Dear Google Local Guides Team,
I am writing to you as a dedicated member of the Local Guides community since 2018. Over these 7 years, I have reached Level 8 with nearly 17,000 points, and my contributions have helped millions of people, with over 16.4 million photo views.
I spent a long time contributing from Ukraine, and I want to emphasize that the effort and quality of information provided by Ukrainian Local Guides are just as valuable and important as contributions from any other region. However, I have noticed that despite my long-term loyalty and high ranking, I never received any perks or rewards while in Ukraine.
Now that I am based in Europe, I still don’t see any of the promised rewards (odmeny). My Google Maps app explicitly displays a banner promising “rewards, badges, and even priority access to new Google features” for reaching higher levels (as shown in the attached screenshot).
Despite my 7 years of volunteering:
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I have never received any physical or digital rewards (perks) associated with my level.
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I haven’t received any information regarding Google Drive storage benefits or priority access to new Google ecosystem features.
Could you please clarify if my previous location in Ukraine or my recent relocation has caused any technical issues with my eligibility for perks? I believe every dedicated contributor deserves equal recognition regardless of their home country.
I love being a part of this community, but I hope for more transparency regarding the reward system for high-level guides.
Best regards, Ellen
