I recently deleted two gmail accounts on an impulse and then changed my mind and wanted to restore them. I tried to do this through the automated form provided by Google for this purpose, but with no result. I only got automated replies, saying:

"Because our investigation was inconclusive, we are unable to return your account at this time...If you have additional information about your account, please visit http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/request.py?ara=1 and submit another report."

Is there anything I can do about this? Any idea of how I could get a personal response from Google instead of an automated one?

It is not possible to do. They are gone for good.

How can you be so sure it is not possible? I am dead certain that if they wanted to, they would do it. Otherwise why is there a form asking for details of the account in order to restore it?

Obviously it IS possible, if only you can furnish enough details in the automated form, or otherwise convince them somehow that you really are the person who created the account.

The question is, HOW.

You might point that you've deleted only the gmail part of the account if that's the case.

Thanks a lot, PierreS, I really appreciate it.

Unfortunately this is not the case. I deleted the entire account, not just gmail. Stupid me, I know, should have known better, I deserve to loose them etc. I still mean to try, though.

I guess if I could tell them more about the account, maybe this would work. The problem is that the form asks for certain facts, such as most frequently used contacts, date of creation of the accounts, date I deleted them, etc, and in some cases I just don't remember exactly (the dates, for example) and in others I have no information to give (I only used gmail, no other features, which would supply additional information).

I could provide other kind of information, such as message content, for example, or the fact that I only wrote to very few contacts and no others. Unfortunately, however, this sort of thing cannot go in an automated form.

I am at a loss, really. But I still hope something might turn up!

The reason I know is that some key people at Google personally tried to get it done for me and they eventually came back and said 'can't happen.' I was not just dealing with automated tech responses.

<< I guess if I could tell them more about the account, maybe this would work. The problem is that the form asks for certain facts, such as most frequently used contacts >>

That form has a different purpose: accessing an *existing* Gmail account that has been compromised.

Thanks for explaining.

If anything new comes up, or if anybody else knows otherwise, I would appreciate any relevant information.

But if you deleted your account by mistake, why is there no recourse? Especially when you can prove that you are the person who had the account. Why is there no avenue or means provided to submit the proof you have?

?What mistake? It's all in the eye of the beholder....

I believe it's a question of scale and depth to which Google, a major provider of free commodity services for untold millions of people, can be expected to care.

Though somewhat of a professional, I haven't tried it at home, but would imagine that, when you delete either Gmail- or an entire Google account, there already are safeguards in place – such as "Are you sure?" confirmation dialogs etc.

Well, you were sure when you replied "Yes" to that, so why should Google (effectively) try to second-guess your motives and act by default as if you/ and by implication all the users/ weren't really grown-ups, individuals responsible for their own actions? Don't argue the point, it's not a debate.

[ Incidentially, what most impressed me about Gmail when I first read about it, months before I managed to find someone n-degrees-of-separated from me who sent me an invitation, was its "ungestation" period – effectively 9 months after a password-holder last touches it (including perhaps "passwords away" ;-)), the account, and all data associated with it gets wiped clean, effectively dies. A lot of thought has gone into the picking of that particular "ungestation" timeframe.]