Google in violation of Australian Consumer Law

[zero_sum]

My Google Nest Doorbell (battery version) states in the Google Home app "device unmounted" and is offline.

There appears to be a known issue with mounting brackets having alignment issues and being faulty. The circular pin at the bottom appears to have a spring mechanism that needs to be pushed up by the mounting bracket. I've also read that the mounting bracket may be magnetised to trigger a hall effect sensor (creating a circuit) when it pushes the spring into place, however I haven't validated this. It appears that without a functional mounting bracket the Doorbell is completely unusable.

I have contacted the Google Nest Support Team at: https://support.google.com/googlenest/

I have attempted to contact Google Nest Support via ALL available channels:
- the telephone number provided does not connect to the Nest Support Team. It says that they are closed.
- the call back request does not transfer to the Nest Support Team, it says that it could not connect.
- the online chat option isn't available.
- the Facebook chat option does not get responded to.
- the support request option gets transferred to Google Store support and they refuse to offer assistance for products purchased from a 3rd party reseller.

I have raised multiple support tickets requesting a replacement part for the faulty mounting bracket (that is likely worth less than $1).

Under Australian Consumer Law, 

"When a consumer buys a product, the manufacturer or importer must provide spare parts and repair facilities for a reasonable time after purchase. This applies even if the consumer did not buy the goods directly from the manufacturer or importer."

"A warranty against defects is provided in addition to the consumer guarantees and does not limit or replace these rights.

The business may promise to:

• repair or replace a faulty product
• perform a service again, or fix a problem with it
• compensate the consumer."

I have checked the warranty status for the Nest Doorbell device here: https://support.google.com/googlenest/workflow/12568996

It is still within the 2 year, 9 month warranty period, and eligible for a replacement.

I have requested that Google Support either provide a replacement mounting bracket or if it is easier, send a full replacement device.

The Google Nest Support Team have stated that they do not offer any support for devices purchased from a 3rd party re-seller. I have alerted them that this violates Australian Consumer Law. 

The Google Nest Support Team refuse to escalate the issue. After several support tickets & numerous refusals to escalate the issue to a supervisor, team leader or higher support team, I was transferred through to a 'Senior Support Team' member. They refused to provide any warranty for a device purchased from an authorised 3rd party re-seller, even when informed that this violated Australian Consumer Law and Google's Warranty. The 'Senior Support Team' member refused to escalate the issue higher, stating they were the last point of contact. The only option to raise a complaint is via a Customer Feedback Survey. However, the process for reviewing these complaints does not involve communicating further with the customer. This approach is devoid of logical and very disappointing from a billion dollar company.

The Google Nest Support Team could easily send a replacement device. I do not understand why they make it impossible to operate a device without their proprietary mounting bracket, which they do not provide spare parts for. The 'Senior Support Team' member was completely unprofessional and I wanted to raise a complaint as they are in need of re-training. They ought to be aware that what they were stating was both illegal and in violation of Google's warranty policy. They refused to allow any further communication, or allow the chat transcript to be emailed to the legal department, the complaints department or a higher up team for escalation.

Eventually they advised that they had raised a request to a 'back of house' team, however there is no communication regarding this and no option for me to follow-up on the request. They stated I would receive a response within 1 day, however this has not occurred. 

I have notified the 'Senior Support Team' member that I will be taking further action for the violation of Australian Consumer Law. I hope that other consumers who experience this behaviour also raise complaints to the relevant ombudsman for breach of contract and failure to provide warranty for a product within the warranty period.

Google's Warranty for Nest Devices in  Australia & New Zealand is located here:
https://storage.googleapis.com/support-kms-prod/FgnN2xQipLgJ0o9FqOKD0kshkiBcrySY1RBM

Google Consumer Hardware Limited Warranty – Australia and New Zealand

This warranty applies if you are a consumer and purchased your Google-branded product (referred to as a 'Google Product') in Australia or New Zealand.

Limited Warranty

If you purchased your Google Product in Australia, the following applies to your Google Product:

Your Google Product comes with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the Google Product repaired or replaced if the Google Product fails to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure. In addition to all applicable guarantees, Google offers this Limited Warranty.

WARRANTY REMEDY FOR AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

If a defect arises and you return your Google Product as directed by  Google during the Limited Warranty period (which is two years for new Google Products and ninety days for Refurbished Google Products), Google will replace your Google Product with a new or refurbished Google Product functionally at least equivalent to yours. If applicable, a Google Product presented for repair may be replaced by a refurbished Google Product of the same type rather than being repaired, and refurbished parts may be used to repair Google Products. If Google replaces the Google Product, the replaced Google Product will continue to be warranted for the remaining time of the original warranty period. All returned parts for which you have received a replacement will become the property of Google. Replacement or repair of your Google Product may result in the loss of any user-generated data. Please ensure that you have made a copy of any data saved on your Google Product. Nothing in this Limited Warranty will reduce or otherwise affect your statutory rights in relation to the Google Product.

This Limited Warranty is only valid and enforceable in Australia and New Zealand and will apply only if you have purchased your Google Product from Google or its authorised resellers. 

[icanfly]

Thanks mate I am glad I am not the only one who cant get a call to connect. Same thing keeps saying sorry cant connect your call and asks me to request another one which does the same thing!

I was able to get through to chat however have you had any luck with that?

[Hansun]

Same thing is happening to me! I can't get through on the phone. 

[icanfly]

try the Facebook link if it's showing as an option it has worked for me I think it must be handled by a (better) different team 

[zero_sum]

Are you also located in Australia or New Zealand? If so, the following numbers are listed under the Google Nest Consumer Warranty page:

To make a claim under the Limited Warranty, please contact Google Product support at the following phone numbers for these devices:

Nest speakers and displays	1800-891-071	N/A
Google Chromecasts	1800-723-841	0800-787-790
Google Wifi	1800-081-395	0800-700-643
Pixel phones	1800-884-355	N/A
Pixel Buds	1800-954-179	N/A

We will need your name, contact information and the serial number. Before receiving warranty service, Google may require that you provide proof-of- purchase details, respond to questions designed to assist with diagnosing potential issues and follow Google’s procedures for obtaining warranty service.

I haven't been able to reach Google Nest Support via telephone, only via the web form that starts a live chat.

Initially the support agent had stated that they would send a replacement device, however they were limited to the USA / CA region. I asked to be transferred to someone with authority to provide replacements for the APAC region. Eventually I was able to be transferred to a Senior Support Team Member, however they also refused to send the replacement. After acknowledging that they were in violation of both Australian Consumer Law and the Google Nest Warranty, they agreed to escalate the issue to a higher team, that can't be contacted directly via customers. They stated I'd receive a response within 1 business day, however this hasn't occurred. 

Overall the lack of support and unprofessional conduct of the outsourced online support is very disappointing and I expect more from a company that charge such a premium for their products. I hope that you have more luck with contacting the Google Nest Support team. 

[icanfly]

yes I am in Australia thanks I will try those numbers

That is really bad about Google but they are getting worse as a company everyday with their services most things I use now dont work properly dont get me stared on Google Assistant its so flaky

My issue is a bit different i have a blurry image and google are more than happy to say its a warranty issue that needs replacement but they wont replace it and say it has to be done by the retailer - jb hi fi

the problem is, JB hi fi and all other australian retailers state the device only has a 1 year warranty however google state its 2 and when I check using the warranty checker it says still under warranty!

so far I cannot get an answer from google why they state the warranty is 2 but all retailers are 1? I am beginning to think the 2 year warranty is only if you buy it direct from google

if thats the case they need to fix their warranty checker. they know I bought it from jb not from them

Hope you get more luck!

[zero_sum]

You still have a particular rights under Australian Consumer Law - it doesn't matter what a manufacturer or retailer attempt to say.

Under Australian Consumer Law,
"When a consumer buys a product, the manufacturer or importer must provide spare parts and repair facilities for a reasonable time after purchase. This applies even if the consumer did not buy the goods directly from the manufacturer or importer."

The ACCC would have a reasonable time for which they expect this type of hardware device to last. For a camera, I would expect it is at least 2 years.

If you purchased from JB Hifi, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys or Officeworks, they are all authorised 3rd party resellers of Google products. They should also provide warranty for the device, but you shouldn't have to go via them, as the manufacturer of the device is ultimately responsible.

[icanfly]

Thanks

I just found out there are 2 warranties. 1 one year limited warranty and then a second hardware warranty which is offered by Google on top of the 1 year

This hardware warranty states:

"Google warrants that the Google Product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use as described in the user guide for two years from the date of original purchase by you anywhere in Australia or New Zealand"

and:

"This Limited Warranty is only valid and enforceable in Australia and New Zealand and will apply only if you have purchased your Google Product from Google or its authorised resellers"

However I was connected to a senior chat specialist who is trying to tell me that warranty is only applicable if you bought the device from Google directly

I asked him about five time what is Googles interpretation of 'anywhere in Australia' and 'authorised Google reseller' but he chose to ignore the question. Whatsmore:

"If a defect arises and you return your Google Product as directed by  Google during the Limited Warranty period (which is two years for new Google Products and ninety days for Refurbished Google Products), Google will replace your Google Product with a new or refurbished Google Product functionally at least equivalent to yours"

so this whole crap about telling me the retailer has to replace it is also incorrect. I feel sorry to the retailer now I have been giving them so much headache because Google kept telling me in the beginning they need to replace it

[zero_sum]

The online chat is very unhelpful, very unprofessional and incredibly argumentative and devoid of any logic.

It could be that they are reading directly from scripts or have very limited authority in how to respond.

It could be that companies often outsource online chat to India and the quality of service is incredibly poor because they are paying very low rates. 

Usually telephone support is better. Companies usually outsource this to Philippines and the quality of service is significantly better than India. The support agents are friendlier, less argumentative and actually try to resolve the problems.  It be due to the support agents having more authority which means they are more capable of solving your problem.

Obviously I'm making mass generalisations and it doesn't mean that you can't have good or bad support in either country. It's just something I've observed after dealing with outsourced contact centres and the level of authority that each channel has.

Anyway, I managed to eventually get through to someone via the telephone numbers listed above. They had transferred me through to the Nest device area and the person was investigating what they could do, however after 30min it got disconnected. This is another issue with telephone communications to outsourced contact centres - they often have poor internet connections.

[icanfly]

thats so weird about the hours before I go to request a call I click on hours and it says 24/7 however the first time I tried to use it was at night and it wouldnt even let me request the call because it said it was outside of hours 😮

this time it didnt say that and let me request the call and as you said perhaps it wouldnt connect because the times are from 5pm!

I cant believe a company like Google wouldnt regionalise calls so if youre calling from AUS in business hours it should answer not answer in Business hours in Europe!

Dont get me started about dropped calls I had an issue with booking.com that tooks weeks to resolve because sometimes when I call it would take 3 goes because the call gets cut off

I got so sick of it before I started the call I made them promise they would call me back if the call dropped (they promised but never called me back) So I had to repeat my story every time I called back!

Im glad you were able to get your issue sorted it looks like maybe I did too, I was given an option to use facebook messenger as well as chat and I had two chats going in parallel. One in messenger and one in chats

I was even transferred to a senior in the chat that was the one that wouldnt honour the legal warranty that states I am entitled to it but the person on messenger actually sent me a form for a delivery address of the replacement! So fingers crossed that will happen and my issue resolved

words cant describe the experience and the way a company like Google has handled this!

[zero_sum]

I have attempted to update this thread with additional information, as the issues remain unresolved and the unprofessional customer service received by Google continues.

However, it does not appear to be possible to add additional replies. When previous replies are edited (to include information) they disappear.

Hence, I've been forced to start a new thread here:
https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Google-in-violation-of-Australian-Consu...

[zero_sum]

Google Support (email) continues to route the case in circles.

They state that I should lodge a support cast at: http://support.google.com/googlenest/

However, there is already multiple support cases lodged (which is how the case was referred to them via email). The channels available via the online form do not reach the team capable of providing warranty support for the Australian region: 

• telephone calls do not get routed through, as the Australian team is not contactable via telephone. 
• live chat only supports the USA & Canada region. They acknowledge that the device is under warranty and that they need to submit a replacement order, however they do not have access to do so.
• social media channels just refer back to the online form.
• all of these channels state that they have escalated the case to a higher team, however during the several weeks of escalating this warranty claim I am yet to receive a response.

It's disappointing that Google appear to be well aware of the insufficient support that they provide to the Australian continent, yet they take no action to fix this. Their warranties state that they cannot be excused of their requirements under Australian Consumer Law and that they must provide warranty support even when devices are purchased from 3rd party resellers. 

Under Australian Consumer Law, 

"When a consumer buys a product, the manufacturer or importer must provide spare parts and repair facilities for a reasonable time after purchase. This applies even if the consumer did not buy the goods directly from the manufacturer or importer."

Google's Warranty for Nest Devices in  Australia & New Zealand is located here:
https://storage.googleapis.com/support-kms-prod/FgnN2xQipLgJ0o9FqOKD0kshkiBcrySY1RBM

[Anonymous]

Heres hoping the ACCC cooks googles goose. I too have multiple complaints ongoing and have received the google runaround for months. 

Google are truly pathetic. The google cameras and associated google home app are simply not fit for purpose and shoukd be removed from sale in Australia altogether. All cameras bought and subscriptions paid should be refunded in full.

If you're reading this NEVER BUY GOOGLE PRODUCTS THEY SELL ABSOLUTE GARBAGE PRODUCTS THEN ABANDON THE CONSUMER AFTER SALES THERE IS NO AFTER SALES SUPPORT NONE ZERO NADA IN AUSTRALIA

[zero_sum]

Have you lodged a complaint with the ACCC? 

I'd hope that if enough complaints are received regarding the breach of warranty (& breach of Australian Consumer Law) that Google would start to improve their product offerings to our continent.

[Anonymous]

Google deleted my account i was able to recover it but not until google deleted ALL the 50 plus emails with regards to the case. Ive asked google repeatedly to send a copy of the thread but as per google keep lying through their butts and have been giving me the runaround. As soon as i get the email thread im opening an accc case

[zero_sum]

Google Support (email) continues to route the case in circles.

They state that I should lodge a support cast at: support.google.com/googlenest/

However, there is already multiple support cases lodged (which is how the case was referred to them via email). The channels available via the online form do not reach the team capable of providing warranty support for the Australian region: 

• telephone calls do not get routed through, as the Australian team is not contactable via telephone. 
• live chat only supports the USA & Canada region. They acknowledge that the device is under warranty and that they need to submit a replacement order, however they do not have access to do so.
• social media channels just refer back to the online form.
• all of these channels state that they have escalated the case to a higher team, however during the several weeks of escalating this warranty claim I am yet to receive a response.

It's disappointing that Google appear to be well aware of the insufficient support that they provide to the Australian continent, yet they take no action to fix this. Their warranties state that they cannot be excused of their requirements under Australian Consumer Law and that they must provide warranty support even when devices are purchased from 3rd party resellers. 

Under Australian Consumer Law, 

"When a consumer buys a product, the manufacturer or importer must provide spare parts and repair facilities for a reasonable time after purchase. This applies even if the consumer did not buy the goods directly from the manufacturer or importer."

Google's Warranty for Nest Devices in  Australia & New Zealand is located here:
https://storage.googleapis.com/support-kms-prod/FgnN2xQipLgJ0o9FqOKD0kshkiBcrySY1RBM

[Anonymous]

Google cameras and the home app aren't fit for purpose never have been never will be. Mine have been faulty for over a year. If you're a prospective buyer take heed of the plethora of ongoing complaints and buy another brand. Google sell garbage then abandon the consumer...

[zero_sum]

Every attempt to escalate this issue via:

• live chat,
• telephone,
• email,
• Facebook Messenger,
• & this Google Nest community forum,

Has resulted in emails being blocked by "Nathan" the Senior Support Team Member (that appears to be based in India. This person is clearly in need of retraining and ignorant of the fact that warranty issues need to be escalated to a higher level team. They appear incredibly arrogant and state they are "the last line of communication". It's disappointing because other support staff are aware that the Indian based APAC team are not trained in Australian Warranty issues, but they are unable to stop them from blocking requests from reaching the appropriate team.

I have provided Google Support with multiple opportunities to correct this issue and wasted countless hours trying for this issue to reach the appropriate team. It's disappointing that Google would make a device that is completely unusable without their proprietary magnetic mounting bracket, yet refuse to provide replacement parts when this bracket is known to be faulty. 

I will be raising a formal complaint to the ombudsman in Australia and making reference to the support staff member who has repeatedly blocked every attempt to resolve this issue.

Hopefully when Google is fined a large enough amount of money they will fix these issues.

[zero_sum]

@EmersonB @Lance_L  can you please provide an update?

i completed the form you requested and the result is EXACTLY the same. Every request for this issue to be escalated to the appropriate team is blocked by the APAC team who don't understand the warranty obligations within the Australian region.

[EmersonB]

Hi zero_sum,

We appreciate you posting here in the Community. I've checked your case and saw that you've been in touch with our support team. Let's continue working on that channel so we can assist you further. Feel free to start a new topic anytime you need assistance with your Nest devices.

Best,

Emerson

[Anonymous]

How pathetically bad is support for these faulty products? I hope the ombudsman cooks their goose its ridiculous these garbage products are allowed to be sold in Australia with our consumer protection laws. Obviously the overseas google workers are ignorant of our lawd and they are obviously morons to boot ive had my fair shate of the halfwits im fed up with google and their lies and rhetoric 

[zero_sum]

@EmersonB @Lance_L 

It's 44 days / 6 weeks since this warranty issue was first raised with Google Support on 15 June 2023.

I have repeatedly asked for this warranty issue to be escalated to the Australian Continent support team - not the 1st level support APAC team who are not trained in understanding the Google Nest Warranty obligations or Australian Consumer Law that require warranty support for devices purchased from authorised resellers.

For 6 weeks I have exhausted every channel of communication (web chat, email, telephone , social media, & this community forum) trying to reach the higher level Australian Continent support team. I have never received confirmation that this issue has reached the appropriate team.

•  Google has acknowledged the device is under warranty.
• Google has performed troubleshooting and determined the device is faulty and eligible for a replacement.
• Google has commenced the replacement process but I have never received confirmation of delivery or any tracking information. It appears their processes force customers to sign-up for additional Google Services (Google Pay) so they can force customers to pre-payment for a warranty replacement.
• Google has offered compensation in the form of credit to the Google Store due to repeatedly unprofessional conduct of their Support Teams. However I am yet to receive this credit.

I provided Google with a reasonable deadline to escalate this to the appropriate business director before taking further action. I extended this deadline as Google had failed to provide any evidence or progress update on whether this request had been received by the appropriate business director.

It appears that these requests are either being ignored by unprofessional support staff or Google support processes are severely broken and incapable of meeting both their legal requirements (within the Australian Continent) or warranty obligations for Australia.

Either way, knowingly breaching Australian Consumer Law and the Google Nest Warranty for Australia could result in Google being banned from selling Consumer products within the Australian Continent or severely fined as this is unlikely an isolated incident.

The world only has 7 continents. If a business lost the opportunity to sell products within an entire continent, they would earn less revenue and require less support staff (due to less products being sold). It is highly likely the business would be forced to cut the number of support staff, starting with those who have shown to be unprofessional and/or who had failed to honour warranty obligations that had resulted in the business being banned from selling within the Australian Continent.

Once again, I have strongly encouraged Google Support to escalate this issue to the Australian Continent support team (NOT the APAC 1st level support who are not appropriately trained to address this warranty issue). This may require the higher level team that you escalate to, to escalate the matter to another higher level team (and so forth..) until it reaches someone capable of understanding the gravity of this situation. 

[zero_sum]

@EmersonB @Lance_L 

I'm following up as I'm yet to receive any response from Google Support regarding case number 7-8330000034192. This specialist team was assigned after the issue was raised from the social media team.

It's 48 days / 7 weeks since this warranty issue was first raised to Google Support on 15 June 2023.

In case number 7-8330000034192, Google have acknowledged the faulty device is under warranty, that I'm entitled to a complete replacement and offered compensation for the completely unprofessional customer service that I've received to date.

However this team have stopped responding to emails and appear to be ignoring the warranty issue.

If I do not receive a response from the higher level Australian Support team regarding the warranty replacement, before Friday 4 August 2023, I will be lodging a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) who are the appropriate regulatory body.

[Lance_L]

Hello everyone,

I’m sorry for the delay; I genuinely understand the inconvenience you have faced.

@zero_sum, our team has already reached out to you via email. Please follow the instructions to return your defective Nest doorbell to receive a replacement.

Best,

Lance

[zero_sum]

I have previously documented some of the unprofessional customer support I've received from Google when alerting them of my faulty Nest Doorbell that is still under warranty.

I'm unsure whether the previous thread has been closed by a moderator - it is clearly still unresolved!

I have posted multiple replies to the thread however they only appear temporarily. 

I've tried editing a previous post to add the additional information however this makes the post disappear.

The link to the previous thread is here:

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Google-in-violation-of-Australian-Consu...

[zero_sum]

Can any of the moderators please comment on how I can continue posting to the original thread? 

It's confusing to have an issue spread across 2 threads and will likely result in information being lost.

I'd like other customers from the Australia continent to avoid the arduous experience I've been put through, as the vast majority of customer support channels provide incorrect advice for the Australian region and completely unprofessional conduct in regards to warranty claims.

[Anonymous]

I absolutely agree wholeheartedly zero_sum. Google support is non existent in Australia. These faulty products should not be available to the Australian consumer at all. Absolute garbage products the ACCC should remove them from the Australian marketplace completely.

[EmersonB]

Hi everyone,

Our team is already aware of this issue. I'll merge this to the similar issue in the Community. I suggest that you follow the main thread for updates because this thread will be locked automatically once merged in the main one.
 
Regards,
Emerson

[Anonymous]

Google have completely and utterly disregarded me and my complaints in every way possible. They've been heavy handed when trying to communicate with them. Theyve been deleting my accounts and making access to my accounts nearly impossible multiple times. It seems nothing is ever googles fault even with thousands of complaints online across multiple forums and social media platforms etc google constantly blame the user or the users equipment. Nope never is googles fault hey. Its pathetic the attitude the google support reps have and its even more pathetic how google try to sit up on their high horse when EVERYONE complains about how pathetic and inept google is. Crap products and crap service. Google is a travesty of the worse proportions. 

I hope Australia fines google big time and/or stops them from selling their inferior products. I have a complaint open and google have tried stopping me gaining access to the account associated with the complaint 3 times recently. Google dont want the copies of the emails released to the ACCC "Australian Competition and Consumer Commission" because google know the ACCC will cook their goose. 

Google are pathetic. The google cameras and associated google home app are simply not fit for purpose. All the cameras bought should be refunded to the consumers in full and all subscriptions refunded as well. The cameras and associated products simply do not and never have worked as advertised in any way whatsoever..

I hope the ACCC fries google big time