
Steve Wozniak sues Google over YouTube Bitcoin scam - aspenmayer
https://www.cnet.com/news/steve-wozniak-sues-google-over-youtube-bitcoin-scam/
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scohesc
It's pretty much Youtube's modus operandi at this point...

Ignore the problem that's making us money through ad revenue by not having
support staff to address these issues and instead rely on algorithms and empty
platitudes to calm anybody who's got a genuine issue with the platform.

"Oh, hold on, we're finally getting sued for our (in)actions? Well we're
sorry! It must be the algorithm that's not detecting these scam videos!
_Sorry!_" (until the next time)

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dungdang
their 'automation' of support, from my experience, is actually basic idiocy
-not a plot. it's actual people thinking they just need to make their 'ai'
better. not understanding that a huge switch statement is not an ai. it's
hipster trash writing code.

i ordered a pixel2xl for over $1k. week later, days after promised arrival,
status unknown on fedex tracking#. called fedex -they have no idea where the
package is. no way to reach google on their webpage where i bought the phone.
after a couple of days, i started a chat with play store support, asked them
about the phone. they had no idea, i said refund, now. also, order is
cancelled -i refuse delivery if you find the lost shipment. 'ok.'

a week later the phone shows up. i have my refund. i said come to my door,
pick up the package. amazon can do it with returns, and mail services offer
this. they said 'no -you must bring it to a fedex office and mail it back, or
we'll charge you again'

blocked google from my amex, flashed a custom rom, typing this on my free
phone now, years later. super fast, only needs charging once a week.

and in my work, i sell solutions that often do failover to cloud. but i don't
even offer google cloud to customers. because i care about customers, and
google will randomly cause them issues. google has lost literally tens of
millions in business. by causing me to dig and find out how shitty and
dangerous dealing with them is, which was caused by me getting a free phone,
and them threatening to close all my google accounts, and fraudulently charge
my card.

google is a bully. an incompetent one. while they make money, they are also
missing out on a lot of money, by sheer stupidity. myspace was big too. and
yahoo was big too. big because of dumb masses -and dumb masses are driven by
emotion and lack of logic. super volatile.

~~~
aspenmayer
I would not have blocked the charges; I would say that the FTC has ruled that
items you did not order are yours to keep. As you should never have received
the item, it is perhaps negligent in the part of the delivery company not to
halt or recall the delivery, but that may not be available on all shipping
options, and exercising this option may incur a fee to the shipper. As you
were in possession of the device, I think that Google would be within rights
to attempt to charge you in this instance, all the same. And yet I also
understand your stance. I just don’t understand your justification for keeping
the phone.

Keeping it, I get that. Who doesn’t want a free phone? I knew someone who had
a box show up at their desk at work with a refurb phone inside. It was
seemingly new and yet had a SIM card inside. So I showed them how to replace
the SIM, and reflashed it. It’s theirs, and the responsible thing to do for
_any, every_ phone that’s new to you, is to replace media and/or wipe media,
reflash firmwares, and reinstall the OS. Just good data hygiene for the
previous owner and for the new one. As a worker bound by HIPAA etc for certain
sites and jobs, it’s just a habit, and hopefully soon an automated process,
and then a startup maybe? I probably do it 10+ times a _day_. But I digress.

 _Free phones are real?_ I’ve seen it.

If you get another free phone let me have your old one lol

~~~
dungdang
i kept the phone because they refused to pay $8 to the mailing service to pick
it up at my door. when shit shows up randomly at your door, you do not have
the obligation to spend an hour of you time taking a trip to the ups location,
standing in line, mailing it, then going back home. now if like with amazon
they come to my house to pick it up -it's theirs. but they thought they could
force people to mail it. they lost.

my justification is: a random person cannot mail me crap and expect me to
spend free time and effort to mail it back. they're free to pay ups to do
that, or get it themselves. at my door. my justification is, entitled people
in a high horse can do whatever they want, but they have zero power over me to
get me to do something.

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aspenmayer
This must be in the runnings for this years “headlines that wouldn’t make
sense _x_ years ago” prize. I feel like my head is spinning with all the
different actors just on the internet, let alone IRL, who are able to make
headlines. What will seem strange and new to us in the future, after the shine
wears off cryptocurrencies? Will that day ever come? I feel that interest in
crypto is part journalistic fad, part world-changing event. Which is which
depends on who you are, what you need it for, where you are in the world, if
you can mine it yourself or must acquire it via the market or other means, and
so on.

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davidhyde
Google, rise to the challenge and defend this court case using your chat bots
please. Start with your YouTube spokesdroid to test the water.

~~~
aspenmayer
Can I subscribe to your newsletter? How about Twitter?

