I don't usually give product or service reviews but Google deserves this one!!

I have had at least the primary Gmail since 2011, maybe longer, and in all this time, I have never reached out to support because of a login issue. If I did, I resolved it on my own with the security tools Google deemed necessary, as in security questions stacked up combined with other info to get or regain access to my Gmail account.

With that being said, the level of support I didn't get when I reached out to support has me in awe at the level of help I received, or lack thereof. Earlier this evening, as I tried to get back into my account after I admittedly changed my security pattern on my lock screen and forgot what I changed it to 5 minutes later, a truly human mistake I made, but I was taken aback by the obviously clear and deliberate non-support by Google and an AI that I was forced to interact with because I needed some kind of help in the recovery process to gain access to an account that I've had for well over a decade with minimal issues. If I had known that the security questions I had in place for an issue just like the one I'm having now would have definitely been better prepared to deal with on my own. This whole FRP lock thing is more than just an inconvenience; it's going to cause me so much more problems than I care to admit.

I'm in poor health and, well, I run 99% of my contact with doctors and pharmacies for my needs through Gmail. And since the response I got this evening was, at a minimum, patronizing and dismissive, I'm sure my next appointments are lost with no way to retrieve what I need because I forgot the new unlock pattern. Now I get how important Google security is and how it safeguards my info; I'm glad it's there, but what I don't get is I haven't been prompted to provide the necessary information and documents to show that I am the account holder. I would think Google needs to help me so when life moves more smoothly, I might decide to spend more of what little disposable income I might find using Google services and portals, but instead, I'm being stiff-armed by this AI support that is no better than self-checkout at the local grocery store, except it has stopped my money from being spent with Google.

FRP is stopping me from continuing on with my insignificant life because I'm stopped cold with no recovery options—options that I thought would be there in case of a situation like what I'm experiencing now.

I have no cell, it's broken; I don't have the means at this time to replace it, so I cannot update that step, and my Gmail is a recovery email for each other. So without the security questions I had in place to help in a situation like this, those security questions are useless thanks to strict security FRP. I'm just left in an awkward and difficult position. I know, I know, who cares; it's rough all over, fine, but my situation is exacerbated by not being able to at least keep up with the medical and pharmaceutical obligations keeping me out of the hospital.

If I don't get my account recovery issues resolved (muy pronto), I'm going to be in a worse spot than I am, all because I cannot use or complete the security steps as they are set now. Yes, I'm too reliant on Google's email system and its security measures that do keep my info safe, but at a cost that, in my opinion, are unreasonable for a free account holder that possesses proper documentation if needed that made a human mistake. I am sure Google doesn't give two rats' behinds because it is a free service (Gmail), but I have spent $$$$$ in the past with their other services and products I've found using Google, and I might be obliged in the future to continue, but not at the moment. I hope they see this and all the other non-criminal issues going unresolved.

This is exactly why monopolies are very bad and hence not allowed in the U.S.A. From what I have read just this evening on this particular issue, it looks like corporate better tighten things up, because as with all *** service, at some point, consumers will look and maybe find a better mousetrap. P.S.

not going to proofread this and edit mistakes; who sees this and does anything about it anyway? Obviously not anyone important, just an opinion.