Google Gets Consumer Service Ultimatum From German Consumer Groups

An anonymous reader writes "Google received an ultimatum Thursday from German consumer organizations that want it to start answering questions from its users via email. The Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV) has asked Google to sign an undertaking that it will provide customer service by responding individually to users questions sent by email, said Carola Elbrecht, VZBV's project manager for consumer rights in the digital world at the VZBV. Signing such a document would expose Google to fines if it breached the undertaking. On the other hand, said Elbrecht, 'If Google does not sign it, we're going to court.'"

You know...

[MrDoh!]

That doesn't sound entirely unreasonable. If it pushes Google to have a bit more of a responsive front end to their customers, then... I'm ok with that. Though I'd also see Google's side of it if they insisted on a GMail/G+ account to prove they are a valid customer and not MS spam bots!

Re:what ?

[dkf]

Well apparently the law in Germany says you can't provide a service without having a method for customers to contact the provider directly.

But does the law require the use of any specific technological method? (It would seem pretty dumb if that was the case, as technologies do change.) Would a variation on an online forum where users can elect to not have their questions be public and where there is someone (or several people) dedicated to answering the questions be an acceptable solution? After all, for virtually anything where you are dealing with Google at all, you'd be online and so able to use a web forum.

Re:You know...

[Anonymous Coward]

CUSTOMER support.

Unless you are PAYING google for some service, you are not a CUSTOMER.

If the law in Germany requires providers of FREE services to provide support (which is costly) to users of its free services, I suspect Google will shortly stop offering said free service to German users. (They might offer a paid service, or they might just not offering service completely)

Re:You know...

[AK Marc]

The issue is "customer." The customers for Google are the advertisers, not the users. The US is about the only place that allows the separation of "user" from "customer" with any meaning. Europe and most other places considers the user the customer, even if they are not paying for it. It's yet another US vs the world definition war.

Re:You know...

[Anonymous Coward]

Under German law, can they charge for a support call, say 10 euros?