Google Store Nightmare - in desperate need of help!

andrewfordays

Hi there everyone, so sorry to bother you all but I really need some help!

I had a Google pixel watch that stopped turning on one morning so I contacted Google customer service who said they would organise an exchange.  The way it works is that they send you a new watch put a hold your account for £239 and then remove the hold once they receive the faulty watch. The initial process was quite easy, Google send you a new watch and organise the pick up of the broken one using their elected courier, who in this case was DHL.  

The issue is that despite the watch being sent back Google has still taken the £239 from my account and thus far it's been absolute hell trying to get refunded.

I have contacted the google help chat 8 times and the no-one has resolved the issue,  I have been palmed off over and over and over again. It's honestly the worst customer service I have ever seen and I cannot believe that I have been treated so poorly.

This is the breakdown of what I have had to go through thus far:

19th November - Pixel watch confirmed as faulty by Google over chat and an exchange was organised by them. A £239 hold was put on my bank account pending the return of the faulty watch.

The faulty watch was picked up on the 22nd of November, and I received a confirmation from the google store via email stating that the watch was on its way back to the store.

On the 23rd of November I received a confirmation that the watch had been successfully delivered to Google Via couriers elected courier.

Here is the tracking ID - https://www.dhl.com/gb-en/home/tracking/tracking-express.html?submit=1&tracking-id=7110247185 where you can see it was clearly picked up and delivered nearly two months ago.

On the 12 of December 2023 I then received an email saying that I had been charged £239 for not sending the watch back. That day I got in contact with google customer support, who initially said they didn't have the watch.  Then I was told on the same day that my watch had been found and the refund would be processed but that "the case" would be escalated and that I would be contacted in 24-48 hours to receive the refund.  I have the transcript of the chat as evidence, but no one contacted me and no refund was received.

Then on the 20th of December, I again contacted Google help and was again told that the case had been escalated and that I should wait 24-48 hours. I have the transcript of the chat as evidence.  No one contacted me and no refund was received.

I then contacted Google help again on the 2nd of Jan 2024 and was again told that I would have to wait 24-48 hours. I have the transcript of the chat as evidence.  No one contacted me and no refund was received.

I phoned Google customer support again on the 24th of Jan and could not believe that I was told that I needed to wait 24-48 hours for someone to contact me.

I have just spoken to yet another member of the Google customer support team who has done absolutely nothing in trying to solve the issue. Instead, they have once again, and quite unbelievably, told me for the 5th time that the issue has been escalated and someone will be in touch in 24-48 hours and again I have the transcript of the chat as evidence.

During every single chat I have asked to speak to a manager and every time I have been told they are not available.  I have also asked for an email address to make a complaint but I have been told there isn't one. in the most recent chats I have said what am I supposed to do when no-one gets in touch and I am told then only thing I can do is speak to customer support in the chat and wait 24-48 hours.

I then tried to use the store-support@google.com address to register a complaint to customer support directly but only received automated email saying that the account is unmonitored and that I should get in touch via the chat support that I have used over and over again.

I have zero faith that anyone is going to get in touch and all the while I am £239 out of pocket.  

What can I do?

Thank you so so much for any help as I have tried everything and am at an absolute loss.

Aylesbury_Duck

Send them a letter before action, threatening small claims court.  It's a certain win for you, given all the evidence that you have.  I assume it's a UK-based entity you're dealing with, and that you have the registered postal address?

Clive_Woody

Depending on how you paid, I would consider contacting your card provider and starting a charge back. It sounds like you have been more than reasonable trying to work with them (Google) to resolve this.

andrewfordays

Thanks, the issue is there isn't anywhere to send a letter. Everything I read and everyone I talk to says the same thing: the only way for me to contact them is through the same frustrating chat support. So it's one big circle of exasperation.

sheramber

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Okell

I'd be inclined to email their UK press office and ask them if they think this is how Google should be treating their UK customers.

See "Press Enquiries" link towards foot of this page About Google in the UK - Google

Or ring their Pancras Sq office (is that their UK HQ?) on 020 7031 3000 and ask them if this is how they really want to be seen to be treating their UK customers...

andrewfordays

Thanks, I've tried their press office but am yet to hear anything back at all.

I also received an email from the Google store today stating that they can see that the watch they sent to me was delivered and sent me the proof of receipt It's hard to comprehend how a customer services team becomes so incompetent. I am starting to think this must be intentional.

andrewfordays

Another two chats with their team and an email to their press department and I have made zero progress. Has anyone got any other addresses I can try?

andrewfordays

Who do I go to to report this? I feel like I am being intentionally run around and they have no intention of ever issuing the refund. How does one go up against Google?

Aylesbury_Duck

andrewfordays said:

Who do I go to to report this? I feel like I am being intentionally run around and they have no intention of ever issuing the refund. How does one go up against Google?

When you emailed their press department, did you give them a deadline to respond and threaten court action?  If so, await that time to elapse and start proceedings.  It's the only option you have.

andrewfordays

I've just sent this, hope it works:

To whom it may concern,

I have been actively trying to resolve this matter since November but it is still unresolved.  I have already provided Google's own tracking ID on five separate occasions  - https://www.dhl.com/gb-en/home/tracking/tracking-express.html?submit=1&tracking-id=7110247185 - you can see it was clearly picked up and delivered two months ago. Google has confirmed in writing that it has received the returned watch yet has not issued a refund. I have been extremely patient and have contacted Google support over ten times, spanning a period of over ten weeks. This is more than a reasonable time frame for Google to resolve the matter and issue a refund.

I now have no other option than to start court proceedings if the refund of £239 GBP is not returned to my bank account 7 days from today. For clarity, this will elapse at midnight GMT on 13th of February 2024.  I also wish to be offered compensation for the time I have had to spend on constant calls and support chats trying to resolve this issue which should never have been an issue at all and is solely the blame of Google. 

As described above, I have had to contact Google over ten times. I have been lied to by nearly every member of its support team who all stated the matter would be resolved within 24-48 hours and every time that it wasn't I had to spend more time chasing the Google support team (as instructed by Google).  Having counted the time spent from the seven transcript conversations and three telephone conversations this amounts to over 8 hours of lost earnings.

I refer you to the Practice Direction on pre-action conduct under the Civil Procedure Rules, and in particular to paragraphs 13-16 which set out the sanctions the court may impose if you fail to comply with the Practice Direction. 

If there is an ADR scheme available to mediate I am open to engaging with them.

Regards

Andrew Stafford