Growing Pains

Customers have a reason to be mad at Google. They promised a product and for some, failed to deliver. This is more than just a breach of service; it's a breach of trust. The truth is that Google can afford to fix its mistakes, but it's getting an acute dose of reality and sharp backlash. Nobody can complain when their free Gmail account goes out, but people that pay for the service with the bells and whistles have all the right in the world.

The recent blackout of Google Apps hasn't gone unnoticed. Google offered up an apology, and has been asking forgiveness. They deserve to be racked for a little bit though, and not because of their size or because they fall into a moral scope of good or evil. What they need is an abject lesson in customer dissatisfaction. Ordinarily they are the golden child, but in order for them to offer better they have to know when they've offered worse.

Google Apps is a wonderful opportunity. However it needs to work properly. Certainly what they are offering is no walk in the park, and is likely to grow beyond their initial expectations, but they have to offer equal and reliable service to all customers. Their reputation is on the line, and if there is anything that speaks volumes it is that the biggest always fall the hardest. It is for this reason that I intend to do a showcase on Google products that haven't quite made it, as a reminder that not everything works out quite the way you intend.