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Regardless of whether or not this is true, it's a very damaging piece for google not to respond to. After reading it, I'm very hesitant to use their checkout se
by sgrove 18y ago
Regardless of whether or not this is true, it's a very damaging piece for google not to respond to. After reading it, I'm very hesitant to use their checkout service - it simply isn't worth the risk.
Hopefully google can step away from their usual "no-comment" ethos and explain a bit about their termination process, and how they try to be fair. If not, this will undoubtedly show up on searches for their checkout service, and lead quite a few people away from it.
- vaksel 18y agoit was only created today, I'm sure once this makes its rounds on digg/reddit/twitter etc, he'll get some clarification
- moe 18y agoI'm also quite surprised to hear this about google (of all companies), considering their Do-No-Evil claim. Terminating accounts without notice would be such an obvious and unnecessary evil that I wonder whether perhaps the mail just got lost in this particular case? Still, providing no obvious contact info for inquiries is a showstopper either way. How am I supposed to trust someone with my money when that someone isn't even willing to talk to me in case of problems?
- sgrove 18y agoYeah, dealing with money is a tricky business, and I could understand them being very harsh about terminating accounts. But there must be some contact and process of winding things down (getting the money owed from google, etc.). Just like you said - You can't trust someone unwilling to talk to you if there's a problem. But then this is google, and they've worked hard to automate things more than any other company. In some cases, perhaps they've automated things farther than their technology is ready to take them.
- JacobAldridge 18y agoI've always viewed the 'Do No Evil' mantra in the same vein as the 'Don't think of a pink elephant dancing the salsa in your pyjamas'. What are you thinking of right now? [Edit] Seriously. If you go to work everyday and someone tells you to 'Do No Evil', my bet is that you'll be thinking more about Evil (even just to avoid it) than you will about Good. Add that to human filters like uncertainty, laziness, or optimism, and that 'evil' gets released into the world. As a buzz phrase 2001, it was great; as a corporate mantra 2009, it's biting them on the ass.
- aditya 18y agoIt will not show up on searches if they own the search engine!! ;)
- breck 18y agoI believe it because it happened to me as well. A year or two ago I used Google Checkout for an online product which sold a few hundred dollars worth. I got a couple of emails from Google saying to "Make sure to ship the products" or something like that. Since they were virtual goods, I didn't bother to go to Google Checkout and click "Shipped" or whatever. Fast forward about a year, and I log in to Google Checkout to a message that says "Your account has been closed. We can't tell you why. There is no appeal". The funniest part was I was trying to BUY something with Google Checkout. I think it's bad practice to not tell someone why their account was closed. I understand if it was because I never clicked "Shipped" or whatever, but I don't even know if that's the reason. Luckily there are alternatives to Google Checkout. I just wish Google treated their customers nicer. Especially because myself and my company spend over six figures a year on AdWords.
- spoiledtechie 18y agoDitto. Ditto Ditto. Sorry, but they did it to me. Was only $80.00, but Ditto.
- seren6ipity 18y agoCould you please tell if you were also selling digital products?
- run4yourlives 18y agoWow. Memo to self - Avoid having business dealings with google if there are alternatives.
- breck 18y agoI wouldn't say that. I mean, I use Google nearly 24/7. They are by far my favorite company and generally their products are awesome. I even still use Google Checkout for some of my friends' websites. It's just that in this particular case it would be nice if they improved things a bit.
- 18y ago
- michaelneale 18y agoOn a previous posting here at HN I noticed comments about google checkout (in comparison to other ones) which has already scared me off ever using it - there is still a lot of choice out there, when it comes to money, you want a human to talk to.
- goodkarma 18y agoIf Google explained their termination process for Google Checkout, would that mean they also have to explain their termination process for Adsense?
- andreyf 18y agoRegardless of whether or not this is true ... it simply isn't worth the risk I never understood this mentality... can you explain how you reached this conclusion?
- eli 18y agoYou make it seem like this is a breaking new story. It's not. There are complaints about this going back years. http://www.google.com/search?q=google+checkout+closed+account http://www.google.com/search?q=google+checkout+closed+accoun... It's also pretty typical for a one-on-one interactions with Google. Check out all the people who had their AdSense accounts frozen for "click fraud" with no recourse or detailed explanation.
- jimbokun 18y agoHow has Google avoided class action law suits? Wiping out hundreds of dollars for who knows how many users, at some point doesn't that become worthwhile for a class action attorney to pursue?