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Comment by bookofjoe | Hacker News Reader

Once upon a time at Google: The year was 2013, and I'd been selected to be among the first 8,000 people to get Google Glass. I had to go to Google HQ in NYC from my home in Virginia to get it and be instructed 1:1 on how to use it. I was given a toll-free phone number to call for support by a Glass expert, available 24/7/365.

Not only did they answer immediately whenever I had even the smallest problem or question: I twice broke my Glass, and each time I'd call the support number to ask for a replacement.

Google's policy was that no matter how you broke it or how many times it happened, they'd replace it free. They'd immediately send a box to return the broken device (prepaid) and a couple days later a brand new Glass would arrive.

Like I said, once upon a time....

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You were a volunteer employee. The very least they could do is make sure you can keep doing the job.

I think organizations have a very hard time staying motivated once the product’s concern has moved away from any one team. While you test the product for them there’s likely people whose jobs depended on you and 7999 others doing so. But eventually a product will be considered shipped and all the various talent now pays attention to what’s next.

Well put.

The thing here is the 8.000 Glass early adopters vs the hundred-millions (billions maybe?) of Google workspace users.

It's not the same league, not even the same sport.

PS: Not defending Google here, their support for some products is abysmal

You are correct. I agree 100%. It's easy to be great when it's on a tiny scale.

Billions in profit may unblock scaling customer support beyond scrappy startup minimums

However (and I loathe this logic) if you can get the marketplace to accept that minimal level, and the brand harm is inconsequential, why not pocket the savings

Those are not matter-of-fact saving, but rather significant savings

> and the brand harm is inconsequential

That's the thing though. Google have destroyed their brand through these kinds of actions, over many years.

> Google's policy was that no matter how you broke it or how many times it happened, they'd replace it free.

Yes, because they were using you to figure out where it needed improvements for every day wear and tear. It wasn't charitable, it was R&D expense.

True. I loved my Glass, it was amazing.

I bought the Google 3-pod wifi system when it first came out. There was an 844 number for support on the back. I remember calling it when I didn't understand something and got an instant pickup by support staff.

With this comment in mind, I just now called that same number with an instant pickup telling me they no longer take support calls at that number.

Still remember the excitement I felt when I saw this Google Glass concept video in 2012: https://youtu.be/5R1snVxGNVs?si=sVS7wzZ8jYH-oGMM

How about this real-life Glass video I made in 2013 a month after I got mine; forty minutes long, recording the entirely of a 5K race!

https://youtu.be/Pu8HTrXI84g?si=puSZt5fYbR69yslo

Very nostalgic, thx for sharing!

That's fascinating. The stabilization is surprisingly good. And there's a kind of out-of-focus pulsing that happens to the video periodically. I'm wondering if that might be your pulse against the Glass, abruptly moving the Glass in a way that its stabilization couldn't compensate for.

Yep, monopolistic loss leaders can feel great when they're showering you with expensive marketing, right up until they reliably pull the rug in an effort to screw everyone or recoup their losses.

It was only a few years ago that they offered all of their Stadia subscribers a full refund for every dollar they ever spent on the platform. By this point their reputation for customer service was well and truly known, but colour me surprised when I received a not insignificant sum credited to my bank account from Google.

I saw it mentioned in a comment elsewhere in this thread, but the level of service you get really seems dependant on which pocket of Google is responsible for the product you happen to be using. Unfortunately Workspace is a giant pocket with many billions of users with suboptimal and/or perpetually exhausted support.

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