Chromebook Pixel owners who got cheated out of a free year of 4G LTE data on Verizon will get a $150 apology credit from Google.
When Google launched its Chromebook Pixel back in February, it offered 100MB of free 4G LTE data per month for two years on Verizon's network. As it turns out, however, those who took advantage of this offer and bought the Chromebook Pixel only got one year of that promised free data. After that, Verizon suddenly stopped offering the 100MB monthly data for free, without any warning or explanation.
Chromebook Pixel users started complaining about this issue as early as April, but neither Google nor Verizon did anything about it until now. ComputerWorld's JR Raphael, who is also a Chromebook Pixel user, reported on the whole data debacle earlier this week, and now Google seems to be taking a stand at last.
More specifically, Google wants to appease disgruntled Chromebook Pixel buyers by offering them a free $150 credit in the form of Visa gift cards. Customers can use that credit to pay for anything, including LTE connections. While this offer is generous and could pay for plenty of LTE data on Verizon, it still remains unclear why the carrier broke the initial promise and abruptly stopped serving the free data one year short.
The initial offer may not have been a breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime deal, but it surely helped drive sales of the $1,449 Chromebook Pixel. In such a context, it's understandable why those who picked up the device felt cheated when the offer suddenly went off the table, no warning, no explanation, nothing.
It's also worth pointing out that this free Verizon LTE data promotion was available only for a limited time, for early Chromebook Pixel buyers. Google has since ended this deal on the Google Play store, but there were still plenty of buyers who took advantage of the offer while it was still standing.
Google is trying to make things right, but it may be a little too late. According to a report from Ars Technica, a law firm was looking into this matter and investigating the issue under violation of the consumer protection laws.
If you're among the cheated Chromebook Pixel customers who saw their free data abruptly interrupted, you can contact Google Play Store Support to receive the $150 credit. For more information, check out Google's support pages at this link. For its part, Verizon told ComputerWorld that it was only aware of a one-year promotion, not two years, but promised to look into the matter and come up with a solution to make up for this issue.
