Make this a PR issue for Google. It is the most effective way to get effective, timely customer support from them.
A blog post with judicious images of their boilerplate emails, incredulity about how they seem to repeat the same thing over and over, a timeline, a punchy title (I kind of like "Grand Theft Google" but you could dial down the tabloidism several notches and still be effective), and seeding with a tech audience will work pretty well.
Agreed. You need to prove that you have responded and are beyond reproach. Otherwise, it didn't happen. That's a lot of money, so ... what the hell are you doing posting your complaint here?!?
This is a pretty good testbed for making it a Google PR problem; several Google employees are HN members; and the crowd here is Google Checkout's prime demographic. I'd say he's doing a lot of good posting his complaint here, both for himself and for future Google Checkout victims.
It is the only way to get virtually any customer support from them.
^^fixed that for you.
We have one of these threads it seems every week. Across their entire range of products, Google is pretty hostile to their users the second something doesn't work correctly. The only way to get any help besides their bullshit automated responses or forums is to have enough web traffic to embarrass them into helping you. Eventually Matt Cutts or someone else will swoop in, but if you can't find the right place to publicly bitch or don't have enough traffic, they clearly don't give a shit less.
I've seen it personally enough so that I'm no longer integrating any more of their products into my life. What happens if eg you get google voice, give everyone you know your google phone number, and something breaks? I don't run duckduckgo nor do I post on the front page of techcrunch so I will simply be SOL...
I shot Matt Cutts a reply on Twitter. He has responded to friends in the past and forwarded complaints to the proper people. Can't believe how horrible Google customer service is, the only way to get real service is find someone on the inside and hope they notify someone else for you.
I have customers who spend $200k+/yr on adwords (pennies in Google's eyes) and barely get their own adwords rep.
This has happened before, will happen again, and will keep happening until we stop treating Google like their charming eccentricity and market dominance means they can do whatever the heck they want with our businesses.
Agree with the PR nightmare thing above, but I'd take it a step further.
I'd actually turn my whole front page into a giant protest, and bank on my customers (roughly 2,500 of them if I did my math right) to help with the cause. I'd be up front with customers about my issues with Google Checkout, show a timeline, efforts made, and documentation (what you CAN show).
If you're truly in the right, and you truly jumped the hoops in proper form, then you have the goodwill and Google's cooperation to gain. Keeping in mind that your customers are iPad users, I believe they've shown in the past that they can be a pretty supportive and loud group of people.
Alternatively, not knowing what you've factored in as costs and how thin your margins are, I would look into authorize.net, braintree, and that beta program that was on here yesterday as other options for taking in payment. It looks like with the volume you're likely to do, it will pay to just absorb 2-3% in costs than deal with this issue constantly.
If I was at my wits end, I would start calling in to Google corporate until I got someone who could actually help. Don't get irate, be pleasant. If you must talk lawsuit, do so without threatening. Also, re-read the fine print of the Google checkout contract before calling.
2. Make the customer service rep give me his direct e-mail and phone number (extension) so I can send a copy of all the tracking numbers and keep calling him back to ask for an update, every single day.
3. I'd buy a plane ticket to California and visit them in their office, face to face, with all the proof inside an envelope with me.
This is 120k we're talking about, I'd do quite a lot to get all my money. Currently I am dealing with a company that owes me 5k estimated, maybe a bit more, and they're paying me $300 a week in small amounts and it's really pissing me off. I've already moved to a new company to work with, that is reliable and have been so far, but I really hate when shit like this happens.
Might be too late but I just forwarded this news item to some people in Google. Hopefully they can shake things up a bit.
Also, shoot me an e-mail (in the profile). I know a couple unemployed architects in the SF area that used to work in woodshops. They might be able to help out.
Politely keep doing what they've asked, but have your lawyer draft a letter, and prepare to send it when you've hit the frustration point. If that doesn't solve the problem, prepare to sue.
