Complaints flow in the wake of Google's Nexus One release

Teething problems face most new technology launches and Google's Nexus One touchscreen smartphone is no exception. Launched on January 5, the rival to the iPhone has been plagued with faults and trying to get help has left customers confused.

The Nexus One has been touted as the one to rival the iPhone and can be bought from Google and then used on most networks. However, as the first few blips creep in customers have been left confused about who they should contact regarding these faults and who to contact when asking a question. The confusion has left many of the first customers to buy the phone unhappy and a series of query and complaint threads have appeared on the phones support forums. Some of the complaints are about how customers are unhappy that Google only respond to them via email. There is a call for Google to set up phone based support. Customers in the USA are able to purchase the Nexus One either on contract with T-Mobile and in that case the phone would cost them $179 (£112) or through Google where the handset would cost them $529 (£331). Currently Google hasn't released the phone in the UK and although they say that it will be available through the Vodafone network they have yet to set a release date or announce any prices. One of the forums' top threads is about the T-Mobile contract with confusion about how much people will pay for the phone. With over 500 posts the confusion centres around whether existing T-Mobile customers will get a discount on the phone. Currently only new customers will get the phone at $179. Other queries include customers asking how long their phone will take to get to them after ordering, problems with Wi-Fi and 3G. One customer writes:

Has anyone been getting spotty to no 3g coverage? I switched from a moto cliq, where I had 3-4 bars of 3g in my house constantly, to a Nexus One. I now either get 1 or no bars of 3g.

A Google employee replies:

We are investigating this issue and hope to have more information for you soon. We understand your concern and appreciate your patience.

This response has been tagged "Best Answer" in a thread with over 500 responses. The thread is also tagged as "Answered". Some customers have also written about problems getting it to work with existing Google accounts and synchronising contacts to the phone. Others express their concern about the length of time it takes Google to respond to queries. Google does say it will respond via email and advises that those responses could take a day or two. Disgruntled customers have also written about how they've been batted back and forth between handset maker HTC and the operator T-Mobile when asking for help. Many say they are given conflicting information about the phone as to whether it supports 3G or not. A popular view on the site is that, for the amount people pay for the handset, they should be able to contact a Nexus One helpline via phone. Currently most queries on the forum remain unanswered. A Google spokesperson said, "We've worked closely with our Nexus One launch partners to make support available through a variety of channels. This is a new way to purchase and support a mobile phone, and we're committed to sorting out the few kinks that do exist." Finding answers to these issues is a major task for Google and they have a long way to go to catch up with the well established iPhone and Blackberry.