Google
has admitted what everybody already knows: Its Nexus One customer support at launch was terrible.
But they want you to know they really do care about their Nexus One customer. Really. Enough to actually give you a real live person you can talk to: 888-48NEXUS.
It operates from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Industry observer Thomas Ricker said that, unfortunately, it seems limited to status and shipping issues – for live tech support you'll still have to call either HTC customer care number or T-Mobile depending upon the issue.
But still, Google's making a gesture. Well, except if you're an international user, Ricker said.
Additionally, Ricker said he’s actually heard a Google spokesperson saying “live phone support from Google, combined with an optimized on-line support experience, enables a superior Nexus One customer experience.”
As Ricker observes sardonically, sure it does: the average consumer just loves looking through on-line forums and FAQs to solve issues before picking up the phone to complain.
About a month ago the problems with Nexus One customer service boiled over. Nobody with any sense, of course, expects cutting-edge technology to work as well as the industry standard. That's the tradeoff you hardy tech pioneers make – you're the first on the block with the new stuff, but you miss the news about the block party being cancelled because your phone wasn't working. The rest of us thank you.
“Almost 500 people have logged problems with the Nexus One's support for 3G wireless networks. Others reported bugs when synchronizing contacts or getting the handset to work with existing Google accounts,” the BBC reported at the time.
Industry analyst Susan Choney found that Google's insistence on handling all sales online was a problem, too.
“Customers who want to use the Nexus One with T-Mobile's service can buy the phone for $179 with a two-year service contract,” Choney said. “But Google is the seller, unlike previous Google-related phones that have been sold through wireless carriers.”
Avi Greengart, Current Analysis' research director for mobile devices, told Choney that “Google is trying an entirely new distribution model: the operating system vendor as the retailer, and an online-only retailer at that.” Perhaps needlessly, he added there were bound to be support questions.
