Google Apologizes; Offers Video Customers Full Refund

A little over a week ago, I was writing about the mistakes that Google made when it decided to shut down its paid Google Video service. Several other blogs displayed similar feelings about the email message that customers received.

Essentially, Google gave customers of the service a 5-day advance notice that the service was closing, announced that any videos paid for would no longer be accessible (even those purchased-to-own), and that they would provide anyone who had purchased videos with a small credit in their Google Checkout accounts.

Well, now the criticism and negative response has paid off, as Google announced last night, via the Official Google Blog, that it apologizes for how it handled the situation and would like to make nice again.

It seems that Google has been keeping up with the reaction it received in the blogosphere, which led their explanation of the reasoning behind the choices that were made.

"We planned to give these users a full refund or more. And because we weren't sure if we had all the correct addresses, latest credit card information, and other billing challenges, we thought offering the refund in the form of Google Checkout credits would entail fewer steps and offer a better user experience. We should have anticipated that some users would see a Checkout credit as nothing more than an extra step of a different (and annoyingly self-serving) kind. Our bad."

Is it just me, or does this just sound like it could be an excuse? What could possibly make you think that a Google Checkout credit would be enough? How exactly does that give a better user experience?

At least Google is making up for it. Users of the defunct service will now be receiving a full refund (via credit card). This includes everyone who ever bought a video. Also, everyone will be able to keep the Google Checkout credits as a "we're sorry we goofed" credit, as they put it.

Also, more good news is that Google will actually continue to support playing videos for another six months. "We won't be offering the ability to buy additional videos, but what you've already downloaded will remain playable on your computer." If you were sad about your paid videos being taken away, enjoy until February 2008, because after that, they will be gone again.

To make sure this new task goes as smoothly as possible, Google is asking all customers to verify that they have provided their most recent credit card information.

"We take pride in moving quickly, and we think this philosophy helps to create lots of new and innovative products. But it also leads to errors that — upon reflection and your feedback — we need to rectify. This was one of them. We make mistakes; we do our best not to repeat them — and we really do try to fix the ones we make. That said, the very least that our users should expect from us is that our mistakes be new and innovative, too. ;)"

So, it looks like this story has a good ending after all. Even though it took a week, it is good to see Google take the first step in cleaning up the mess that they created with the decision to close Google Video.