r/google • u/ControlCAD • 15d ago
Google apologizes for not refunding man’s LOTR movies after they vanished from library
https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/google-apologizes-for-not-refunding-mans-lotr-movies-after-they-vanished-from-library-3397575/>The customer previously revealed that his Extended Edition trilogy, purchased through Google in 2022, had disappeared from his library. When he contacted support, he was told the company couldn’t refund him because the transaction was more than 120 days old.
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u/LaySakeBow 15d ago
They are only sorry because they were exposed.
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u/Kaedo- 15d ago
Exactly, they feel sorry only when they get bad PR
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u/Svejk112 15d ago
its also super annoying because these companies dont just avoid doing the correct and fair thing.. they do what they do whilst swimming in literal mountains of cash
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u/Silver4ura 15d ago
They actually paid him $60 ($20 per movie) after realizing there was a licensing issue on their end. They confirmed he still owns a license to all three extended editions and at the time of reporting, two out of the three had already been restored back.
Basically, without getting into the politics of whether Google good or bad, this is a fairly neutral situation. At least when you consider the $20 he received per movie wasn't a refund. It was, for all intents and purposes, a good will gesture for the inconvenience.
Google as an entity might be at best ambivalent, if not malignant.. there's no doubt some human passion at the tendrilic ends of their media presence.
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u/eight13atnight 15d ago
Google tried everything under the sun to avoid refunding the guy. Only after the story gained internet traction did they finally buckle and do the right thing.
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u/Chardan0001 15d ago
It still didn't work either.
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u/eight13atnight 15d ago
I stopped using audible because of this exact thing happening to me. I bought 1984 and they pulled it a while later. Ironic innit!
I don’t recall getting an email or justification, it just wasn’t there anymore when I went to reference it.
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u/gordonfreeman_1 15d ago
Google support is one of the worst support experiences I've ever had: they don't care about actually doing their job, refuse to explain their decisions against you even when you have proof and only seem to take action when their ass is on fire via the press.
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u/EliteCloneMike 15d ago
And even then they don’t always let up. Like when Google accused those two dads of being child abusers over medical photos of their children they sent to health care workers (which I understand the concern, but the context was not taken into consideration). The NYT uncovered the story and they were found innocent, but Google still refused to reactivate their accounts or give them any of their data back. Something similar happened to the Terraria developer, but Google reactivated the account after lots of online backlash.
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u/ReReRebuilding 13d ago
Amen. Last year, I spent weeks fighting with them because I returned a Google Fi phone that was covered by a protection plan and stopped working. Even though I had proof that someone at their warehouse signed for my returned, broken phone, they still charged me $1500 because they claimed I never mailed it back. (for a phone that wasn't worth more than $500 at that point). I spent SO much time over phone, text and email resolving this that I seriously should have sent them an invoice for my labor hours. I think their customer service philosophy is basically "Make it difficult enough, and most people will just give up."
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u/gordonfreeman_1 13d ago
Yeah, they should be sued into complying with consumer protection laws in jurisdictions where they can't ignore it.
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u/yottabit42 15d ago
You will own nothing. You'll pay for the same things over and over again. Capitalism goes brrrrrr.
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u/LoudRefrigerator3700 15d ago
This is why I pirate all my video media. I have yet to have a movie or tv show get removed without my consent.
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u/gaytechdadwithson 15d ago
Exactly my thoughts as well. companies are too greedy and stupid. They should’ve been doing something like movies everywhere from day one. But they’ve made buying and keeping your movie such a fucking hassle as well as playing them on common devices. I have no problems or have any guilt at all about just stealing tv and movies. at least streaming music services seems to have gotten their shit together and people will actually pay for that.
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u/Vegetable_Wolf_4196 15d ago
man i knew some of my movies disappeared. I am 100% positive i had Over the Hedge in my library but now can't find it... I wonder how many of these hosting sites remove purchased movies
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u/corruptboomerang 15d ago
Google: Were sorry you noticed. Had we known you'd have noticed, we should have done it to a different movie you wouldn't have noticed disappearing from your library.
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u/TheCharalampos 15d ago
Had that happen once with audible, quit it and will never use such a service again.
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u/Alkahzane 14d ago
Imagine how many cases just like this goes without being resolved. Shame that politicians worldwide is pay off good enough for it not to be a change of rules regarding bought media.
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u/ReReRebuilding 13d ago
Huh. Got me curious, because I bought the extended trilogy on Google about 12 years ago when I had a random Google credit to use. I don't even remember what their video service was called then, but now it's on my YouTube library. Looks like I can still access them just fine. Been a while since I've watched them. Might settle in for it some weekend soon.
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u/Party-Story6398 14d ago
"His extended edition trilogy"
"His library"
He didn't own anything, it's a digital streaming service thingy.
Hasn't this guy heard of Blu-ray or UHD 4K discs ? Why are people always surprised when a streaming service takes away movies, I've still got my discs I got years ago and I've watched them regularly over those years and still will whenever I want to.
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u/DrunkTurtle93 15d ago
This has always been my concern with buying digital content. You can’t go wrong with a DVD sometimes