Earlier this week, we told you about a handful of Google users who found that the internet giant had suspended their accounts, apparently because they had violated Google’s terms of service by daring to resell their Google Pixel smartphones. Now the company has made good on its pledge to let these users back into the Google fold, but with a warning to not do it again.
The Guardian reports that Google has emailed at least some of the affected users to let them know that their ban had been lifted and they were free to once again use Gmail and other Google services.
However, the email wasn’t all hugs and fist-bumps, with Google noting that it “takes violations of our terms very seriously” and warning that “Repeated violations of our terms may lead to account termination.”
The bans, first reported on Dan’s Deals, affected around 200 Google users who purchased their Pixel phone through the company’s Project Fi. These folks then resold their devices to a phone dealer in New Hampshire — a state with no sales tax — who pledged to split the profits.
A rep for Google told Consumerist that the company believes many of the suspended accounts had been created just as part of a “scheme in which consumers were asked to purchase Pixel devices on behalf of a reseller, who then marked-up the cost of those devices in order to resell them to other customers.” The company also said at the time that it would consider restoring access for these users.
by Chris Morran via Consumerist