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While the idea sounds fantastic - the one major hesitation I have is how difficult will it be to get customer support from Google? I've been waiting for this fe

While the idea sounds fantastic - the one major hesitation I have is how difficult will it be to get customer support from Google? I've been waiting for this feature for quite sometime, but now I'm seriously reconsidering. Despite the gripes anyone might have with their existing wireless carrier's customer service.. you can get someone on the other end of phone 100% of the time to help you resolve problems. Let's face it, your mobile number these days is probably significantly more involved in your day to day life than your landline (if you even still have one of those). I think twice before placing my mobile number on any provider.

earl 16y ago
It's really easy to get customer service from G. They provide, free, to each customer their famous "fuck off and die while we totally ignore you" brand of customer service that has propelled them to the very bottom of JD Power Customer Service Surveys. Or, you can have a blog with huge reach and bitch on that, whence Matt Cutts will swoop out of the sky to cover up their fuckups. viz slow email and Gabriel Weinberg. So the real question is if you complain on the internet, how many people hear you? Honestly, letting G get their hands on anything that's critical to your life seems an enormous mistake, unless it wouldn't be a big problem for you if your phone stops working.
billybob 16y ago
I agree very much. I really like the features of Google Voice, especially the call screening. And I hate the way AT&T doesn't let me set up spam filters for text messages, happily charging me for crap I don't want. So I'd love to have the power of GV to block those before they ever hit my mobile number. But Google does a sorry job of personalized customer service, and yes, for a phone, I want that. I'm basically a Google fanboy, and my wife accuses me of thinking everything they do is perfect. And even I see this as a problem. I think Google will have to get more serious about customer service to become a major, primary provider of phone numbers.

earl 16y ago

It's really easy to get customer service from G. They provide, free, to each customer their famous "fuck off and die while we totally ignore you" brand of customer service that has propelled them to the very bottom of JD Power Customer Service Surveys. Or, you can have a blog with huge reach and bitch on that, whence Matt Cutts will swoop out of the sky to cover up their fuckups. viz slow email and Gabriel Weinberg. So the real question is if you complain on the internet, how many people hear you? Honestly, letting G get their hands on anything that's critical to your life seems an enormous mistake, unless it wouldn't be a big problem for you if your phone stops working.

billybob 16y ago

I agree very much. I really like the features of Google Voice, especially the call screening. And I hate the way AT&T doesn't let me set up spam filters for text messages, happily charging me for crap I don't want. So I'd love to have the power of GV to block those before they ever hit my mobile number. But Google does a sorry job of personalized customer service, and yes, for a phone, I want that. I'm basically a Google fanboy, and my wife accuses me of thinking everything they do is perfect. And even I see this as a problem. I think Google will have to get more serious about customer service to become a major, primary provider of phone numbers.