Google is not "the man"

In case it wasn't already obvious that Google is an enormously successful corporation that doesn't consider itself anything of the sort, its bloggers report that Google is indeed something quite different than that faceless corporate figure: "the man." In suggesting a shortcut to customer service phone numbers for bureaucratic corporations, Google bloggers write "OK, here's a secret "the man" doesn't want you to know. Some companies have a toll-free number that's buried deep on their website -- but it would take like a thousand clicks to find it, and these days, who has the time? One way to get to it more quickly is to search Google for the company name and the phrase "customer support." Like this: TiVo Customer Support.

So I did the same search for a different large corporation: Google Customer Support.

I think I had to jump 6 or 8 pages in search results before finding anything useful for contacting Google. But in all fairness, the search results may be ironic but the information is easy to come by. Just 2 clicks from the Google homepage is physical and virtual contact information. I suppose the right message here, then, is that Google's customer service is the model of accessibility: it's so easy you don't need to search! Despite the irony, I continue to appreciate that the underwriting motto of all Google operations is transparency.

Now here's the Google phone number for your quick reference: 650-253-0000. Any reports out there on efforts to call this number?

Note: When I need such customer service numbers, I usually turn to this forum thread on Fat Wallet. Of course I found it through a Google search, long long ago.