Google Apps For Education - A human contact

[CHR1S]

Does anyone have a real live human contact for google apps for education?

 

Im waiting for my account to be upgraded from the standard, 5 weeks and counting, and have yet to receive a single email despite several requests left on their web form!

 

Thanks

[AngryTechnician]

You only get telephone support via a PIN that is specific to your account, and they won't discuss any other account (pending or otherwise) unless you have the PIN. They also aren't especially knowledgeable anyway in my experience.

 

My advice is to submit the request from scratch again. I have heard of them getting lost.

[GrumbleDook]

Also have a look around for some of the Google Certified Trainers / Google Certified Teachers too ... if you are working with them to help get your school on to GApps for Edu then they can help get things moving.

[CHR1S]

I found a post in a group where an Google official would look into "lost" applications.

Its not had a reply for a few months but ill give it a try,

[edutech4schools]

Why are you upgrading? Would it not be better to apply for a new domain registered under the school domain (.sch.uk)

 

I have only had very good dealings with the help system. Most problems have been fixed with in a few hours, but that was using the apps for edu help

[CyberNerd]

You only get telephone support via a PIN that is specific to your account, and they won't discuss any other account (pending or otherwise) unless you have the PIN. They also aren't especially knowledgeable anyway in my experience.

 

They put me through straight to an engineer when I called them!

 

We did have a problem once when we managed to lock ourselves out of our admin account and they fixed it over the phone without needing the PIN.

The contact details are:

 

Estimated response time: Within minutes

Local:0845 600 0278 (United Kingdom)

Global:+44 207 881 4790 (United Kingdom)

Global:+1 404 978 9282 (United States)

[CHR1S]

Why are you upgrading? Would it not be better to apply for a new domain registered under the school domain (.sch.uk)

 

I have only had very good dealings with the help system. Most problems have been fixed with in a few hours, but that was using the apps for edu help

 

I don't get what your implying? You apply to upgrade your standard 10 user or (Business Trial) to the education version.

[CHR1S]

They put me through straight to an engineer when I called them!

 

We did have a problem once when we managed to lock ourselves out of our admin account and they fixed it over the phone without needing the PIN.

The contact details are:

 

Estimated response time: Within minutes

Local:0845 600 0278 (United Kingdom)

Global:+44 207 881 4790 (United Kingdom)

Global:+1 404 978 9282 (United States)

 

Didnt work, asked for pin then hung up on me. Dont have a pin because our account isnt upgraded .... and the cycle continues lol!

[CyberNerd]

Didnt work, asked for pin then hung up on me. Dont have a pin because our account isnt upgraded .... and the cycle continues lol!

 

doh.

How about buying a single user account for £30 and usingthat PIN/ long shot?

[CyberNerd]

I take it you tried here:

Contact Us - Google Apps Help

[CHR1S]

Ahaa, it seems the people who host our websites missed an MX record so mail forwarding was not working.

 

Will get it fixed and re-apply.

[edutech4schools]

I don't get what your implying? You apply to upgrade your standard 10 user or (Business Trial) to the education version.

 

Just sign the school up from this page

Google Apps for Education | Official Website

 

I simply signed the school up from this page, no upgrade needed.

 

EDIT: or have you done this and it's during this stage your stuck at????????

Edited May 22, 2012 by edutech4schools

[CHR1S]

Yes, that's where I'm stuck, its sitting at 10 user standard package offering me a business upgrade only while I'm "waiting" for the education authorisation.

 

If I start again I get the -

Enter your domain name

This domain has already been registered with Google Apps. Please contact your domain administrator for instructions on using Google Apps with this domain.

[edutech4schools]

ok sorry for the confusion.

 

Normally it should only take a few days to get full ED package.

 

At one of my schools I had an issue with the DNS and needed some info from Google. I found an apps email address using google search and used that. They sorted me out that day. Sorry but I did not keep that email address as I have full phone support with the full ED package.

 

If you want me to try and log a call for you tomorrow, pm me the details such as domain etc and I will give them a call.

[edutech4schools]

Just so you are all aware, Google do not mind another school calling the help desk on behalf of a school that does not have access to the full support system. They will also cc any other email addresses with the job updates.

[CHR1S]

Big thanks to @edutech4schools for lending some time to help me out

[garethEds]

So frustrating waiting for Google Apps to kick in for Education.

 

GJE

[enjay]

You only get telephone support via a PIN that is specific to your account

It is that initial contact which I find really annoying. You have to enter a PIN into the phone, and then when someone answers they ask you for your domain name, and then your PIN again. One of my pet hates is when phone systems take information that isn't passed on to the agent at the other end.

 

To make matters even worse, the last time I called in, I was answered by a heavily accented person who couldn't understand our domain name when I said it to him, and wasn't even able to understand the letters when I spelled out our (22-character!) domain name. I offered him my PIN number instead (since this is unique to our domain), and he said he couldn't verify that PIN without first having the domain name! I asked that he transfer my call to someone who could understand the English alphabet, and was told he can't transfer the call until I have been verified!!