Dropcam end of life

[dwalls225]

Hi,

I'm very frustrated by what's happening with Dropcam. My device works fine and it's confounding to me that you will cause it to suddenly stop working on April 8. I understand that perhaps you can't provide technical support forever for older devices (although you probably could) but why would you effectively break a working device? Why should I have to spend money to replace a device that's working fine? Excuse my language but it strikes me as a really **bleep**ty way to treat your customers to squeeze them like this.

[Cary1111]

Hi, please read this forum and see if you're eligible. Eligible users were sent an email from Nest with instructions on how to redeem their offer. 

Update for Nest Secure, Dropcam, and Works with Nest  

[Cary1111]

We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause you, but we're committed to helping you and minimizing disruptions. For questions regarding how to redeem your offers, please contact our offer redemption team. If you need help with anything else, our support agents are standing by.

Thank you for being a valued customer and part of the Nest family.

[cyberjamin]

I got the Nestcams 2nd Gen swap and am not a happy camper that these cams don't work with the NestApp. I have 10cams around the house and now 2 don't work in the same app as the others. I also can't schedule them like I can the others. I have to manually turn them on and off at bedtime. Nest Aware isn't an option because of our dogs.. And it's not like we're leaving the house... We're going to bed.

You also can't see activities like you can in the Nest App. 

I spent over an hour on the phone with support, only to be told these are known issues with no ETA on a fix. Then I realize these 2nd Gen cams are only 79 bucks, whereas the first Gen ate 150. Wtf?!? So we're being forced into an inferior product that lacks functionality. We should have been given an equivalent replacement, not something that forces us backwards. 

[MplsCustomer]

@cyberjamin 

Unfortunately, Google Nest does not make an equivalent replacement. When we bought a battery camera 2-1/2 years ago because Google Nest stopped selling the Google Nest Outdoor Camera, we discovered what you are discovering. Google Nest even lists these Nest app features that are NOT included in the Google Home app for the 2nd gen cameras and doorbells, and there are other features that are not included:

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/13038234#zippy=%2Cnest-app-only-features

[dwalls225]

It's unbelievable how much they're screwing us over by forcing us to buy new devices when we're happy with what we have today. It's criminal. I'm looking into the possibility of class action, it's really predatory behavior. 

[cyberjamin]

I was lucky enough to get the replacements for free. I can understand how frustrating it is when not only are they no longer supported, but then having to buy the replacements too...that's just horrible. To top it off, we lose features by doing so. Google just shines this because they can get away with it being the behemoth that they are. Shame on them for dismissing the customer experience for their own greed. I have 10 of these cams around my house, and now 2 don't show up in the Nest app, and both need to be turned on/off manually everyday. This is such bs. If my house wasn't setup in a google echo-system (mesh network, smoke alarms, door lock, indoor/outdoor cams), I'd ditch these cams and go with someone else.

[ByronP]

Hi folks,

Thank you for posting. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused with the dropcams.

I understand this has been a frustrating experience and the importance of the dropcams in your daily lives. It was one of our proudest products over 10 years ago. Unfortunately, it has become difficult to update this product due to the challenging hardware.

Please share feedback about your concern about making updates to our new products to continue giving you the best service.

Regards,

Byron

[dwalls225]

Byron, I understand you can't update or service older products indefinitely. But why does that necessitate causing our current devices to stop working when they're working fine now? I have devices 10+ years old from Apple and Amazon and Lorex home cameras and while I doubt I'd get any support for those devices at this point, I can still use them in the meantime.

And if there truly is no alternative to breaking our devices, then you should be providing replacements for all your current customers,  not just some of them. It's incredibly inequitable that customers who can afford Nest Aware get a free replacement while those who can't just get a coupon and have to fork out cash out of pocket if we want to stick with Nest (which candidly I can't say I really want to after this experience). Google is one of the most profitable companies on Earth -- if you can giving full replacements to some of your customers, why can't you do that for all of us whom you're screwing over?

[ByronP]

Hi dwalls225,

Thank you for posting.

I understand your frustration about why not every customer doesn't have a full replacement for the cameras. However, we have an eligibility process, and unfortunately, it doesn't cover every customer. As I mentioned before, you can share your feedback about the process and your concerns about this disposition.

Regards,

Byron

[dwalls225]

It’s clear that sharing my feedback with Google is a waste of time. I’ve seen discussion online about organizing a class action, I think that’s probably my only route to resolution at this point. 

[Cary1111]

We do understand how frustrating this may be. Here is an article on how you can share your feedback. The G nest community and it's members are apart from our feedback department.

 Share your feedback

1. Open the Google Home app .
2. At the upper-right corner, tap your Google Account profile picture or first initial of your name.
3. Tap Feedback  the device type for which you want to provide feedback.
4. Tap Get Started.
5. In the field provided, enter the details of your feedback. Make sure not to include sensitive information.
6. Tap Send .
7. You can highlight or hide info if needed. You can also remove the screenshot, or tap Attach a screenshot if you unintentionally removed it.
8. Tap Continue.
9. Select either Yes or No when prompted to receive email information or updates about your feedback.

[cyberjamin]

I got the Nestcam 2nd Gen swap and am not a happy camper that these cams don't work with the NestApp. I have 10cams around the house and now 2 don't work in the same app as the others. I also can't schedule them like I can the others. I have to manually turn them on and off at bedtime. Nest Aware isn't an option because of our dogs.. And it's not like we're leaving the house... We're going to bed.

You also can't see activities like you can in the Nest App. 

I spent over an hour on the phone with support, only to be told these are known issues with no ETA on a fix. Then I realize these 2nd Gen cams are only 79 bucks, whereas the first Gen are 150. Wtf?!? So we're being forced into an inferior product that lacks functionality. We should have been given an equivalent replacement, not something that forces us backwards. 

[dwalls225]

The offer I received was for 50% off. Why should I be out of pocket $50 or more and be forced to buy a new device when my current device is working fine? If you’re going to force break things we’ve already paid for and which we’re happy with, then you should be replacing them in full,  not giving us a coupon and squeezing us to spend. 

[Cary1111]

I understand your frustrations. Please share your feedback. You can contact Google Home Support at 1-855-971-9121.

[dwalls225]

I called this phone number and received an auto-message that the number was no longer active and that I should use this website instead. 

Really disappointing customer service. 😞

[MplsCustomer · Accepted solution]

@dwalls225 

I don't think Google Nest has had a published working Support phone number for several years, if at all.

This is how we've contacted Support:

1. Go to https://support.google.com/googlenest/gethelp.
2. Select a category/product family, and type in a brief description of the issue, then click "Next".
3. Click "Other", then click "Next step".
4. Under "Resources", just click "Next step". (Clicking one of the listed links will bring up a Help page page.)
5. Under "Contact options", choose to get a phone call or chat with the team, depending on availability in your country.

[Cary1111]

I truly apologize for the missed information. I was not aware the phone number no longer works. From my understanding you've done the above and no one has responded via chat or phone call?

[dwalls225]

I tried that method and spoke to someone but they were not helpful. They told me the best they could do is give me the 50% discount. Worse still, they told me that if I had had a Nest Aware subscription in the prior year, then they would have replaced the device free of charge. I've had Nest Aware, but not in the prior year, given the cost. So clearly, the company is willing to do full replacements for customers who can likely afford it, but is forcing the rest of us to pay out of pocket to replace perfectly working devices. It's extremely frustrating that different customers are being treated differently and makes me want to switch to Ring or another product that treats its customers better. 

[Cary1111]

I just wanted to inform I investigated a little if you contact G pay they should be able to reach a Google Support Agent for you. Also, express your frustrations. Google considers their customers feedback.