# Google/gmail - so much frustration **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 25, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602 "2015-02-25T19:51:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/1 "2015-02-25T19:51:52Z")
I need to speak with a real live human being with regard to my gmail account. I was given a phone number (1-650-253-0000) which gives me a lot of information that I have been trying for a while and it just fails. Then it tells me to call between 8:00 and 5:00 Pacific time. It is 11:46 Pacific time now, and I have been calling all morning. The issue: I have forgotten my original gmail password, I’ve tried everyone I know. I have gone to the gmail support page. My problem there is, after I have racked my brains trying to remember old email addresses I sent mail to and other questions there is then a disclaimer which reads “We need the ip address you used when setting up this account” which is impossible as I was living in Alaska at the time, and I am living in Washington now. My paypal is attached to this account, and I am going to have to make a new ebay account if I can’t resolve this with Google, and lose years of awesome feedback. I am, at this point, reduced to tears of frustration. Please, if you know a way out of this wormhole, help me. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/2 "2015-02-25T20:14:02Z")
It is possible to change the email address on your eBay account. Now it’s possible they will only do so after a confirmation on your old email account; I haven’t tried because I don’t wish to change mine. But you might certainly try. ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/3 "2015-02-25T20:20:04Z")
Thanks, but that is indeed the hitch. As I do not have access to my old email address they will not allow me to change my email. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/4 "2015-02-25T21:36:15Z")
Stating the obvious: Do you have alternative computers (a PC at work, for example) or mobile devices (iPhone, Android tablet) that have accessed that GMail account in the past few weeks? If so, maybe you can access GMail from there without having to supply your password to retrieve incoming e-mail. It might be enough to at least rescue your eBay account. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/5 "2015-02-25T21:53:56Z")
All Google accounts use the same password for me & always have. Account Gmail Google + I did not know you could have a different password just for mail. You had a Gmail account before you had a Google account? If you can get to your account from any of your toys-computer, you should be able to change your password. Get a book & be ready to dial constantly the whole time they are open? Other than that, I got nuttin. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/6 "2015-02-25T22:36:43Z")
> [@kaiwik](#): > > I need to speak with a real live human being with regard to my gmail account. You may well be screwed. Google is well-known for not providing any human support for we peons who use their services. If you’re not someone who pays them a bunch for advertising or someone with enough clout to cause a PR problem for them, you’re not likely to get through to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/7 "2015-02-25T23:01:30Z")
Have you had any of your web browsers remember your password? I’ve had mine hiccup with not putting in the remembered one if I start to type or actually send an incorrect one, but as long as I haven’t had it re-remember the wrong one, the original is still stored in the security menu. I wonder if you can contact the ISP you had in Alaska, see if they can send you the address you had with them, wouldn’t they have record of that? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/8 "2015-02-25T23:21:23Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Have you had any of your web browsers remember your password? I’ve had mine hiccup with not putting in the remembered one if I start to type or actually send an incorrect one, but as long as I haven’t had it re-remember the wrong one, the original is still stored in the security menu. > > I wonder if you can contact the ISP you had in Alaska, see if they can send you the address you had with them, wouldn’t they have record of that? It’s highly unlikely that the OP had a static IP. My IP changes every few days. I know this because I have to change firewall rules at work so I can access our servers from home. It’s remotely possible the ISP has logs that could show what IP kaiwik had on a given day, but not likely. Server logs are usually kept for a limited amount of time then rotated out. Being in the business they’re in, Google should know it’s probably not possible for a user to know what IP they had when they signed up. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/9 "2015-02-25T23:42:41Z")
There comes a point where Google (or anyone else) cannot really tell if you are the original account holder, or someone else trying to gain access. If someone tries multiple times to access an account with incorrect passwords, then the account is going to be bumped into a higher authentication level. Multiple devices can trigger this too. I know this doesn’t help with your current problem, and you have my sympathy, but if you _do_ regain control, use the two-factor authentication option, preferably the mobile phone option. That guards even against the loss of the phone, as they can provide a number of one-time codes you can use without it. ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/10 "2015-02-26T01:42:19Z")
Thanks for the help, I’m screwed, and Google sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/11 "2015-02-26T02:32:51Z")
Wait, this is the account attached to your successful eBay acount but you haven’t used the password in so long that you can’t remember it? How did that happen? ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/12 "2015-02-26T14:16:06Z")
> [@kaiwik](#): > > Thanks for the help, I’m screwed, and Google sucks. You might be better served by going through eBay/PayPal processes to get the email address on those accounts changed, than Google’s. You seem to have had a fuller and more profitable relationship with those companies than with Google. Google actually does have quite good customer service – It’s just that gmail users are not “customers”. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/13 "2015-02-26T14:19:10Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Wait, this is the account attached to your successful eBay acount but you haven’t used the password in so long that you can’t remember it? How did that happen? Hadn’t cleared cookies in a while, I’m guessing. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/14 "2015-02-26T14:38:30Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > You might be better served by going through eBay/PayPal processes to get the email address on those accounts changed, than Google’s. You seem to have had a fuller and more profitable relationship with those companies than with Google. > > Google actually does have quite good customer service – It’s just that gmail users are not “customers”. As already mentioned, you have to respond to a verification email sent to your old email account before you can change to the new one. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/15 "2015-02-26T14:47:34Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > As already mentioned, you have to respond to a verification email sent to your old email account before you can change to the new one. Yes, but given that “the usual process” is not possible in this case, it is probably easier to convince eBay/PayPal to make and exception to the normal verification route than Google. Paypal probably even knows some things about the OP that can be used for verification that Google doesn’t, like bank account information. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/16 "2015-02-26T16:43:20Z")
> [@kaiwik](#): > > Thanks for the help, I’m screwed, and Google sucks. Maybe you could get a refund for the $0 you pay for your gmail service? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/17 "2015-02-27T04:22:34Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > Maybe you could get a refund for the $0 you pay for your gmail service? This is kind of glib and snarky, but if you rely on your email (as many of us do), it might be worth paying someone for it so they have an incentive to answer the phone when you call. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/18 "2015-02-27T14:14:32Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > This is kind of glib and snarky, but if you rely on your email (as many of us do), it might be worth paying someone for it so they have an incentive to answer the phone when you call. This is true enough, but even for paid email there is also a direct tradeoff between “security of the account” and “ease of recovering your password if you forget it”. If password recovery is easy for you, then it is also easy for someone who is impersonating you to try to access your account. No matter how much I’ve paid for email, I would still be suspicions if I called up because I forgot my password and they said, “yes sir, right away sir” without putting me through some kind of wringer. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/19 "2015-02-27T15:45:55Z")
> [@kaiwik](#): > > I need to speak with a real live human being with regard to my gmail account. Dang it, we need some kind of warning before stuff gets posted that’s liable to result in uncontrollable hilarity and possible serious personal injury. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602/20 "2015-02-27T17:17:38Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > No matter how much I’ve paid for email, I would still be suspicions if I called up because I forgot my password and they said, “yes sir, right away sir” without putting me through some kind of wringer. There are _lots_ of ways an actual human can verify you if they think about it that aren’t available to fully automated system like Google has. The simplest one is probably through the payment method. If you’re paying with a credit card, they have your name and address, and can make a small transaction on the credit card to verify. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-gmail-so-much-frustration/713602.md?page=2)