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Google Reverts Bad Decision – What took a Week?

9 days ago, when Google shut out their video customers without proper refund, I expected the poor decision to be overturned in a day:

Boing boing is (almost) right to call it the Golden Opportunity for Class Action Lawyers. Why *almost*? Because this ignorant move is so ridiculously stupid, will hurt Google’s image so much that I’m sure someone higher up will wake up and revert it before the lawyers have a chance to file papers.

Yesterday it finally happened, Google finally reverted their position:

When your friends and well-intentioned acquaintances tell you that you’ve made a mistake, it’s good to listen. So we’d like to say thank you to everyone who wrote to let us know that we had made a mistake in the case of Google Video’s Download to Own/Rent Refund Policy vs. Common Sense.

  • We’re giving a full refund – as a credit card refund – to everyone who ever bought a video. We’ll need you to make sure we have your most recent credit card information, but once we know where to send the money, you’ll get it.
  • You can still keep the Google Checkout credit that you’ve received already. Think of it as an additional ‘we’re sorry we goofed’ credit.
  • We’re going to continue to support playing your 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.

Happy end, after all. For the users, perhaps .. .definitely not for Google, whose credibility is tarnished. Still, this was such an obvious decision to make, that I can’t help but wonder:

What took Google a week?

Needless to say, this is today’s hot subject on TechMeme, here are some of the posts: Ars Technica, Epicenter, Download Squad, eWEEK.com, InfoWorld, Insider Chatter, WebProNews, Search Engine Land, The Utility Belt, AppScout, BetaNews, NewTeeVee, TechBizMedia , Mashable!, InsideGoogle, Profy.Com, Google Blogoscoped, The Register, The Technology Chronicles, Web TV Wire, Valleywag, PC World: Techlog, TechSpot News, and Search Engine Journal

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Google Video: Do I Hear Class Action?

Now you own it – now you don’t. That’s the new Google game. Videos you you “purchased” will no longer play in three days. Reimbursement? Forget it: you get partial and arbitrary credit to spend within 60 days on Google Checkout.

Boing boing is (almost) right to call it the Golden Opportunity for Class Action Lawyers. Why *almost*? Because this ignorant move is so ridiculously stupid, will hurt Google’s image so much that I’m sure someone higher up will wake up and revert it before the lawyers have a chance to file papers.

Update (8/21): Google finally reverted it’s position but what took them a week?

Related posts: TechCrunch, WebProNews, Google Blogoscoped , Googlified, Profy.Com, NewTeeVee , ResourceShelf, Ars Technica, Techliberation.