Not refunding installation of replacement thermostat - dreadful customer service

[mattflan]

I have three nest thermostats in my home (3rd gen). Having already had a defective heatlink replaced in Jan-23, a second heatlink on another separate device broke in Dec-23.

I logged a ticket online and was advised by Google that I would need to secure an independent engineer to install the replacement heatlink that Google had issued in the post. Google advised that (as in Jan-23) they would reimburse the cost of the installation.

I have now been following up on the reimbursement for over 3 months to no avail, receiving multiple emails to provide my Payoneer account details (provided multiple times), and telling me that my case has been escalated to higher levels - to no avail. 

The team are running me round in circles. I am constantly being told that I will be updated in 24-48 hours, only for me to receive no updates and to have to chase the customer service team up again days later.

I can honestly say that this is the worst customer service experience that I have ever received and from a very quick look on the forum I can see many other individuals with the same experience - some examples:

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Thermostats/Where-is-my-refund/m-p/29927#M5963

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Thermostats/Heatlink-Replacement-Still-not-paid-my-refun...

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Thermostats/Lack-of-customer-service-not-refunding-and-i...

Google need to do better - it is completely unacceptable!

[Frustratedddd]

How old are your thermostat sets? Did you buy direct from Google or just a retailer?

[mattflan]

2019 thermostats purchased from an authorised seller - as I understand it, this particular batch was prone to faulty heatlinks, so Google has extended the warranty 

[Frustratedddd]

I don’t think extended their warranty is the correct terminology, but they have replaced a lot after the defective component. Regarding a batch, not strictly true as the Heat Links can have a faulty component even on the Google update. The reason for asking how old your unit, here in the UK we have consumer law, but as yours is 2019, it’s on the border line.

[sicsacol]

Hi mattflan, 

Thanks for posting. Sorry to hear that you're going through this experience with your thermostat 

To help me understand the issue better, could you please provide your case number? This will allow me to access your support history and assist you more efficiently.

Keep me updated.

Cheers, 

Jonathan

[mattflan]

Hi Jonathan

Sure thing - [2 - 8 3 4 1 0 0 0 0 3 5 5 8 2]

Thanks

Matt

[sicsacol]

Hey mattflan,

Thanks for the information!  I appreciate you taking the time to share it.

I've reviewed your case and my senior team is already working on a resolution. You can expect to receive an email update from a teammate soon with more details.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience as we work through this.  If you have any questions before then, feel free to reply to this post

Cheers,

Jonathan

[blmfordj88]

Worst product support I have ever had to deal with. Closed loop feedback system that closes their own threads regarding said "support". Last Google product I ever purchase!