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Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

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Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#21

Post by throwntoday »

jjcon wrote: post #12
anaccountexists wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s a lot of reasons to get mad at Google. Not setting a recovery email is not one of them. I feel bad for this person because it’s a horrible place to be stuck in, but even if Google had great customer support allowing people to reset passwords over chat / phone would be ripe for abuse

In my case I had a recovery email set for my account and knew the password. I didn’t have any 2fA on but when I would try to log in Google just decided it didn’t recognize me and I needed phone verification - it wouldn’t use my recovery email. I had lost access to the number they were trying to use so I am forever locked out. I’d even get attempted login prevented emails at my recovery email.

Similar experience with one of my accounts and it seemed totally absurd that me giving them a phone number that has never been used for the account somehow verifies that I am the owner. It's clearly an attempt to extract more data from a desparate user.

Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#22

Post by hirako2000 »

xeromal wrote: post #9
endisneigh wrote: post #7

How do you want Google to solve this? And how can they be certain you’re the owner?

Sounds like he has an alternative means of identity verification (SMS) but Google keeps only working with the locked email address. I mean, Google could also do what other companies do and let you send in a picture of your ID or have you enter identity questions.

and pay wagons of staff to verify? Google from the get go understood the rabbit hole of offering support to customers, and since most of their consumers don't pay, that's easy to make them accept there is no manual support. I have no sympathy for Google, but it's always been that way, and, at least they did all they could to safety net people who can't remember their password by prompting to set an alternative/recovery address fairly regularly.

Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#23

Post by tehlike »

xeromal wrote: post #9
endisneigh wrote: post #7

How do you want Google to solve this? And how can they be certain you’re the owner?

Sounds like he has an alternative means of identity verification (SMS) but Google keeps only working with the locked email address. I mean, Google could also do what other companies do and let you send in a picture of your ID or have you enter identity questions.

As an google employee at the time, i was locked out of my account - but i set up forwarding so i would still receive emails sent to the locked out.

Despite being an employee (which implies 1. they can verify my id, 2. they have incentive to solve my problem 3. there's some amount of trust due to my employment), support wasn't able to solve my problem and i had to remember my password i set up over a decade ago after many trials.

Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#24

Post by throwawaybetes »

fsflover wrote: post #2

There have been a lot of such threads on HN already. People should stop trusting Google. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22705122 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17428707 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9768593 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19513501 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30677471 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=350968 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24709282 (Some of tho…

I recently had my phone repaired by Google - it was not damaged at all, but the screen had started turning black. This is covered by warranty. After I sent it to them they claimed it had a cracked screen - it didn't, so I asked for proof.

They could not send proof, relented, and said that it did not actually need a repair. They also said I had to pay for a new screen anyway as but they would refund it after repair. After a while I paid for their lie, then waited for my phone.

It was returned after a week, but they refunded the money minus tax. I complained, and now, after over 120 correspondences, I do still not have my money back.

I will never get my money back.

Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#25

Post by vertis »

throwawaybetes wrote: post #24
fsflover wrote: post #2

There have been a lot of such threads on HN already. People should stop trusting Google. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22705122 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17428707 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9768593 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19513501 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30677471 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=350968 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24709282 (Some of tho…

I recently had my phone repaired by Google - it was not damaged at all, but the screen had started turning black. This is covered by warranty. After I sent it to them they claimed it had a cracked screen - it didn't, so I asked for proof. They could not send proof, relented, and said that it did not actually need a repair. They also said I had to pay for a new screen anyway as but they would refund it after repair. A…

I had not one but two 'under warranty' problems with my Pixel 5 that they acknowledged but because I'm not in the country I bought it in, (and I haven't been back there since COVID began) they wouldn't repair it.

Since one of the problems was with the logic board it was not even really possible for me to pay for a repair in a reasonable way.

I ended up buying a pixel 4a, because I didn't want to switch ecosystem, so went for the cheapest Google phone. Might not be able to avoid giving Google/Apple money, but I can certainly avoid buying the flagship devices.

Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#26

Post by fsflover »

vertis wrote: post #25
throwawaybetes wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently had my phone repaired by Google - it was not damaged at all, but the screen had started turning black. This is covered by warranty. After I sent it to them they claimed it had a cracked screen - it didn't, so I asked for proof. They could not send proof, relented, and said that it did not actually need a repair. They also said I had to pay for a new screen anyway as but they would refund it after repair. A…

I had not one but two 'under warranty' problems with my Pixel 5 that they acknowledged but because I'm not in the country I bought it in, (and I haven't been back there since COVID began) they wouldn't repair it. Since one of the problems was with the logic board it was not even really possible for me to pay for a repair in a reasonable way. I ended up buying a pixel 4a, because I didn't want to switch ecosystem, so…

You can consider a GNU/Linux phone (Librem 5 or Pinephone) to escape Google. It's not for everyone yet, but the HN audience probably could use one.

Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#27

Post by vertis »

fsflover wrote: post #26
vertis wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had not one but two 'under warranty' problems with my Pixel 5 that they acknowledged but because I'm not in the country I bought it in, (and I haven't been back there since COVID began) they wouldn't repair it. Since one of the problems was with the logic board it was not even really possible for me to pay for a repair in a reasonable way. I ended up buying a pixel 4a, because I didn't want to switch ecosystem, so…

You can consider a GNU/Linux phone (Librem 5 or Pinephone) to escape Google. It's not for everyone yet, but the HN audience probably could use one.

I would definitely consider these phones, but I'm a digital nomad, so having multiple sims (e-sims) is a must, it doesn't look like either support it yet.

It's hard to break free of Android/iOS as well. I can almost guarantee that one or more apps, for example 2FA auth apps like Duo or Okta, wouldn't be usable on the GNU/Linux (I don't really know enough about them to be certain about this statement).

Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#28

Post by nitn »

meibo wrote: post #17
fsflover wrote: post #2

There have been a lot of such threads on HN already. People should stop trusting Google. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22705122 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17428707 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9768593 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19513501 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30677471 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=350968 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24709282 (Some of tho…

People should set up one of the million ways to recover your Google account... SMS, email, recovery codes, "tap yes on your Android device", I'm sure I missed some. If you pay for Google One, you get phone support, it's not expensive. If you're an AdSense customer or have an account rep, you can use that to get in touch with people. There's no excuse not to if you have an account that has monetary value tied to it. Y…

I have SMS setup, but it still asks me to verify the code being sent to the same email.

Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#29

Post by nitn »

fsflover wrote: post #2

There have been a lot of such threads on HN already. People should stop trusting Google. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22705122 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17428707 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9768593 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19513501 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30677471 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=350968 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24709282 (Some of tho…

Thanks for the resources. I have already started moving away from Google because I've read nightmare filled stories about people getting locked out for various reasons.

I never thought it would happen to me in this manner. It makes no sense that it's asking me to verify the code from an email that I'm telling them I don't have the password for. Even when I have a recovery phone number set on the account.

Re: Ask HN: Google has locked me out of the account

#30

Post by nitn »

endisneigh wrote: post #7

How do you want Google to solve this? And how can they be certain you’re the owner?

> How do you want Google to solve this?

The current way Google is asking me to verify makes no sense. I don't know the password for the email, how do they expect me to go into that email and verify the code when I don't know the password.

> And how can they be certain you’re the owner?

I am already verifying the code from the SMS that Google is sending to the phone number on the account.

I know that there's no way to actually get this done, but I can verify that's it's my account.

I can verify that I'm the owner of the account Google has been sending the payments for AdSense.

I can verify by signing in from the usual devices that the account was previously signed in from.

Suggest me another sensible way, I'll do it because I'm the owner.

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