Google Play support experience: Nexus 7 repair
Just before Labor Day weekend, my Nexus 7 began exhibiting the display lift problem that quite a few users have been complaining about. It wasn’t a big problem until the touchscreen digitizer stopped working as well on Saturday, which prevented me from using the tablet over the long weekend. I wasn’t very happy about this, and decided to call Google Play support and see what could be done about the issue.
I actually called in the middle of the day on Monday, which was Labor Day. I didn’t expect them to pick up, but I was pleasantly surprised when they did. The representative I talked to listened to my problem, and when I mentioned display lift he immediately offered a replacement device. Even after doing that, he went on to ask if I wanted to troubleshoot the digitizer problem tablet I had, so that I could still use it until the replacement got there. The instructions didn’t work, but it was nice that he offered.
Once that was done, I was sent a couple of emails. The first contained a prepaid label, the second an RMA form to include in the return box, and the last was a link to order my replacement tablet. I followed the link, and was able to order a new 8GB Nexus 7 with a $199 hold on my credit card, which will be lifted when Google receives my damaged tablet.
This process was all easy enough, but I have yet to receive my replacement tablet. I’ll give it a couple more days, but after that I may have to call Google back and see what happened. Also, while the representative told me to keep my broken tablet until the new one shows up, the emails I was sent said to send it in immediately. Apart from the slight shipping delay, however, I’m quite happy with how Google responded to my request. Even on a holiday, I was quickly offered a replacement device and didn’t have to ship the broken one in to get it.
Assuming that Google does honor the warranty on my Nexus and doesn’t charge me for the replacement they sent me, then I think that they will have done a fairly good job with their support. Of course, I don’t know that quite yet, so I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how the return goes. Until then, even with the problems I’ve experienced, I can still recommend the Nexus 7, especially if you can pick one up for free in our contest!
