Google Fi support went down the drain when they expanded. I had a recent experience with my mother's phone being stolen while she was at a hospital, here's the summary after it was confirmed missing and police contacted, with a lot of redundant messages removed.
1st chat with agent
Me Hi, my mother's phone was stolen, I'm tracking it on find my phone.
Them: Sorry to hear that, we can black list the phone but you must message us from the member's account
(I am the sole payer on the group plan, paid for the phone, etc.)
Me: Okay, fine, I will contact you from chat on her google account
2nd chat with agent:
Me: Hi, this is [mom]'s son, I am helping her report her phone stolen to blacklist it.
Them: Sorry, we cannot blacklist a phone on a group plan if you are not the primary account holder, please contact us on the primary account.
3rd chat with agent:
Me: Hi, I'm trying to blacklist a stolen phone, please see [case numbers]
Them: The phone is registered under another Google account
Me: No, see these case numbers, I refuse to end this support until this is dealt with, I am the primary account holder. Let's blacklist this phone so that it cannot be used by another carrier.
Them: Our specialist says the phone must be active on Google Fi to blacklist it.
(The phone's battery has died at this point, 90 miles away from where it was last)
Me: Does that mean it has already been transferred to a different carrier, or is it offline?
Them: The specialist says that the phone must be active on Google Fi
Me: What does that mean? Can you ask the specialist if the battery is dead that means it's not active?
Them: I cannot say.
Me: What is even the point of blacklisting a phone if it doesn't work the moment someone pops the SIM card out or turns the phone off? Nevermind. I would like to escalate to a supervisor.
Them: Okay
Escalation??
Still haven't gotten anywhere since this Thursday, no one has reached out to me.
Had a similar experience with Google Fi. It's severely negatively impacted my view of Google as a company.
Still, I hate Verizon & AT&T so much, and I travel internationally to quite a few countries a year, so I'm sticking with them for service. But I'm far from a net promoter.
Had a similar experience with Google Apps - Google's customer support process is inept by design, which is the primary reason Google doesn't get my money anymore.
it sounds awful but do you actually have any examples of them being up the drain before expansion? I ask because I'm one of these cynical about google support folks.
I have been with Fi for several years and have never had a problem with customer service. I always call and speak with a rep who is readily available to help. My Pixel 1 had bluetooth issues and I was sent a replacement within a week. The second time it went bad because the screen stopped turning on, it was an equally quick turn around.
Maybe voice is a better option than chat, at least in my experience.
Them: Sorry to hear that, we can black list the phone but you must message us from the member's account
(I am the sole payer on the group plan, paid for the phone, etc.)
Me: Okay, fine, I will contact you from chat on her google account
Me: Hi, this is [mom]'s son, I am helping her report her phone stolen to blacklist it.Them: Sorry, we cannot blacklist a phone on a group plan if you are not the primary account holder, please contact us on the primary account.
Me: Hi, I'm trying to blacklist a stolen phone, please see [case numbers]Them: The phone is registered under another Google account
Me: No, see these case numbers, I refuse to end this support until this is dealt with, I am the primary account holder. Let's blacklist this phone so that it cannot be used by another carrier.
Them: Our specialist says the phone must be active on Google Fi to blacklist it.
(The phone's battery has died at this point, 90 miles away from where it was last)
Me: Does that mean it has already been transferred to a different carrier, or is it offline?
Them: The specialist says that the phone must be active on Google Fi
Me: What does that mean? Can you ask the specialist if the battery is dead that means it's not active?
Them: I cannot say.
Me: What is even the point of blacklisting a phone if it doesn't work the moment someone pops the SIM card out or turns the phone off? Nevermind. I would like to escalate to a supervisor.
Them: Okay
Still haven't gotten anywhere since this Thursday, no one has reached out to me.