They say that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. For one Google customer, that proved to be true as the tech titan sent him a Google Nexus 4 handset at no charge. It all stemmed from his order placed for the stock Android handset on November 13th. The customer says he never received any emails related to the order, nor did he receive a shipping confirmation. Many customers might have packed in it at this point, but the unnamed customer decided to continue calling and sending emails about the order.
Free for one, the Google Nexus 4
Finally, Google responded with an email and because the wording of the message is vague, the customer will end up with a free Google Nexus 4. The problem lies with the sentence, "We apologize for all the problems that this delay that this has caused you and rest assure that you will receive all your orders at no cost to you." Google was writing about the free shipping that the customer would get to make up for the lack of communications after the order was placed. But unfortunately for Google, it is written so vaguely that it could mean that the handset itself would be free.
A phone call was made on the customer's behalf by Phandroid's Chris Chavez, who asked what exactly Google's intentions were and eventually Google decided to just give the customer the phone for free. This is rather unusual because if Google decided toreward everyone who had a bad experience ordering the Google Nexus 4 online with a free phone, the Mountain View based company would probably take a nice-sized hit to its earnings.
At least there is one person incredibly happy tonight, taking advantage of some unclear writing to score a free handset. We're sure that a bunch of you will be going over your correspondence from Google, looking for a similarly vague sentence. Somehow, we get the impression that this is a one time act of kindness and that others attempting the same thing will be quickly dismissed.
"Hello XXXXXXXXXXX, Thank you for contacting Google Play! It was my pleasure assisting you today with your question in regards to the status of your order. I definitely understand how important it is to know when you’ll receive your device.
If you ordered on 11/13, your order is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. If you haven’t already received a shipping confirmation email that contains the tracking number, you should receive one by end of day today.
We apologize for all the problems that this delay that this has caused you and rest assure that you will receive all your orders at no cost to you.. However, please note that it can take up to 1 business day for the tracking number to be activated. Rest assured that once you receive your ship confirmation email with your tracking number, it is in the process of shipping for an estimated arrival of Tuesday, Nov. 20
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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