Just tuning in? You may want to catch up on the previous post before you continue. Just to make sure you’re fully up to date before reading the current turn of events!
It’s been just under two weeks since the RMA tablet arrived and failed in what can only be described as a terrible bout of bad luck. To be in the 1-2 percentile of faulty Nexus 7 tablets not once, but twice is .. depressing.
That, however, is the least of my concerns with this device at the moment. – They won’t let me send the faulty devices back!
I’ll go into further detail shortly, but I must say I am bitterly disappointed with Google Play Support and I take back everything positive I stated in the previous post. They may mean well, but they’re – frankly – useless. The procedures put in place hinder them and they’ve resorted to nothing more than moral support at this point in time. I’m hoping the “escalations” team will be able to help but currently, I’m not holding my breath.
My follow up to the last post will focus on something I mentioned in passing last time – the shipping labels. While on the phone to Google about 13 days ago to get an RMA sorted and a new device sent out, I was informed that within 2 business days I would receive shipping labels to send the faulty device back to Google and release the hold on my account.
Two days passed, nothing.
On the day I received the RMA tablet, I called Google who then offered to fill in a form for me to expedite the shipping label process. This was great. Clearly something had gone wrong but they were working to put it right. Again, I was told to wait two business days and ship the device back when the labels arrived.
Two days passed, nothing.
At this point, I was becoming concerned due to the 21 day grace period for returning the faulty device getting ever closer. When I explained to Google the shipping labels had not arrived and I wasn’t intending on getting billed for a second (working at the time) device, they offered to remove the 21 day limit and once again filled in another form to expedite the shipping label process. Once again I was told to wait – four business days this time – and to call back if nothing had arrived.
Two days passed… and the RMA Nexus started playing up.
Well, the conversation from that day is in the last post. It was a good plan, in theory. Had the labels arrived then I could have followed it and now be typing from my new, non-faulty Nexus.
However, this was not the case.
I ended up calling them a few more times, in addition to emails, just to be told a further two times that the forms had been filled out for shipping labels to be sent to me.
And now to today. 13 days later.
I had a conversation that went roughly as follows:
Me: “Hi Google, it’s been 2 weeks and I’ve still not received shipping labels”
G: “Ok, I’ve just submitted a new request for shipping labels”
Me: “You’ve stated that 5 times over the last 2 weeks”
G: “I’ve just submitted them this second”
Me: “What difference does it make? You’ve done that 4 times previously and I’ve gotten nothing in the last two weeks!”
G: “It’s TNT’s fault”
Me: “I’m just going to go and give TNT a call and see what they have to say”
At this point I was more than ready to take Google’s word for it and lay into TNT. However I’ve been in situations like this previously and felt it was necessary to get TNT’s side of things before I lost my temper. So I called them:
Me: “Hi TNT, I’ve just got off the phone to Google who said you’re to blame for my Nexus 7 RMA return shipping labels not turning up. Do you have any information regarding my shipping labels?”
TNT: “Account numbers?”
Me: ” <email address> <order number> <postcode>”
TNT: “We have nothing against your details at all”
Me: “Over the last 2 weeks?”
TNT: “Nothing, Sir”
Very well, so TNT haven’t been informed of my need for shipping labels, or they’re simply hiding the fact quite convincingly. I was asked to call Google back and get proof-of-acceptance from the completed order for shipping labels, and so I did:
Me: “So TNT haven’t received anything from you, ever, regarding my details”
G: “Really? We filled out the forms…”
Me: “5 times now. It isn’t working, is it?”
G: “Apparently not, I can fill the forms out again and generate a shipping label”
Me: “But that clearly doesn’t work. What else have you got?”
G: “I really don’t know what more I can do”
Me: “What’s your TNT account number? I can generate the shipping labels for myself on your behalf”
G: “I don’t think we have that information – let me put you on hold”
After roughly 5mins, Daniel (yes, the same as last time) returned:
G: “We don’t have that information”
Me: “Ok, are you able to ask someone with that information to call TNT and arrange the labels for me?”
G: “We can’t do that”
Me: “Ok, so can I talk to escalations?”
G: “We can’t do that”
Me: “… are you serious?”
G: “Unfortunately there’s nothing more I can do for you. Escalations will be in touch”
Me: “Can you ask them to call me?”
G: “I’m sorry, but I’m not able to do that. Your ticket is there, you can email them yourself and request a call back”
Me: “Jeez, fine, I’ll do that” <whilst emailing in all caps>
G: “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
Me: “Lets be honest, in order to help me with something else, you would have to have helped me in the first place”
G: “Sorry, have a nice week”
Me: “!!!”
So that was that.
I spoke with Google about two hours ago after being told my issue was a “Priority 4”. I should be contacted by tomorrow morning. But if I’m not, well I can’t call them back as they’re unable to do anything for me – Daniel’s words. My only possible road to resolution is to – apparently – spam my ticket until an escalations team see it’s getting a lot of activity with no currently assigned employee.
Oh, joy.
So once again, as stated in the last post, I will still not recommend a Nexus 7 as I’m yet to receive a working one. Not only that, I will strongly recommend against ordering from the Play Store due to the issues outlined above. It is just … ridiculous.
At the very least, I would expect them to allow me to help them to help me – for lack of a better sentence. All I’d need is their TNT account number, or a number for the escalations team and I’m sure it would be sorted very quickly. However, due to their policies and a “need to know” approach to the tier one staff, beyond filling in a form 4, 5, more, times, they can’t do anything to help if their system doesn’t work. Which is silly.
I’m now done with the Play Store. As soon as the shipping labels eventually arrive, I will be sending both devices back and requesting a complete refund. While I still wish to have a N7, I will get one from a local store with people who have the power to do more than fill out forms.
Once again, I will update once I do progress, but especially if I do not.
