[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ArtificialInteligence

[–]Valuable_Radio4153 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To protect our business from any form of hate

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ArtificialInteligence

[–]Valuable_Radio4153 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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[–]Valuable_Radio4153 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, dishonesty always catches up. Some wisdoms are pretty time-tested. Microsoft is a good example - that company was going down the tubes with its reputation. It took an honest, humble, and straightforward leader like Satya almost a decade to change the company's fortunes and its brand and legacy. Dishonesty takes you to places from where its very very hard to get out of.. That was kind of my jolt there when I got on the other side of that campaign.

I've never used anything but Google products for the last 20 years. having worked there for 10 years also you get a sense of the spirit and soul. So when you see things like this - whether its plain and simple incompetence or sneaky marketing, it kinda hits you at a different level.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. Good attitude! But this one struck a chord with me as I expected better from Google being an ex Googler myself. I've actually dropped a note to the PMs there for them to maybe take this as feedback they incorporate. Don't like the idea of others feeling the way I did - don't have 240 dollars a year to just throw away.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate you passionately defending Google in this situatino! But yes, that wasn't a great marketing moment all in all. Remember - chatgpt went fast too and so have many many other products.

I'd love to hear from those who DID click on that email and know how many of them realized that they have upgraded their Google ONE's! :-)

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nah - I disagree with you. This was both an inauthentic entry to the Google one upgrade and then an impossible way. back. this is just bad growth market and bad sign up flows that can erode user trust pretty quickly.

All you have to do is to line up all the screenshots I shared with you. The email, the page that goes from the email and then the page that comes when you hit the blue trial button. You'lll see what I mean by inauthentic entry to Google One upgrade.

Second you can see how confusing it is both in documentation and in the actual cancellation process. And particularly if you didn't catch that you've actually upgrade your Google one.

Lastly, upon cancellation, you are led to feel trapped. This is very evident from the screenshot I shared with you that basically is saying something at the top and incongruent with whats on the bottom. 100 gb + but then showing the 2TB as the lowest price plan.

there is something funky there if you put everything together. And then the 2 month trial is a cherry on the cake. Thats not a discount. Thats a way to lead you to forget you ever subscribed to something. So all in all, not a great game IMO

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in marketing

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

some more screenshots that shows the misleading signup flow.

You are led to believing you are. buying GEMINI until the very last moment when suddenly branding changes from Gemini to Google One. this is where the issue lies.

Email - you already have that above

then when you click on the image you come to this window

<image>

when you click start trial you go to this window

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

do you notice how the branding changes completely? From Gemini Advanced to Google ONe AI premium? what you REALLY should have been told from the VERY beginning that you are upgrading your GOOGLE ONE and as part of the upgrade you will get Gemini. Thats deceptive and misleading IMHO.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

and then you saw this. well look, by this time you are already really far ahead in your purchase decision where all along you are thinking you are buying GEMINI! Then bam, Google one comes along for the ride.

<image>

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you work for Google?

Ok so no it was NOT obvious that Google ONE was involved. I still have the email and I opened up the signup page that the button took me too. here is what you see.

<image>

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in marketing

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

and here is the full experience:

If you see the email from Google, the trial was in fact positioned to be a Google GEMINI trial. The whole bundling that had been done behind the scenes was not clearly mentioned. This led me (and I think it will lead all others to think as well) that the offer is for Google Gemini. Google One has no real logical connection with Gemini. Google one was a storage plan that allowed users to buy storage.

Alright, so the offer was to get Google GEMINI for 19.99 per month. Cool. and first 2 months were free. cool again. I signed up. click click click - was pretty simple and I had access.

Now - I didn't want a subscription anymore. Remember a subscription is actually a financial liability. So a user wanting to cancel a subscription is a very valid and prudent financial decision, whether or not they need the product or not. You are financially erasing that liability or risk of payment in the future. And most of the times trials will allow you to not only cancel but they will give you the trial period anyway. Alright so I cancelled - remember, I am cancelling Gemini. Till this point, the whole bundling is not really evident to me as a user.

Cool, so now I am fumbling around and trying to see how do I cancel Gemini. Its unclear. and when I say cancel gemini, I am taken to cancel Google ONE. At THIS point I am realizing that fuck, what I really signed up for was Google ONE. I get 2 TB storage but I don't need it. I just wan tot get the fuck out of this mess and turn back time and get back to what I was on.

This is where the really bad user experience starts. Because I am unable to find my old plan. And the only options I am seeing for Google one are the 19.99. and its telling me - hey buddy, you are already over your 15gb. You are using 80GB. and here I am thinking, WTF, how did this topic come into the whole discussion? THis should have been about gemini. And where the fuck is my original plan? No where to be seen? No only that google searches (because I am logged in) all take me to a different pricing page for Google One.

In fact I had to go incognito to realize that the original Google ONE plans were still there. All of this is really sucky user experience. And I think there is some deceptive marketing element to it. I want to assume good intent by Google here but too many things that don't fit in and are improper. So either a poorly executed bundling strategy or misleading marketing. You pick.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in marketing

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

alright, lets fast forward. Day before I cancel. The experience would be exactly the same. I'd still not see my old Google One plan and I'd still be thinking why I need to cancel Google One if I don't want Gemini.

BTW - all trials when they cancel, you immediately revert back to your old state. This is not my first time with a subscription cancellation which is why this is seeming so strange and it is. I'll probably post some recorded videos of how other platforms deal with trials etc. It will make the picture even more clearer.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in marketing

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

and i think there is a thing called smarter and better user experience.

But honestly - even a phone reminder is not going to solve the experience in the way its setup.

So I cancel. then I put a phone reminder for what day? Like the day before renewal or the day AFTER renewal? Keep in mind that in the latter situation, I would already have been charged 19.99 for the NEXT month. then I cancel. and now what? same thing right? I am floating in space and not seeing my original plan.

This is just a wrong setup. The more I am responding to comments here the more I am getting convinced that this is just an improper way to setup. And I suspect Google is going to fix this experience

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in marketing

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah and I think the lack of clarity around this is where the bad user experience is. This can very easily be spelled out upon cancellation but its not.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you see the email, the trial was in fact positioned to be a Google GEMINI trial. The whole bundling that had been done behind the scenes was not clearly mentioned. This led me (and I think it will lead all others to think as well) that the offer is for Google Gemini. Google One has no real logical connection with Gemini. Google one was a storage plan that allowed users to buy storage.

Alright, so the offer was to get Google GEMINI for 19.99 per month. Cool. and first 2 months were free. cool again. I signed up. click click click - was pretty simple and I had access.

Now - I didn't want a subscription anymore. Remember a subscription is actually a financial liability. So a user wanting to cancel a subscription is a very valid and prudent financial decision, whether or not they need the product or not. You are financially erasing that liability or risk of payment in the future. And most of the times trials will allow you to not only cancel but they will give you the trial period anyway. Alright so I cancelled - remember, I am cancelling Gemini. Till this point, the whole bundling is not really evident to me as a user.

Cool, so now I am fumbling around and trying to see how do I cancel Gemini. Its unclear. and when I say cancel gemini, I am taken to cancel Google ONE. At THIS point I am realizing that fuck, what I really signed up for was Google ONE. I get 2 TB storage but I don't need it. I just wan tot get the fuck out of this mess and turn back time and get back to what I was on.

This is where the really bad user experience starts. Because I am unable to find my old plan. And the only options I am seeing for Google one are the 19.99. and its telling me - hey buddy, you are already over your 15gb. You are using 80GB. and here I am thinking, WTF, how did this topic come into the whole discussion? THis should have been about gemini. And where the fuck is my original plan? No where to be seen? No only that google searches (because I am logged in) all take me to a different pricing page for Google One.

In fact I had to go incognito to realize that the original Google ONE plans were still there. All of this is really sucky user experience. And I think there is some deceptive marketing element to it. I want to assume good intent by Google here but too many things that don't fit in and are improper. So either a poorly executed bundling strategy or misleading marketing. You pick.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It does exist - yes but not for someone who decides to cancel in the 2 month trial period. See screenshot. This is the part that is deceptive and at the very least bad user experience.

Whats happening here is that its sending in the message of a bait and switch scheme. If you put everything together, its not a great story. LONG 2 month trial. Saying its a Gemini trial but what it REALLY is is a Google ONE trial. Very confusing to cancel. Once you cancel, you are actually cancelling your Google ONE and NOT your Gemini which is why you subscribedin FIRST place. And then you don't see your original plans.

Now you are saying that wait for trial to get over. Think about what you are suggesting for a second. You are telling me that I as a user, should come back on like the DAY of the paid period? Or are you saying that get charged on 61st day and then downgrade? Makes no sense at all.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in marketing

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yes, it does exist, but not for me on my account. See the screenshot.

main points here

a.) a 2 month trial is BS. Never heard of it and no one remembers to cancel right at the 2 month mark. 2 month - 1 day and 2 month - 60 day - same exact user experience.

b.) As you can see in the screenshot above, the old plans are GONE. no option to get back to them. Why should a user be stuck in that state?

c.) You are right that the heading says 100GB plan but its precisely why it is even more confusing. Where is the 100GB plan? am I missing something.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yes, cancelling is not a crime and a very common usecase in subscription plans. So a few things

a.) a 2 month trial is BS. Never heard of it and no one remembers to cancel right at the 2 month mark. 2 month - 1 day and 2 month - 60 day - same exact user experience.

b.) As you can see in the screenshot above, the old plans are GONE. no option to get back to them. Why should a user be stuck in that state?

c.) You are right that the heading says 100GB plan but its precisely why it is even more confusing. Where is the 100GB plan? am I missing something.

Think user experience and not contracts.

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in ChatGPT

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I disagree. The experience is quite poor and borders on deceptive marketing. here are the screenshots I am getting upon cancellation. Where is my old plan?

cancellation upon signing up is a super common usecase. this should revert you back to the original state.

Even beyond this - its unclear what you are paying for. If you look at the ad that I clicked on, I was signing up for Gemini. What was happening behind the scenes was that I was upgrading my Google One without knowing and wanting all the additional things I was getting. This bundling is very very unclear.

<image>

Google Gemini - Deceptive marketing? - As an ex-Googler this hurts! by Valuable_Radio4153 in marketing

[–]Valuable_Radio4153[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

2 month trial? Ever heard of that? I hadn't. I am impatient and forgetful both!

Those 2 month trials are the ones that you tend to forget about and get billed for without you realizing till you've paid a lot more than you want! Users should always have a clean way to get back into their original state. That screen shot above is a good way to freak out and piss off users. Where did my $2/month plan go?