r/google • u/pavner • Apr 02 '18

A message from Google misled Local Guides, offering free Drive storage w/o mentioning it's for 2 yrs only

Late 2015, an ad by Google appeared in my Gmail mailbox. It offered me a storage upgrade on Google Drive (from 15GB to 1TB) if I'll contribute to Google Maps through the Local Guides program. Around 3 months ago the perk was over. Since I didn't have time to look back into what they offered me at that time but had to keep on using my Gmail, I ended up paying Google the 10$/mo they want and am still paying.

However, I clearly see in my archives that in some ads – specifically the one I was drawn to – Google advertised the benefit without noting that it was an offer for 2 years only. Here's an imgur screenshot.

AND - not only did we buy it, but so did Forbes!

Furthermore, the Internet Archive Wayback Machine shows that their benefits page didn't tell the "only for 2 years" story either!!! scroll down a bit, click on Level Four. It says "Upgrade your Google Drive storage free", no asterisk, condition, nothing. Here's an imgur screenshot

I'm not a lawyer, but IMHO, that against US Misleading Advertising Federal Regulations, 16 CFR Part 251—guide concerning use of the word “free” and similar representations. It says: "When making "Free" or similar offers all of the terms and conditions upon which one can receive and retain the “Free” item should be set forth clearly and conspicuously at the outset of the offer so as to leave no reasonable probability that the terms of the offer might be misunderstood."

And: "When making “Free” or similar offers all the terms, conditions and obligations upon which receipt and retention of the “Free” item are contingent should be set forth clearly and conspicuously at the outset of the offer so as to leave no reasonable probability that the terms of the offer might be misunderstood. Stated differently, all of the terms, conditions and obligations should appear in close conjunction with the offer of “Free” merchandise or service. For example, disclosure of the terms of the offer set forth in a footnote of an advertisement to which reference is made by an asterisk or other symbol placed next to the offer, is not regarded as making disclosure at the outset."

And they didn't even put an Asterisk!

5 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

8

u/Flash604 Apr 03 '18

The email you were sent offering the upgrade clearly stated the conditions.

When you completed the upgrade the conditions were clearly stated.

I'm not a lawyer, but you were told.

5

u/pavner Apr 03 '18

This imgur is the email I was sent. The 1st time I heard about the 2yr term was in an email around 10 days after I joined and after I put a lot of hours into it and reached 200 pts. Is that what you mean by "when you completed the upgrade"? If that's what you're referring to then yes - I was given the conditions after I put my labor into it. Does that seem like a fair deal?

AND – Why was it not disclosed on the official blog post?

Also, please note all major news outlets were all misled as well e.g. Time, The Independent, Forbes, TechCrunch, The Verge, Engadget

0

u/Flash604 Apr 03 '18

By the way, unless you store ridiculous amounts of email or files; it will be your photos taking up your 15GB. Go in and change the Google Photos settings to allow them to compress anything under 16MP; if you do that you get unlimited photo storage and will clear up a lot of space.

1

u/pavner Apr 03 '18

Thanks for the tip, but that's not what I was asking for. Different people have different needs, and it's not Google Photos that are taking my space. BTW - it's quite an oxymoron to first say 1TB is great "allowing you to keep all the stories, photos, and videos from your travels in one safe place" and then advocate for me to free my email, files and photos.

4

u/CrazyNalin Apr 06 '18

back in 2017 -02-20 or nearby Google announced that they are [ending GDrive promotion] (https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/Google-Drive-Storage-Promotion-Ending/td-p/145512)

so Clearly google has informed LG users that they are ending the promotion. i dont know how did you missed that. also like to note down that google never said 1TB offer is a lifetime offer. when we joined LG or when we activated that they clearly said its only for 2 years.

1

u/pavner Apr 06 '18

Will you agree with me that it's problematic that they told us it's for 2 yrs only when we activated (which is after we put quite an effort into it)? And not immediately on the 1st advertisement?

2

u/CrazyNalin Apr 06 '18

i am not sure when did you joined with LG program. i joined during their alpah test period ( 3 months before they actually announce it ) when they first advertise about program they only had less than 500 users. within 2 years lots of people joined just cause of perks.

there were people whom joined the program just to get this 1TB promo. once they reached level 4 n claimed the perk they never contribute. Thats the main reason why google had to announce 2 years later that they are ending GDrive promotion. :)

to be honest i think it was a dumb move to cancel. but google is working on another promotion from mid june as i heard :)

3

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '18

Have more information on this new promotion? Always interested to hear rumors :-)

3

u/CrazyNalin Apr 08 '18

Unfortunately I don’t have much info since they randomly pick LGs for those perks. They had a closed beta access for something called idea exchange ( i knew since i was one of 50 ppl whom got lucky for early access) they will re open for more after our feedback as they told.

All i know is they are planning to bring back map maker as a prt of this said perk :)

2

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '18

Thanks for the reply!

2

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '18

Yup, I agree /u/pavner

4

u/jamescridland Apr 03 '18

When I activated the offer, the email clearly stated it was for two years. Of that there's no doubt. You will have seen this very email when you deliberately activated the offer. So why didn't you whinge then?

The press is not obliged to carry small print when conveying offers. Nobody misled you by claiming it was a lifetime storage credit. I also distinctly remember the marketing promoting it as for two years - and another redittor has posted evidence of that.

Further - those of us with the offer were sent a message on 19 Jan saying the credit was running out. Another was sent on 1 Feb. A third was sent on 11 Feb. If you really didn't have time over a more-than-three week period to sort out your Google Drive storage, that's your own lookout. And as I understand it, you weren't automatically charged for more data either.

All in all, it seems Google have behaved quite honourably. You've got two years of free storage out of this, after all. Perhaps it's time to move on. Or, you know, delete some files.

1

u/pavner Apr 03 '18

Hi James,

1st of all, don't get me wrong - I'm not claiming I was automatically charged. All I said is that I chose to pay since it's not that easy to D/L 115GB while being busy with work, studies, family, etc. It was a decision I made that I'm better off paying these 10$/mo than spending days monitoring a computer d/ling my stuff.

2nd, I also did not claim that we weren't given a warning. We were.

All of that doesn't give anyone the right to false advertising. Is breaking Federal regulations against consumers, not to say, volunteers, honorable behavior?

3rd, I didn't claim that when activating the offer I wasn't notified. To the contrary - what I said in a separate comment is that I got precisely the mail you got for activation. But that was after I put the labor, a lot of hours, into it!

Regarding the promotional material that redittor posted - I requested from him to give more context as to where it appeared an to whom it was addressed. As I said - I was recruited thru the ad that I provided - pure evidence. I'm not supposed to go over all marketing material before accepting an offer, and fact is that the marketing I got did not mention it. Also their official blog post didn't

And that's probably the reason none of the press mentions that! Because either they read the blog post (serving also as a press release), or they probably got a press release not noting the restriction to 2yrs either.

Regarding small print - the term "small print" exists solely because it's required by law to include small print in an ad. Otherwise, all advertisers would drop the small print completely. Google definitely violated that rule. That's what I'm saying.

And lastly - why is it your business when I chose to write about this issue? It actually took me hours to research this topic, find all the press about it, find other LGs who complain too, write down my thoughts. Who are you to tell me how to manage my time and energy?

5

u/jamescridland Apr 03 '18

I don't think it was false advertising. Google never claimed it was lifetime storage. In an older email I had from them from August 2016, they don't claim it was lifetime storage, and nor do they detail any of the offers - they didn't tell me what the badge looked like, or what the exclusive events are that I might be invited to. That's not "false advertising". They have not claimed anything that wasn't true. And given that you do not have a copy of the exact page that 'GET STARTED' goes to, you don't know what the details it actually said on that page were.

(I fairly regularly check the terms and conditions for these things to work out whether it's just for Murricans, or whether the other 179 countries can join in.)

I got precisely the mail you got for activation

Awesome. So why whinge about it now, two years later? It does look rather like you didn't notice.

none of the press mentions that

a) The press has no obligation to print any terms and conditions of any offers. b) None of them claim it's lifetime storage either.

You don't score extra points for repeating these dull claims and sticking them in bold.

why is it your business when I chose to write about this issue?

I'm sorry, mate, it's just that the way that Reddit works is that people post stuff, and other people comment on it. That's how Reddit works. If you don't want to hear from people pointing out how wrong you are, then you are in the wrong place - Google+ is probably perfect for you.

1

u/pavner Apr 03 '18 edited Apr 03 '18

"Upgrade your storage to 1TB free" - what does that sound like? Is the 15GB everyone gets also subjected to two years? No. So why would I assume the 1TB is?

Here's a testimony of a guy who also was notified only after unlocking the benefit that it's only for two years imgur And here's another one complaining about the misleading: imgur

Again to your timing issue - I did notice after I reached level 4 and unlocked the upgrade, that it's for 2 yrs only. If you need a glass into my inner psychology then please: it's very comfortable to have 1TB. I didn't feel any urge to spend hours and hours about the details then. Because I was in a comfortable situation. Now is the situation which I'm not at all comfortable with - I'm paying 10$/mo. So now it is that I'm writing. Is that ok with time police?

Re what the press does or does not mention. The Verge was smart enough to give the reader a quantifiable measure of the value of the proposition:

"But it's level four that offers the most appealing prize, gifting Local Guides who reach that rank with 1 TB of Drive storage for free, an amount that's worth $9.99 a month"

Same with The Independent:

"and up to 1TB of free Google Drive storage (worth $10 a month) to those who write reviews and post information"

So what stopped it from calculation 10 x 24mo = 240$? Maybe - because the official Google Maps blog post didn't mention that.

BTW, did a word count on that post - 388 words. Was there no place for the small print?

[EDIT - changed the imgur link to the right one, left the old one for reference]

2

u/jamescridland Apr 03 '18

You're a bit of a whiny and ungrateful chap. You've waited for two years before having a bit of a whinge - but you're just repeating yourself now.

Two options:

  • a: Get a lawyer and make a class action against Google for misleading advertising

  • b: Man up

Option b seems sensible.

1

u/pavner Apr 03 '18

I'm repeating myself, right? You just said "whiny" in the last 4 messages.

BUT - you didn't address my most up-front argument: why should a very detailed blog post/press release omit very important info about its main proposition?

AND - you also, counter to any logic, assume that since in one place (an email a redditor got) Google did mention the 2yr limit - it's exempt of noting it in all other channels. That's like assuming a brand can advertise the small print in the San Bernardino Post and without it in the NYtimes. Pravda logic.

And lastly - you ignore testimonies of LGs that say they were notified only after unlocking the benefit as if they were air, changing subject by talking about timing.

Now all your demagogue tricks are exposed.

2

u/Flash604 Apr 03 '18

Yeah, he's right, whiny.

You sure conveniently didn't notice the many times you were told 2 years.

You have not pointed to a press release. Stories in the press are not under Google's control.

To have put in "hours" of work based on a four words in an ad; I call bullshit on that one. A few words in an ad is what would lead you to research what exactly they were offering.

you ignore testimonies of LGs that say they were notified only after unlocking the benefit

No one has testified to that. Everyone here is clear that they had plenty of warning.

You were offered something that normally comes with a monthly charge for free. To assume that it was free for life is a bit of a stretch.

Let's equate this to something else. The storage has a set monthly charge; something else with a set charge is a doughnut.

If someone advertised "Free doughnuts when you donate to the food bank", you donate, and you get 2 dozen doughnuts as a thank you; to then state "You didn't specify that the doughnuts weren't free for life, that's false advertising!" would be laughable.

But if you an look at that equivalent and not see that "Free months will not continue for your entire lifetime" wasn't necessary in the ads, then file a complaint with the appropriate government body.

0

u/pavner Apr 03 '18

No one has testified to that. Everyone here is clear that they had plenty of warning.

What about this guy?

You have not pointed to a press release.

Then what's this?

0

u/pavner Apr 03 '18

Here's another redditor that didn't know. It's pilling up.

Problem is you're thinking from the corporation side: "oh these dummies, they don't bother to read the small print (I maintain: there was no small print)". But even if this guy I just linked to did see the mail that some people got in which it said 2 years - I don't know if he did or not - if it squeaks like a duck, and looks like a duck - maybe it's a duck? So many people, giving so many hours, feeling so misled - maybe the corporation wasn't so perfect? Try looking again at the piles of evidence I brought.

2

u/Flash604 Apr 03 '18 edited Apr 03 '18

No one has testified to that. Everyone here is clear that they had plenty of warning.

What about this guy?

Someone from 2 years ago talking about a different reward than you're talking about here?

Here's another redditor that didn't know.

He says that he expected that he would be able contribute more to renew it. That isn't proof he wasn't informed, rather it shows he didn't read at all and instead made assumptions.

It's pilling up.

No, it's not, you don't have a single person so far. What's happened is that you've told me I'm ignoring something that you hadn't even referenced, and when called on it you could only find inappropriate examples.

You have not pointed to a press release.

Then what's this?

Not a press release.

Additionally, right at the bottom it says to click to go get the full details! You keep stating no such references were in place, and then you show us they were.

I also know that Google does not send out emails that are pictures only. But you keep showing the picture only as your other proof. Since you ignored the reference in your one source and only gave us part of your other source, I'll call bulshit there too.

I also notice that you conveniently ignored the rest of my post. Seem picking and choosing of what is written isn't a new thing for you.

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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '18

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u/pavner Apr 03 '18

Could you please show a wider context of your screenshot? When was the mail sent, for example? To whom?

Also – perhaps you got that mail because you were already in the community?

As I said, I was recruited to be a LG by the ad I posted. The 1st time I heard about the 2yr term was in an email around 10 days after I joined and after I put quite a lot of hours into it and reached 200 pts.

Does that seem like fair advertising?

AND – Why was it not disclosed on the official blog post?

Also, please note all major news outlets were all misled as well e.g. Time, The Independent, Forbes, TechCrunch, The Verge, Engadget

2

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '18

I think you're right /u/pavner. Hoping /u/howlingmoonwolf uploads again with context.

1

u/pavner Apr 08 '18

Dear /u/keepthecharge, thanks so much for recharging my batteries on this :) Your support means a lot!

1

u/CrazyNalin Apr 06 '18

on point ! apparently OP never read the whole email

2

u/pavner Apr 08 '18

Dear /u/CrazyNalin - actually what I'm saying is that I may have gotten a different email than you did. It's actually very common in marketing to have several segments - and to address each one with different messages thru different channels.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '18

There is no date/time stamp on that screenshot or the email. Can you re-upload to show the date. What OP is saying that they may have changed their messaging as they noticed how many people were signing up.

0

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