I've had the opposite experience, but this was probably further back then you. I remember trying to call Google to get info about Google maps and it was just a run around. I spent 3 hours trying to figure out who controlled the map tiles behind Apples Maps powered by Google and got nowhere.

Even if you go to Google's contact page now[1] it's obscure and the first thing they try to do is shuttle you off to forums or a boilerplate FAQ. You can't run a consumer business like that.

Google is great at building pure tech products like Google Search and Gmail, but not so good when it's a product where you might have to talk to a human being.

[1] - https://www.google.com/contact/

Just going to point out that for pixel phones for example, you type in "pixel customer support" on google, click on the "contact us" button, and then answer a couple of (really easy) questions and are given the option to use an online chat or a phone call with support.

(I work at Google, but I had the same experience before I worked there). I think the best way of putting it is that (the consumer part of) maps is a library book, and that you wouldn't expect phone support for a library book. You would expect phone support for a product you buy, and you get that. (Google's service for pretty much all of their paid products is decent, or at least it exists). Did/does Microsoft offer phone support for their free software products? I just looked for help with outlook, and got directed to...a chatbot.

Perhaps the difference is that Wifi, Fi, and the store in general are all product you pay for, whereas maps is not?

Yeah that's a possibility. As I mentioned, I haven't really tried to interact with Googles customer service in the past few years so maybe/hopefully it's a lot better now than it was then.

Until some algo decides to delete your universal Google account that powers everything from this company by request of some other bot or by some totally opaque procedure with penalties and so-called-AI detection of your activity. And the only thing you can do is nothing really. Just google such cases, they happen regularly. Of the more insane ones was the musician had his track used by BigCorp as a fair use or something and then automated algo of BigCorp send DMCA takedown to Google and it just banned legitimate song author and there is zero ways to appeal it.

I would've refrained from sharing if you hadn't mention project Fi. Me calling in to get my Nexus 5x fixed was such a piss poor experience that I would never consider them for mobile service again.

That's crazy, because I had the exact opposite experience. Everytime I've called Project Fi support, I've gotten great help, and they replaced my 5x with a refurbished one for free very quickly when it got stuck in a reboot loop.

Its hit and miss, of 4 people I know of that owned Nexus 5x's at one point or another, two have hit the bootloop issue, one got a free pixel 2 as a replacement, and the other got told to pound sand.