the first two iPhones came out, for days there was no prompt way to get individual support while people tried to get their device activated online.
I don't think any company can handle all the questions for a big debut.
That said, they should at least try, which is what I believe you're saying (?). Especially when you're as big as Google, there's no excuse for lack of resources.
I think you'd agree that any company with large sales must rely a lot on their users helping other users. That's why Apple has their own support forums.
In the Google case, I can see people being responded to online. It's just hard to pick out the helpful wheat from the chaff of all the sales questions.
Exactly. Until Google & MSFT can reach the gold-level standard of AppleCare tech support they will eat Apple's dust. MSFT & Google still think they can abuse customers because that's the way it's always been before. WRONG!!!
Interesting....almost right on Google...still a ways to go to catch Microsoft
Apple's market capital is $189.90B
Google's market capital is $190.58B
Microsoft (MSFT) Market Cap: $273.74B MSFT - NASDAQ - 1/11/2010 6:54 PM
Absolutely nothing. BUT, responding to the post I quoted in my post. After that post said something about Apple leaving them in the dust, I thought it would be interesting to see if that was true. And that is what I posted.
You might have misunderstood what they meant. Market caps don't have anything to do with how your product will perform in the market or what level of customer service you provide.
Here is the quote again:
Exactly. Until Google & MSFT can reach the gold-level standard of AppleCare tech support they will eat Apple's dust.
They will "eat Apple's dust" in terms of being left way behind in customer service and support ratings, and might also be left behind in terms of smartphone unit share, or penetration, or quality, etc. In this case, however, the poster meant that Apple's customer service is unequalled. Google's financial resources have little to do with how they prioritize the customer service and support aspect of their Android business.
MS, with that large market cap, has witnessed the utter destruction of over a decade's worth of their mobile development; has failed to make any meaningful inroads with the Zune - whether the previous failure or the current models that seem to be floundering; has barely been able to defecate a Windows version that doesn't suck after 8 years but still isn't OS X material; seems to be half-assing the tablet/slate paradigm, paving the way for Apple to do it right; has suffered through a significant drop in Windows market share over the last 5 years; has seen its stock decline steadily over the last 5-6 years (if not more); has suffered through three recent miserable quarters, blaming the recession; and is upstaged by Apple at nearly every turn in the consumer market.
Money isn't the problem. It's where it's going and how it's used that is the problem. More to the point, it all comes down to attitude.
I am sure every Apple launch of thier phones has gone without any issues.
Yes, Apple support is great. They tell you that a humidity sensor has tripped, while still under warranty, and that the only option is to pay them $200 for replacement with a refurbished phone. And when the GPS receiver is the only thing not working after a v. 3.0 Update. Called great support???? Read Apple's own forum on this problem.
The trends are what's important.
For 2009:
http://www.focus.com/fyi/customer-service/10-best-and-10-worst-companies-customer-service/
The American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ASCI)* second quarter report indicates that within the Personal Computers category, customers perceived Apple as the best company in terms of customer service. Apples baseline score was 77 (on a 100-point scale), and the Q2 2006 score was 83.
Computerworld, discussing Apples number one ranking says, The Companys focus on product innovation and customer service has won it a cadre of famously loyal customers, unlike any other PC vendor. And why are Dells scores slipping? The article elaborates, Survey respondents complained mostly about the quality of Dells customer service, not its products, Van Amburg said customers were clearly more frustrated with Dell than they were last year, he said.
This blog post New Virus Found! The You Suck Virus, states, Part of being excellent in business is being innovative. If you agree with that one criteria (I know there are more) then Apple is the clear winner when it comes to innovation. Companies like Dell, HP, and IBM make good computers but once you compare them to a really excellent product (like an Apple) it is easy to see the difference.
This 2003 article indicates that Apple is pretty consistent when it comes to high-quality customer service, Apple did garnish the number one customer service ranking in the 2001 Consumer Reports Annual Questionnaire, and a number one ranking for desktop repairs in May 2003. Here are some customer compliments for Apple.
http://www.macworld.com/article/133293/2008/05/consumer.html
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2...-service-gets-highest-marks-among-callers.ars
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/apple-tops-pc-customer-service-rankings/
http://deluxethemes.com/comfy/69/apples-customers-love-its-customer-service/
http://www.appletell.com/apple/comm...features-apples-high-customer-service-rating/
http://www.tuaw.com/2006/08/17/apple-turns-the-most-customer-service-frowns-upside-down/
http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/apple-beats-windows-in-customer-experience/
No. For continuation of business, yes. If you don't provide service after, then that is reflected in what the market values your company.
But, it can't be denied that all three companies are doing extremely well.
And, I will give some credit to Apple for coming back from deaths door. (with the aid and infusion of monies from one Bill Gates.)
Apples press release says no such thing:
http://www.apple.com/ca/press/1997/08/AppleMicrosoft.html
This is just the headline:
Microsoft and Apple Affirm Commitment to Build Next Generation Software for Macintosh
Companies announce patent cross-license agreement. Microsoft announces Office 98 for Macintosh; Apple announces Internet Explorer to be bundled with Mac OS. Product commitment backed up with $150M Microsoft investment in Apple Computer.
-----------------------------------
Reinvent the history how you wish, if not for Steve and Bills prior acquaintance, I'm sure the deal would have never been made.
And, you can't deny that was close to being Apples' last gasp.