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Google Nexus One Leaves Customers Sour

Google's Nexus One phone may have been one of the most anticipated devices of the last few weeks. But since the smartphone's launch last Tuesday it has left a string of unhappy customers.

Nexus One has been plagued by consumers complaints including spotty 3G connectivity, a high early termination fee, poor customer support from Google and problems with the touchscreen.

"There are some aspects of the experience that Google didn't think through as carefully as they should have," says Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research. "This has implications for the store they have launched and their future ambitions for it. Google, clearly, has a lot of work ahead of it."

Google introduced the Nexus One as the first device to be sold by the company. Nexus One has been designed by HTC and runs on T-Mobile's network. But contrary to initial speculation, the device isn't free or unlocked. It will retail for $180 with a 2-year contract with T-Mobile and is also available for $530 unlocked-a price similar to most other smartphones.

The difference, though, is the Nexus One is available only through Google's online store. Unlike with a Motorola Cliq or a HTC G1, users can't walk into a T-Mobile store and buy the Nexus One. They can't even count on T-Mobile's customer service representatives in store or the company's phone support to solve their problems.

Instead, Nexus One customers can only get e-mail support from Google. It's a strategy that has backfired on Google. Google's support forums is full of customer complaints around the Nexus and the company's poor service. Google is yet to respond to Wired.com's request for comment.

"A lot of complaints and frustration that people are expressing would normally be handled by going back into the store or by calling the support help line," says Golvin. "Having a physical location where you can take your phone back helps customers and Google seems to have under-estimated that."

Many of the customer complaints are centered about the device's inability to connect to T-Mobile's 3G network. The Nexus One does not pick up the 3G network or keeps switching to the slower EDGE network, say some users.

Add to all this, Google's decision to charge a separate early termination fee in addition to that posed by T-Mobile. Nexus One customers have to pay $200 to T-Mobile for canceling on their contract. But Google also charges users a $350 "equipment recovery fee" if you give up on the contract in 120 days.

Including all charges, Nexus One customers who want to bail early will end up paying  $550. That's significantly higher than the $350 early termination fee imposed by Verizon last year that caused a furor among customers.

Despite the problems, Google can bounce back, says Golvin. Customer dissatisfaction is likely to be just a small speedbump in the road for Google's mobile ambitions, he says.

"Google tends to have a bit of a Teflon coating," says Golvin. "People tend to cut them a lot more slack-as they do with Apple-than they do with their mobile operator."

Do you like your Nexus One? Have you faced any of these problems? Let us know your Nexus One experience in the comments.


Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/google-nexus-customers-sour/#ixzz0cRFLbH4W
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