Digital by Default

Nexus7 nightmare

I ordered my Nexus7 within minutes of them being available in the UK and was quite publicly counting the days til it showed up. I love a gadget and I’ve held off replacing my iPad v1 as I was keen to rely less on Apple for my toys and I liked the look of the size of the Nexus7. My Kindle turned out to be the perfect form factor for me out and about (I spend *alot* of time on public transport) so I was very excited about the Nexus7.

It was delivered on Wednesday afternoon – one of the earliest 16gb versions to get shipped from what I can tell. the first problem was it was delivered to a neighbor without even a card being left so I had no idea who had it. Luckily they had spotted me frantically ringing the bell of my upstairs flatmate so popped across the road with it (I’d have never guess it would have been with them!).

I then excitedly opened it up and was immediately impressed. It looked solid and attractive and the weight and dimensions were all that they promised. Then it wouldn’t switch on. I was disappointed but didn’t panic. I grabbed the charger from the box and plugged it in. Still nothing. I was a little worried now but decided to leave it charging for a while. An hour later and it was still dead as a Dodo. Now I was pissed off. I asked a few questions on Twitter but everyone else seemed to be doing fine and did a Google search but with such a new product there wasn’t much help.

So then at 7pm on Wednesday I emailed Google Play Devices support *AND* Google Wallet complaints. It is now 11am Saturday morning and I haven’t even had a human acknowledge either email.

I also found the Google Play customer service telephone number (which as I use a mobile costs me 14p in minute!). Since Thursday morning I have called NINE times for a minimum of 10 minutes each times without ever getting beyond the hold music.

To say the whole experience so far has been disappointing would be an understatement. I understand that a ‘dead on arrival’ piece of hardware is just bad luck but the simple fact is if this had been Amazon, Apple or even f**king Argos I’d have had better service.

I’m going out to play in this rare bit of sunshine now. I’m not going to try Google again til Monday as just thinking about it will spoil my mood!

***Update 23/7/2012 09.22****

Finally got through to someone at Google – was actually only about 10 or 15 minute wait this morning. However all the chap could do was pass my information on to another team who deal with returns/replacements and that is email only and likely to take another 24 hours. Still one step closer.

Matt Jukes

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45 responses to “Nexus7 nightmare”

  1. TNT also left my package with a random neighbour without a card. Their contact centre was very helpful but their processes are very poor. Before their system updated to reveal it had been delivered I had called and asked to leave it in my shed. Apparently they couldn’t do that…but they could leave with a random without leaving me a note to say who. Hmm.

    During my arguments with TNT about where my package was they told me to call Google. 50 minutes on hold. The guy was fairly helpful but 50 minutes on hold! I’d sent an email and that was replied to AFTER my device came. The cynic in me suspects this was intentional.

    I wish I’d bought from Tesco or CPW now as I dread to think of what I do if this thing breaks! Google needs a UK call centre if it’s going to seriously enter into hardware.

  2. It was the lack of a note that concerned me re TNT – would have been very easy for the package to just vanish..

    50 minutes? I have a feeling that is what it is going to take for me to get through to someone – but that will have to wait til Monday. A wonderful use of a morning off 😦

    If I’d have known Tesco was selling them I’d have bought from them – at least I know they have people to deal with complaints!

  3. I had a a DOA. A customer rep eventually answered after 60+ mins. They are sending out a new one. Best to phone and talk to a real person than waiting for an email.

  10. Hi,

    Have you tried popping the back off your device yet? It’s simple to do, it’s more like a battery cover.

    Once that is off, detach the battery if it is attached, wait then reconnect it.

    Popping the back off will not invalidate your warranty.

  12. cheers Lee – I was looking at that but was worried re the warranty – will have a look this morning..

  13. Yea I figured that – just haven’t had the patience to wait that long on the phone yet. Going to settle in for the long haul this morning! Good to hear they responded OK when you did speak to them though..

  19. I have a N7 with the same DOA issue, pretty disappointed as I ordered it the day after I/O and have been waiting a month, on hold for 2 hours in total to Google play support, and 6 emails later, I got my first response by email from Google this morning saying ‘We were unable to determine from your message how we may help you.’, the email subject is ‘Nexus 7 DOA’!

    So just tried again today, 30 minutes on hold, then a helpful guy took me through either returning my device and getting a new one shipped, or getting a new one shipped then within 7 days returning the DOA one. Problem with the second option is a charge for the full amount is added to Google wallet but not charged, in case either the courier looses the thing in transit or the issue with the dead device is not covered under warranty.

    I opted for the first option because either way I will have a 2 to 4 week wait on my replacement, so a possible 2 months from order date to receiving a working N7. It better be good!

  20. Stevie – cheers for the comment – thats very interesting to hear. The chap I spoke to this morning didn’t tell me anything just took my details and told me I’d get an email within 24 hours with details of the next step so I guess I’ll be getting the same options as you with a similar wait…can’t say I’m very impressed but oh well..

  22. Same here. Ordered 16GB from the UK play store on the 28th. It arrives DOA on the 18th of July. Like you, I thought it might just be a very flat battery, but it was still dead after 8 hours on charge, not even getting warm.

    Finally get an RMA email on the 22nd of July allowing my to order a new one, and receive a return pre-paid form, but the play store is showing out of stock and there’s no details as to when my replacement will arrive.

  23. Sam – I still haven’t received an email confirming I can order a new one so haven’t got much hope of it coming any time soon. According to the Guardian demand for the 16gb caught Google out so they have had to withdraw it from sale as they couldn’t meet demand.

  24. Just pop the back off and see if the battery isn’t connected. It’s a 30 second job and requires either longish fingernails or something thin and plastic. You don’t want to use metal as you may scuff the case.

  25. Mine has disappeared!

    TNT say it was “delivered in good condition” on Wednesday, but it’s not at my address and I’ve had no card. I can view their delivery slip which has been signed by someone called ‘Williams’. Which is very useful information in South Wales.

    I’ve been on hold for 55 minutes so far, still waiting for a reply… but at least it’s free from my landline…

  26. Rose – thats a nightmare! TNT are very strange with the no card thing – I don’t see how that can ever be helpful. Good luck!

  27. I finally got through after 1hr20 and spoke to a very nice American man called Keith. He had no choice but to report the tablet ‘stolen’, disable its IMEI and order me a new one for speedy shipping.

    Great shame if it really is sitting by a neighbour’s front door!

  28. Jukesie – I’ve just received a shipping email that my replacement Nexus 7 has shipped. Like I said earlier, I ordered a replacement on the 22nd.

    I would recommend giving them a call and not relying on email. I called at an off peak time (2150 BST on a Friday night) and was only on hold for 10 minutes. I stayed on the line until the initial email arrived. The email with the replacement details arrived about 30 hours later. It takes you to a custom google wallet page where you can order a replacement for £199 authorisation charge only).

    As the Google Play store is still showing 16GB versions as out of stock, they must have a pile for replacements. I hope it isn’t somebody else’s replacement, especially as the order says ” Nexus 7 16GB Tablet UK – New”.

    Good luck in getting yours.

  29. Cheers Sam – I’m closing in on the 30 hours now since they promised me the email regarding replacement details so hopefully it will come soon! I got through in about 20 mins on the phone in the end and got an email telling me the next step would take 24 hours before I got an email with details on how to order a replacement and return the dud…judging by your experience I must be getting closer!

  30. Rose – thats good news at least – I hope it shows up quickly (and TNT actually deliver it to *you*!)

  32. Well, the Google Man waxed lyrical about how they would be ‘expiditing’ the replacement, that they considered such cases to be top priority, but more than 48 hours later they still haven’t shipped one.

    The good news is that the original turned up. I got so fed up (I’m leaving for my holidays tomorrow so wasn’t keen to go without my new tablet), I actually started knocking on neighbours’ doors. Three of them were called Williams and one of them thankfully had my parcel. He’d been told specifically by the TNT driver that I would be informed of where it was, so he was waiting for me to pop round.

    I’ve emailed Google back to cancel the disabling of my original tablet. Let’s hope they get the message in time!

  33. Rose – good luck with that. TBH I’m not sure how easy it will be for them to disable it anyway – just refuse any updates for a while!
    Mine shipped late today apparently – not enough time for me to arrange for anyone to be home to collect it though so I guess it will be neighbor roulette again!

  35. I ordered a nexus 7 on Tuesday July 24th. My credit card was charged and I received a TNT tracking number on the same day. I was expecting delivery on Thursday July 26th as I was monitoring the TNT tracker. When the package arrived, I knew I was in trouble. My address and tracking number was on a crumpled and dirty white envelope which was already open and which contained some AV cable that I never ordered. Obviously a major mix-up. The TNT website said “delivered in good condition”. I called TNT who were fairly sympathic to my predicament but it took at least a day of calling before they admitted that the likely cause was a miss-pick at the depot (operated by Computer 2000 apparently). They suggested I contact Google to have the matter resolved. They supplied a phone number of 0800 328 6081. This got me through to a team in the US who were again sympathetic to my issues but not very helpful. They passed my case to another team who, they assured me, would resolve the matter within 48 hours. I received an email on the back of my phone call from “Google Play Support Team”. It is now Wednesday Aug 1st and I have had no progress on getting my Nexus. This new team have no direct contact number and I am completely in the dark. I have replied to the email I received but have not had any response.
    Does anyone have any UK/Ireland phone numbers for Google or any ideas for getting this sorted? I would prefer to just cancel at this point and get a refund. This is the most frustrating and ridiculous experience I have ever had with an online order.

  36. Fergal – what a nightmare – sounds much worse than my experience. From everything I have read and my own experience that 0800 number is the only way to contact anyone and they don’t have any customer service folk in the UK (my dud Nexus was returned to Asus not Google). Once I had received an email from the Google Play team giving me a reference number things started to speed up and they even replied to emails for the 1st time but all told it took over a week to get sorted (and even the then the replacement Nexus had faults!)

    Good luck!

  37. Thanks Jukesie, it is highly frustrating. Sorry to hear about your experience. If I don’t hear anythiny by the end of the week I will just cancel the order (if possible) and tell everyone I meet to steer clear of ordering anything from google again 🙂

  38. Guys

    I emailed google on the 19th July to tell them I no longer wanted mine as I’d got one locally. This was before I’d received any details telling me it had been dispatched. I had no reply so emailed again on the 21st , still no reply so I got hold of that 0800 number and rang it . Spoke to a guy there who told me that it had been dispatched and all I could do now is refuse the delivery then my money would be refunded. I refused the delivery (the guy from TNT laughed and said I wasn’t the first) and it went back unopened of course.

    According to TNT google have had this back now since the 30th July yet despite more (unanswered) emails no money has come back.

    I rang last night and after being on hold for ages spoke to someone who despite me spelling out my email address to him three times couldn’t understand it. Eventually I gave him the stupdly long order number and he saw what was going on . Unfortunately I was on hold so long the battery in my phone died.

    I have since received an email telling me the relevent dept is looking into it for me .

    As an apple devotee situations like this do gogle no favours whatsover. I feel poweless as unlike Apple they have no shop for me to just go into and argue my case.

  39. Google . . .what a joke!! I ordered a Nexus 7 16GB from Googleplay on August 8th, only to be informed that my order had been unsuccessful. I then went out and bought one from another supplier. Meanwhile, Google had decided to send me my order which arrived a few days later (I only set up the gmail account to order the device – so hadn’t thought to check it!). Anyway, I rang Google for a return and then had to wait until the 25th August for TNT to collect it. A few days later I called TNT who confirmed that the device was delived to Google (or Computer 2000) on the 29th. . . But still no refund. I am completed fed up and dumbfounded that a huge company such as Google has such bad customer service. They need a UK call centre and they need to get their act together!! Hopefully my £210 will arrive some day soon . . . .and I will NEVER order anything from them again!!. (I have never posted on a forum before . . . .but I feel SO ANGRY and powerless…..

  40. My experience is much like many other people’s. I received my Nexus 7 from Google Play on 06 August. It would not charge up, or connect to Wi-fi. After much searching online I eventually found a form to request a refund. Was 3 times promised a shipping envelope/label within 2-3 days – received it after 17 days. Immediately returned Nexus, in the pre-addressed envelope, to Asus in Holland. Google Play then emailed that they couldn’t refund until Nexus was received at their UK location. Told them it had been sent in their own envelope to Holland. Google asked for tracking number of parcel. Sent them bar code from envelope. Google repeatedly told me this wasn’t a tracking number. Looked on carrier’s website and without needing a password or signing-in, just using the barcode, I got the tracking details. Told Google who said refund would be made within 14 business days ie. by 14 September.
    I AM STILL WAITING FOR A REFUND.
    It is almost impossible to find contact details for Google Play. I clicked on their website link to “Contacting Support” and got the message “We are sorry but the information that you have requested cannot be found. Please try searching or browsing the Help Centre”. On the “Get Help” screen there is a message ” Call 855-83-NEXUS for support”, which seems to be in the USA – I am in the UK. Eventually found an 0800 number which also turned out to be in the USA. Have asked for a postal address, was told they weren’t authorised to provide it. So I don’t even know where the people I am contacting by email are located.
    I have emailed 2 well-known computer magazines, who offered to contact Google about my complaint, but they seem to have had no reply either.
    If I ever get my refund I will certainly not get another Nexus, fortunately there will soon be several competitors from Amazon, Apple etc.
    I have now emailed Google that I will be commencing legal action against them if I do not receive a refund within 7 days.

    It is without doubt the worst customer support I have ever experienced.

    I WILL NEVER EVER DEAL WITH GOOGLE AGAIN. If you are wise, you won’t either.

  41. Michael – I have a similar experience which I posted about above. It actually took me about 7 weeks to get a refund. This took about 6 calls to the 0800 number and a massive amount of email chasers. I told them in no uncertain terms that this was the worst customer experience I have ever experienced. It was highly stressful and frustrating and an eventual refund did not compensate me for the time and effort to get it sorted. I certainly won’t be buying any product from Google any time soon. It really is a shambles. Hopefully it will be picked up by a major news source so Google will be exposed and they will apologise and improve.

  42. Fergal – your comment “Hopefully it will be picked up by a major news source so Google will be exposed and they will apologise and improve” is spot on. It seems that because Google have developed some amazing technologies they think they are some kind of super-race who can treat the rest of us with contempt. And that no matter how they treat us we will still buy into their products.
    I have been trying to get some of the media to pick up the story of Google’s customer service and run with it. If only we could get the story out I am sure it would put people off buying their products until Google got its act together. Has anyone reading this done anything to try to get some publicity about Google’s service (ie. lack of) ?.

  43. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website
    yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. cheers

  44. Just read through all the comments and I’m sorry to hear about all of your terrible experiences. I picked up a Nexus 7 32gb from Argos this morning. I’ve been playing around on it and it really is a great device, but it charges RIDICULOUSLY slowly using there supplied wall plug and not at all when the screen was on… does anyone have any solution to this? I read somewhere that it could a firmware or software issue but I can’t code for sh*t even though I study a double IT a-level… any help would be gratefully appreciated and I wish you all the best of luck in your individual issues 🙂

  45. Hi there. Sorry to hear about everyone’s experiences. I don’t suppose anybody here has the customer service e-mail (I like to cover all bases) for Google Commerce UK have they?
    Cheers,

    – John

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