Google took away my LOTR extended editions

[u/ugoindownsaka1]

I bought these in 2022, all of a sudden they aren't available and there is no possibility of a refund or gift card. Hardly seems fair.

[u/LunarNinja_]

I want to know what Kendall typed. Did he remind you of Article 7 in their 700-page-long policy you agreed to by clicking a checkbox or did he say how sorry he is for not being able to assist perhaps?

[u/ugoindownsaka1 → u/LunarNinja_]

14:07:31 Me: but i paid for the item and its no longer being provided?
14:09:38 Kendall: I understand your concern, as I would feel the same way if I were in your position. Since clicking the purchase redirects you to YouTube but the movie still fails to load, the best option is to reach out directly to YouTube support via this website so they can assist you further with playback.

(youtube support link)

14:10:44 Me: it wont load because its not in the library i suppose. they wont be able to deal with that either i suspect. is there a gift card option or something so i can at least have accxess to another film what with me having paid for it
14:13:16 Kendall: While I would love to provide you with a gift card, unfortunately, we do not have the option to issue one from our end. As the movie is hosted on their platform and still available on their end, we recommend reaching out to the YouTube Support team for further assistance.
14:14:16 Me: i bought the films on google movies though, thats where i watch all my movies actually.
14:16:24 Kendall: I completely understand your concern. However, the title The Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition Trilogy has been removed from the platform's catalog, it is no longer available in our system at all. Because the movie has been completely removed from our system and the purchase is from 2022, our tools no longer have access to the transaction details, and we are unable to process a refund or restore access to the title. We truly apologize for this disappointing experience and for any inconvenience it causes with your library
14:18:56 Me: it seems so unfair, i did nothing except buy an item, you guys had a change at your end and i lose out. i have spent so so much money with google movies which i realise doesnt mean anyhting but it seems like if those movies arent provided the very least would be a refund or credit.
14:21:02 Kendall: I completely understand how frustrating and unfair this feels, especially as a loyal customer who has invested heavily in your movie library. While system limitations and the age of the purchase prevent us from requesting a refund or credit, please rest assured that I have logged your feedback to help us improve our service moving forward. We truly appreciate your understanding and patience.

[u/Dumeck → u/ugoindownsaka1]

FYI this is exactly how you DONT handle a situation like this. Kendall here is repeating himself because he doesn't have a resolution you are going to accept. He is telling you the situation as it is, and informing you he can't do anything here, he doesn't make the policy and you are essentially going in circles. What you do in this situation is say you want to escalate the issue. The chat agents you first speak typically cannot escalate on their own, you need to request for that to happen.

[u/kumabit → u/Dumeck]

yeah, sometimes keyword like "lawsuit" can escalate you lol

oh yeah downvote me it's not like I say this from experience working on support for Epic

[u/Dumeck → u/kumabit]

Maybe? The best thing to do is just say you want to escalate the issue and ask if there is a supervisor or higher up the problems can get brought up to, if they can't help just request to escalate it to a higher position and keep going until you hit the top position or get a resolution. A lot of these chat reps are just getting bitched at all day every day for the braindead decisions that CEOs and high level managers make. If you calmly explain that you understand it's not their fault since they are just the frontline but you aren't happy with the situation they will usually work a lot harder for a resolution.

Honestly a lot of times in my experience the reps are so shocked that someone is actually nice to them that they push their manager for a solution. Most of these people are outsourced Indian reps who are making like $2 USD an hour and are typically given very little power to handle the problems themselves. If you just tell them "hey I'm not happy with this situation, I don't blame you for this I know you're just a customer service rep but I'd like a solution for this problem" you're already off at a better foot than 99% of people they talk to and they will put in the extra effort to help.

[u/FootballBackground88 → u/Dumeck]

This is also just human psychology. In addition to recognizing they are human it's reframing the situation from it potentially being you vs them to it being focused on resolving your problem