I received a present for my birthday last week. It was an eye-opener of how companies in our great country do business.
I have been a member of Google AdSense since I started my blog back in July. I had been paid once for my ads. It was nice to get that $100! Everything was going great. Google takes care of their ads, I take care of my blog, and I get paid. Not huge amounts, as some of you bloggers know, but it was a win win.
I was checking my email, as all loyal bloggers do, when I saw an email that I thought was suspicious. Your Google AdSense Account has been suspended. Please click here for more info. I thought it was a phishing email, a scam. Later that night I logged on to the computer and figured I would log into my Google AdSense account. It was gone.
This more than upset me because my account balance had recently hit the $100 payout mark. So, I was owed money. Little did I know that Google plays by their own rules!
All my email said was this
“While going through our records recently, we found that your AdSense account has posed a significant risk to our Ad Words advertisers. Since keeping your account in our publisher network may financially damage our advertisers in the future, we’ve decided to disable your account.”
Hmm…I am a mom. I blog, how am I a threat?! It turns out that I may not have been the problem. Google can cancel your account for any reason they deem necessary. They DO NOT tell you why. They do not have a contact email. They will not give you your money, because in their eyes you were fraudulent. To me this sounds like fraud.
You can fill out an appeal form. It goes to the same people that cancelled your account. It doesn’t get you anywhere. I received a response within minutes that said,
Thanks for providing us with additional information. However, after thoroughly reviewing your account data and taking your feedback into consideration, we’ve re-confirmed that your account poses a significant risk to our advertisers. For this reason, we’re unable to reinstate your account. Thank you for your understanding.
How convenient! About the time I am owed $100 my account gets canceled? Where does that money go? Does Google enjoy keeping that money in their account? Must be nice to take advantage of moms!
There is nothing I can do. I will not get my money. I can’t open a new account, because I am now blocked from Google AdSense. The only answers I get are from this FAQ’s Page on Google’s site.
I am posting this because I know many of you are bloggers too! You have your own Google AdSense accounts. You may want to read the FAQ’s Page that I posted to see why some are being cancelled. You should be prepared because this could happen to you.
Google makes it very clear on their site that for “Security” reasons they cannot tell you what they found, or why you are cancelled. They also provide not contact info. You are at the mercy of Google and if they feel like paying you or keeping your money!
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This same thing happened to me right after I had reached my first payout (you will never receive that money.) There is a “supposed” appeals process, but after some research, if you get disabled, you are basically banned for life from Google Adsense. I am sorry that this happened to you, but you are right for getting the word out there. I was banned before I even knew much about advertising. I think everyone should do a lot of research before starting with Google Adsense or any advertising. They should make using it harder than just a few clicks on Blogger, that is for sure. Many bloggers use it without knowing about it, which leads to the problem I had.
Shelly´s last blog ..Bargain Meal of the Week at Harris Teeter
Sorry this happened to you too Shelly! It is just infuriating!
Amanda@A Few Shortcuts´s last blog ..What’s Worth Buying at Walgreens 3/21
This is ridiculous. I am so sorry that happened to you Amanda
I only have like $3.00 in my adsense acct. I think I am going to go cancel it right now.
Carol,
You don’t have to cancel your account on my behalf. Just watch out! It may come time to pay you and they will cancel your account. You might find some better paying advertising for that spot on your site! It’s worth a shot!
Thanks for this Amanda! I don’t have much money in my account now, but I’m going to try to get it out asap. So sorry this happened to you!!!
Alaina´s last blog ..Baked Oatmeal with Berries
Soooo frustrating. I have a suggestion, though. I think you should email your blog post to your local newspaper and news stations. See if anyone will run your story. a) It will get the message out re Google Adsense, and b) it will show the public (and Google’s consumers and advertisers) that Google is not operating trustworthy business.
Katie,
I have thought about contacting the better business bureau. When you read online you can find countless stories just like mine. This isn’t something new. Google has been doing this to people for years!
It is horrible that a company like this continues to do business!
Amanda@A Few Shortcuts´s last blog ..What’s Worth Buying at Walgreens 3/21
I think that is a great idea Katie! We have a local news station here that does a segment “Fox 6 on your side” they take situations like this and help you get your money back then they make a segment about it and post it on the news. You would think you could trust a big name company like Google to do the right thing. Wow! Get a bunch of bloggers on this one could really hurt! Sorry it happened Amanda! But thanks for sharing.
Jenny´s last blog ..Kids Bowl FREE!
Thank you for warning all of us. Very much appreciated.
They canceled my account to…no explanation. I hadnt reach my first payout, but was at $75. Bummer.
Michelle Bachman´s last blog ..Triple Martini Lunch Boutique has Gone Live!
That is horrible! How can they get away with stuff like that!! If you can’t contact them and they can’t explain then it seems fishy to me!
I am working to reduce my google use. Really, they have abused my trust. Seems they edit content without telling you and now this. I refuse to support unethical behavior. SO, I will redouble my effort to NEVER use google again.
Thanks for posting this. I only wish I had seen it sooner. As of April 13th, Google has also disabled my account and is keeping my $85 in their hands. There should be some kind of repercussions for companies that run shady businesses. I will move onto companies that I can trust.
Karen´s last blog ..Google Adsense Let Me Down