[Nexus 4 General] thomas.clark:
Nov 13 Limbo Phone/Email Support Guide

Phase 1, the Nov 13 OCCUPY Google Play/Wallet Phone Support, has ended. We did not get our shipping/tracking info or any promise of discounts, freebies, or partial refunds, but we did learn some stuff that might help others:

Findings

Phone support and email support (http://support.google.com/googleplay/bin/request.py?&contact_type=devices_shipping_status) are the same people. They answer phones and answer emails.

Phone and email support is outsourced, cannot communicate directly with Google regarding your order, and cannot communicate directly with shipping regarding your order. All of their available information is: what you can already see in your play account and wallet, what email communications have been exchanged between you and them, and what (if any) communication has taken place between them and the "shipping specialists."

Phone support is 100% powerless to actually do anything to resolve your issue while you are on the phone. If you call expecting resolution while on the line, you will be disappointed. They have very limited options, and none involve letting you talk to someone in shipping, or putting you on hold while they "talk" to someone in shipping on your behalf. You will not be able to receive a shipping confirmation email while you wait on the line. The only things they are able to do is explain the information they are able to see as described in #2 and send a note to the "shipping specialists" requesting that they investigate and respond to phone/email support. Shipping will not respond to you directly, but may possibly respond to phone/email support. If they do, phone/email support may transmit that information to you.

Phone support is 100% powerless to offer any sort of compensation for your situation. They may mention the shipping refund, but that is all they are able to offer. If this is what you are after, see Phase 2.

First level CSRs, those who answer the phone first, cannot see your email communication with Play/Wallet support. They are able to see whether your issue has been "escalated" to "shipping specialists." The are able to escalate your ticket, though not your call, directly to a shipping specialist, or send your call to the second level CSRs. If they escalate your ticket to shipping, they can do nothing else but wait for a response from shipping, so your call ends.

Second level CSRs, aka "Floor Supervisors" can see what first levels see, and all of your email communication with Play/Wallet support. They are able to escalate your ticket, but not your call, to a shipping specialist. This is all they are able to do. Once they escalate your ticket to shipping, your call ends.

There are first-level CSRs with special privileges, known as "mentors" who may refer to themselves as "supervisors," but they are not supervisors.

Any supervisor who claims to talk to someone in shipping while you hold is not telling the truth, and is violating the CS company's policy.

They are able to send you a confirmation email while you are on the phone with them.

If you respond directly to the confirmation email, it will go back to the first level CSR you spoke to on your call. If you ask a Second Level / Floor Supervisor to pend the ticket to him/herself, your email response will also go to that supervisor.

If you call back, your ticket gets assigned to whoever picks up the phone, and you start over with new first, second, whatever level CSR you are able to speak to. One might infer the system is designed to encourage you to call only once, and then to use email to follow up.

~~~The above can be verified by WhenBearsReign and jefferyrbrown1983, who along with myself were on the entirety of the call. CTMeow can verify some, but dropped off about half way through. We are working to bring you the audio recording.~~~

Conclusions

Calling phone support may not be a total waste of your time if the "shipping specialist" has any juju, as it may perhaps possibly who knows maybe free your order up and help it ship faster. On the other hand, as Bear pointed out so eloquently during the call, These shipping specialists are as real to us as unicorns.

Recommendations

The continued ambiguity notwithstanding, the following is prudent:

Call, be polite, and request to be connected to a Floor Supervisor. Stay on the line and repeat your request until you are connected to the Floor Supervisor.

Ask the Floor Supervisor to investigate your issue and to escalate the issue to the shipping specialists.

Ask the Floor Supervisor to assign the ticket to him/herself to ensure that he/she receives your replies via email.

Wait for their response via email confirming that your issue has been escalated to the shipping specialists.

Be polite and end the call.

Follow up with email* as often as you like. *Do not call back - this will literally do nothing but waste your time if you have already completed steps 1-5.

Move on to Phase 2.

Fellas, what is Phase 2?

:highfive: