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I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

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Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#231

Post by JChase2 »

EduardoBautista wrote: post #181
dstaley wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't even need to die for this to be an issue. Your registrar could just screw up and sell your domain to someone else. Or your registrar could have a security breach resulting in your domain being transferred. There's a myriad of ways the "own your domain" solution could fail, so it's really about which risks you're willing to take.

Yes, I have thought about this as well. One of the reasons I am in the process of moving all of my domains to Gandi is because they appear to be the only reputable domain registrar that supports U2F. I take security extremely seriously when it comes to my domains.

I always recommend namecheap when I can. Even though I technically work for a competitor lol. They're working on U2F: https://www.namecheap.com/blog/true-totp-2fa-and-u2f-are-com...

Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#232

Post by Sodman »

Came here to echo the drop in service quality complaint. I joined Fi in the early days. The first time I called in it was about some rather complex (to me) networking issues where the phone was rejecting a WiFi direct connection because it couldn't detect internet service on the other side or some such. I could swear I was talking to a network engineer - he was super helpful and very technical. And that was the guy who just picked up the phone, no escalation needed!

Fast forward a few years and I had a minor question about a special promo they were running, connected to an offshore support team with broken English and copy/paste template responses that may as well have come from a chatbot.

Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#233

Post by sbov »

steelframe wrote: post #197
EduardoBautista wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, I currently use my own domain for email. Maybe I am paranoid, but I worry about that when I die, my domain will expire, and then someone will register that domain and set up email accounts with it. They would be able to access so many services that I would have left open after my death. I still don't know how to handle this apart from leaving a fund to someone I trust to have my domain renewed for a few mor…

> I worry about that when I die, my domain will expire, and then someone will register that domain and set up email accounts with it. The good news is that you will be dead, and so you won't be worrying about anything at all.

Your spouse might though, considering they could rack up charges on shared debit and credit cards.

Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#234

Post by walterbell »

wpietri wrote: post #213
rroblak wrote: post #100

Google is, fundamentally, an engineering company. Despite their size and breadth, they still don't understand customer support. Their approach is to use software to solve problems, and they insist on doing so even when it's clear that software isn't up to the task. Unfortunately, customer support is a hard problem. Despite all of the advances in NLP, I still abhor automated customer support systems when I have a comp…

I don't think engineering is the problem here. As an example, Toyota, a very engineering-driven company, is also famous for customer focus. I think the problem is that Google is mostly about selling users' eyeballs to their real customers, advertisers. That's not a business of making individual users happy; it's essentially statistical in nature. With a search engine, if something works for 80 or 90% of people, that'…

> That's not a business of making individual users happy; it's essentially statistical in nature.

Good point. Could telecom service (Project Fi) for individuals be moved to a different division of Alphabet?

Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#235

Post by goldenkey »

013a wrote: post #57
iandanforth wrote: post #29

The lede here is somewhat burried: "From what I’ve since learned, if a card in your Google Pay is stolen, or someone uses your Payments account fraudulently, or anything happens that leads to a security flag being raised, it can lead to your Google Payments account being frozen. ... If you can’t use Google Payments, you can’t pay for Google Fi This, fundamentally, is why I can’t suggest anyone use Project Fi anymore.…

One thing I can suggest; if you're deep into google products, you should be paying the $5/month for a G-Suite account with your own domain. You get access to better business-class support. Fi is now also supported on G-Suite accounts. It's a no-brainer. It sucks that their personal account support is so bad, but there is a solution.

Sure but there has been a huge complaint ongoing for years: G-Suite accounts cant make YouTube comments and do other things that normal accounts can. Google has said that they won't be fixing this regression.

Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#236

Post by rrdharan »

fastball wrote: post #210
ploxiln wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is also a problem with Square, and Stripe, and Paypal ... it's an unsolvable fraud/scammer problem. Basically, if there was customer support that could fix the problem, then skilled scammers can get money and control out of them. They can do it a lot better than you can get your stuff re-enabled, they know just when to say what to whom. Verizon just accepts the inefficiency, and also over-charges random customer…

I mean, crypto is a payment system that won't kick you off for fraud.

The DAO hack remediation has determined that was a lie.

Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#237

Post by jjeaff »

wyldfire wrote: post #139
ploxiln wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is also a problem with Square, and Stripe, and Paypal ... it's an unsolvable fraud/scammer problem. Basically, if there was customer support that could fix the problem, then skilled scammers can get money and control out of them. They can do it a lot better than you can get your stuff re-enabled, they know just when to say what to whom. Verizon just accepts the inefficiency, and also over-charges random customer…

> This is also a problem with Square, and Stripe, and Paypal ... it's an unsolvable fraud/scammer problem. It's compounded by the fact that Google has the primary element of your 21st century identity: your email address.

I recommend anyone who likes Gmail to use your own domain name@example.com and just forward all messages to your Gmail address. Only give out your own example.com email and set it as the reply to.

Even the cheap budget registrars offer email forwarding for free and I have never had any trouble.

This gives you the benefits of free Gmail without handing your entire life over to them. At least with a tld there is some due process and rules to protect you.

Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#238

Post by r00fus »

will_brown wrote: post #127
iandanforth wrote: post #29

The lede here is somewhat burried: "From what I’ve since learned, if a card in your Google Pay is stolen, or someone uses your Payments account fraudulently, or anything happens that leads to a security flag being raised, it can lead to your Google Payments account being frozen. ... If you can’t use Google Payments, you can’t pay for Google Fi This, fundamentally, is why I can’t suggest anyone use Project Fi anymore.…

I had a similar problem with Apple. I made an in app purchase (with a YC company nonetheless) and the company gave a limited period to cancel the service for a full refund. I cancelled the service within the deadline, and didn’t get a refund. I requested the refund from the YC company who said “they can’t” refund and I have to ask Apple. So I asked Apple for the refund included the YC company policy/purchase date/can…

> Apple blacklisted my debit card which basically bricked my ability to use my phone

You are hyperbolizing. You can just use a different card. It's not like they killed your AppleID which wouldn't kill your phone regardless.

Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#239

Post by [deleted] »

CPLX wrote: post #93

She should sue Google. Serious response. This kind of thing is bullshit, and she has a legal right to have the number ported, especially if she’s been willing to pay the bill and has not been able to due to Google’s technical problems. File a lawsuit for the value of the time she’s had to spend on it and an order to show cause or temporary restraining order type motion for them to release the number to her. It’s too…

[deleted]

Re: I Can No Longer Recommend Google Fi

#240

Post by mjevans »

ploxiln wrote: post #130
ronsor wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a general issue with google. If their system decides it doesn't like you, then you're out of luck. You'll never get them to fix it.

This is also a problem with Square, and Stripe, and Paypal ... it's an unsolvable fraud/scammer problem. Basically, if there was customer support that could fix the problem, then skilled scammers can get money and control out of them. They can do it a lot better than you can get your stuff re-enabled, they know just when to say what to whom. Verizon just accepts the inefficiency, and also over-charges random customer…

I believe these issues could be solved by actually taxing corporations and providing the service they clearly so desperately need.

An /actual/ (inter)national ID and Identity verification service. One where disputes about identity and authorization can be escalated somewhere that makes sense, to the jurisdictions issuing these IDs.

Ideally someone should be able to go to a police station (locally for local IDs, if on vacation/out of hometown in liaison between departments) and have their identity verified in a trusted way, and that verification reported as pass/fail to a third party whom is asking.

This would also be the way of officially disputing fraudulent uses of identity; they would be reported via the same actions, but as a customer initiation (and statement of legal testimony taken in a case that would then be opened and reported to the involved parties).

BTW, such a system SHOULD also include address resolution, for physical mail, voice, and electronic services (any sub-name actually).

I would LOVE to only update my address in ONE place when I move, instead of trying to remember everyone I've ever given it to.

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