Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I got locked out of my Google account for a month

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 210 posts

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#41

Post by jstarfish »

dingo_bat wrote: post #35

To avoid such things, I have a notebook in my drawer in which I have all the passwords to all my online accounts written down. If I change a password, I update the entry. If I create any sort of online account, it gets added to the diary. I figured if someone bothered enough to physically steal my diary from my drawer, I'd have bigger problems to worry about than my YouTube credentials.

I'm currently locked out of a Gmail account I have the password for but Google decided that isn't enough; it doesn't like my IP address and wants me to verify against a phone number I no longer have.

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#42

Post by polkovnikov-ph »

MaysonL wrote: post #15
Shoothe wrote: post #2

> On December 5th, I sent a note to a PR contact who I work with on Google-related news and I told him about my problem. He said he had gotten my case escalated and I should hear within 24 hours. Sadly in all these stories that end successfully there is an inside help from someone that has contacts in Google. I don't even want to think about what would happen to people that don't know anyone inside Google.

My sister-in-law has a blog that sends out email notifications to subscribers (who requested them) when she posts a new article. After a few hundred subscribers had marked these notices as spam rather than unsubscribing, her blog, email account and entire site got blacklisted. She only managed to get this cleared up via a tech support friend who has contacts at Google.

Tell her to be sure there is a distinguishable "unsubscribe" link in letters.

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#43

Post by jsjohnst »

crazygringo wrote: post #10
cdubzzz wrote: post #9

> That same day I opened a second GMail account so I could have access to services like an email account if need be, even if it didn’t have any of my previous data in there. When service is this terrible, why stick with the bad provider? I generally find the whole article sort of depressing... “Google ignored my problems for a month. But now I have access again oh well yay!!”

Because what's the alternative? You can spend weeks moving all your data to Microsoft or Apple... and suffer lost messages when people don't update their e-mail for you... and then discover they're just as bad or worse? What's an alternative to Gmail+Drive+Apps that has as much functionality, ease of use and convenience, and at a comparable price, but guarantees you won't get locked out?

> What's an alternative

It’s called paying for the services you use. You don’t even need to switch to a different product / provider, just pay $5/month and ~$10/year for a domain name. Then worst case scenario, you can move your domain off of Google Apps and not need to update your email address everywhere with everyone.

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#44

Post by jsjohnst »

alsetmusic wrote: post #32
ceejayoz wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They discontinued the hosting, but the rest of the services (including email) are largely still around, just rebranded to iCloud. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MobileMe

It’s important to note that the old email addresses still work. New ones are assigned to the icloud domain, but my @mac.com email still works and that was a (free) service when I signed up for it in 1999. Old @me.com addresses also remain functional.

Just to echo you, I also still have my @mac.com / @me.com versions of my iCloud login too.

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#45

Post by smichel17 »

peterjlee wrote: post #11
qrbLPHiKpiux wrote: post #4

Trusting "your life" to a third party service is very dangerous. Because if your life depends on that service, your life can't continue with out it, so I ask, why do this to yourself? The convenience is a serious trade off.

What's the alternative though? It's not like Microsoft and Yahoo's email/calendar services are much better. Use a paper calendar and run your own private email server and hope you never have to run for president?

Buy your own domain name and forward your mail from an address on that domain to your gmail. Keep a backup of your email. If you lose access, just create a new account and update the address you're forwarding to.

This is an absolute minimum of money (under $20/year), effort, and disruption to your current habits. Plus, you get to use whatever vanity email address you want.

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#46

Post by whiddershins »

I think this is the money quote:

“That same day I opened a second GMail account so I could have access to services like an email account if need be, [...]”

So, this journalist is in the middle of a horrible experience with Gmail and responds by ... opening another Gmail account, because basically realistically imagining email as something other than Gmail is far too much of a stretch in most people’s minds.

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#47

Post by cratering »

dingo_bat wrote: post #35

To avoid such things, I have a notebook in my drawer in which I have all the passwords to all my online accounts written down. If I change a password, I update the entry. If I create any sort of online account, it gets added to the diary. I figured if someone bothered enough to physically steal my diary from my drawer, I'd have bigger problems to worry about than my YouTube credentials.

reminds me of this https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14714234

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#48

Post by notyourday »

Shoothe wrote: post #2

> On December 5th, I sent a note to a PR contact who I work with on Google-related news and I told him about my problem. He said he had gotten my case escalated and I should hear within 24 hours. Sadly in all these stories that end successfully there is an inside help from someone that has contacts in Google. I don't even want to think about what would happen to people that don't know anyone inside Google.

US over time has developed this amazing alternative system to deal with all kinds of really complicated b.s. it involves guys and gals in black robes. They even get to say "Agree, that thing you signed is stupid, so we are going to presume you did not actually sign that".

Use them. They are lovely. 1-800-BUILD-A-BEAR lovely.

They also happen to love to smash into faces of smug dumb entities. Like Google. Or Apple. Most often because they have their own horse to ride. But who cares. Just. Use. Them.

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#49

Post by nasredin »

Shoothe wrote: post #2

> On December 5th, I sent a note to a PR contact who I work with on Google-related news and I told him about my problem. He said he had gotten my case escalated and I should hear within 24 hours. Sadly in all these stories that end successfully there is an inside help from someone that has contacts in Google. I don't even want to think about what would happen to people that don't know anyone inside Google.

I used Tor to access Google "products". After taking a hiatus and logging in with the correct (strong) password Google essentially locked me out.

And no I don't have any "techbro" friends who work for Google.

Lessons:

Do not use Google unless you are OK with losing your account if they one day decide to hold your identity and data hostage.

Even if you PAY Google ("Google Apps" or whatever the fuck they are calling it these days), you are still at risk.

Set up mail forwarding in Gmail and migrate to a service not run by an advertising monopolist.

Re: I got locked out of my Google account for a month

#50

Post by bitmapbrother »

oxplot wrote: post #33

> Imagine you have spent much of your digital life for the last 12 years on Google. You rely on their mail and calendar, Google Drive for storage and Google Photos for your photo archive. Like I've said in the past here [1], if something is so important to you, you need to treat it as such. Continuing to use a service that offers no guarantees, availability or even continuing access to your account is a sign of ignor…

>Like I've said in the past here, if something is so important to you, you need to treat it as such.

Which is why you use a password manager and keep a copy of your Google account backup codes in the event you need them.

Post reply on HN