This is what happened:
3 weeks ago I asked a client of mine that is an Adwords user himself, to look into my account. I needed some help with sdome stupid setting/bidding issue.
He logged in from California ( where he lives ) and looked around for 5 minutes.
Well, last week I get an email from Google saying I canoot advertise anymore with them becasue I violated their TOS. They say my account is associated with another Adwords account that was trying to advertise drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Needless to say I was shocked and outraged. I called them many times demanding an investigation. They didnt bother to investigate firther. I was compltely cluless as to what could have happened.
I have a pearl jewlery site and software site and have NEVER been related to drugs in any way shape or form.
Everytime I call they tell me they want me to call again, that there is nothing they can do and won't show me any evidence to support their accusation.
I have been destroyed financially and emotionally by this.
Finally I, after calling the client I mentioned before he told me that he was running an Adwords account for one of his clients that had a legal Medicinal Marihuana clinic in California and that his Adwords account had been shut down before.
So this is the only explanation. Google thinks I sell drugs becasue somebody they had banned already logged into my account for 5 minutes ...( I didnt even know his account had been closed before ).
Way to go Google, after 5 years of being a loyal customer you are treating me now like a criminal for no reason whatsoever. There are no possible explanations for you, you refure to listen to me and you refuse to help me solve this error.
Everytime I call nobody wants to put me with a supervisor and they tell me not to call again.
Do you guys think this is fair? I know this forum has a lot of Google users so I am asking for your opinion on what to do.
I have contacted aa ttorney and I am thinking of acting legally.
Any help is appreciated.
Strange, anyway, that you would allow someone else to use your password access to your adwords account.
All very sad; but none of it at Google's door. I wouldn't spend a penny on lawyers; it'll be wasted.
Go read Google Adwords TOS; you'll see where you went wrong.
And when you sign up for Yahoo!
1. Anyone you propose to give your confidential info to, make them sign a disclaimer that they are fully responsible if it turns out they are 'bad company'
2. Oh, and DON'T give out that access info to anyone, even if they sign a disclaimer that they are fully responsible if it turns out they are 'bad company'.
It's a tough way to learn basic 'Internet Security'; but I'm sure you'll never make such basic mstakes again.
Good Luck! :)
Google = Nightmare
My friend that got into this didnt know he was banned from Google at that time. And in any case or form, I think having a 5 year history with Adwords, not having a single problem with them and explaining the situation with them should give me another chance.
They have treated me like a criminal when I have been loyal to them for 5 years. This happened by mistake and without my knowledge.
Are you going to tell me Adword users NEVER ask for help and ocassionally let other professioansl into their accounts? There are companies out there than manage hundreds of Adwords accounts.
My case is unfair, plain and simple....and I still have faith that Google will see the error and help me.
They too can be wrong sometimes you know?
I was checking the whole time and right when he was done
( 5 minutes ) I changed my password.
Oh, and another thing... Google claims that my account WAS associated with another account comitting these violations, they never said my account was doing this.
You really have little recourse now. Do choose better 'friends' for the future.. Lesson for all of us here..
You can certainly try the legal route, but I'd be amazed if you got anywhere with it. Ultimately, they're going to say it's your responsibility for letting someone in your account. The account was assigned to you in your name by Google, and ultimately you're responsible for what happens in it - even if it's done by someone else, if you've given them access to it.
[edited by: netmeg at 3:31 am (utc) on July 20, 2007]
Google can verify this easily.
I can still login to my accounts but they are sanboxed...no impressions, no clicks, no activity.
Well..This thread will teach me to be very very careful in the future..
he gave them his own account info and told them to see all the activity in my account when he was in.
I also sent a certified letter to their Legal department this morning.
I really hope Google can understand that it is not bad practice to give a long time, loyal customer a break.
I never did anything wrong in 5 years, just a silly, stupid mistake of something I didnt have any knowledge of.
I see AdWords Advisors in this forum all the time helping people.
Can you please assist me? I have spent over $70,000 in my account since 2002.
Please, help me make my case heard. It is unfair.
If you are innocent as you claim, I am really sympathetic to your situation. Because of those that really abuse the system, you seem to be a victim of them.
Google simply does not have time, resources and interest, so all or any of those would be spent onto cases like yours.
Why?
I am guessing that less than 3% of all of “account shut-down” cases are wrong decisions.
These things happen, and in order to protect “regular” accounts, I think Google needs to hear a voice of all of those – regular ones.
Your problem is in the fact that if Google would listen to everyone like you expect them to, they would be doing just that all the time simply because all those real abusers would be emailing an calling them with all possible and impossible excuses.
I am aware that my particular post cannot change your situation, but if you are really 100% clean as you say you are, I am hopping that all those posts will do some movement, at list with AWA, maybe just so they take another look into your whole history and what you’ve explained in regards “how it happened”.
Yes, for everyone else, just to be sure, you don’t let even your Mom to log into your account.
Please reread the TOS and see where they are.
Currently, your only defense witness is someone who has already confessed to trying to scam Google; why would they take his word for anything.
You still haven't said why you allowed this self-confessed scammer to have your passwords; if you wanted help, Google have a supprt scheme, though I gather it is overrun with people fighting to reopen lost accounts.
Patzcool gave you great advice:
Open a new account with a new computer/notebook, new email with another name (better with Gmail), new Credit Card with another name (not your name), new internet connection and new website with a new domain name.
You do not appear to have learned anything from this thread so far; that's a shame, because (mine aside) there have been several very sensible posts.
One thing you must learn is this:
You have lost your existing account. Period. Move on ...
Please reread the TOS and see where they are.
Quadrille, please give some specific pointers about what to look for. I couldn't find anything in the Adwords documentation that would cover a situation like this.
I am innocent as I claim. And Google doesnt even have to take my word for it. I am sure they have the IP of my "friend", time and all other data to verify what happened.
I think they should follow up on it and give the benefit of the doubt to a long, long time customer.
Also, like i said many times...I had NO IDEA of what site my "friend" was designing at that time and that he had a banned Google account.
I got married a mnth ago, have a baby on the way and my mom is starting chemo today for the second time.
If Google doesn have the time to investigate my case, which shouldnt take longer than 15 minutes then I think they dont deserve another dollar from me.
I dont know why, but i still have hope that somebody can help me and rely the problem to them.
I read the TOS monthly....
I have had an account for 5 years in good standing thanks to it.
You made a mistake. Unfortunately, some mistakes are really costly, and you don't always get a second chance. If Google has told you numerous times not to call them again, I think you have to think seriously about moving on and exploring other avenues. They have decided they do not want your business, period. It may not seem fair to you, but it's their prerogative. Just as it's your prerogative to choose whether or not to do business with them.
[edited by: JChang at 8:32 pm (utc) on July 20, 2007]
I am not holding my breath.
Are you using Yahoo and MSN to advertise with as well?
#1 He was in my account 5 minutes
#2 Right after he was done ( a simple big change ) I changed the password
#3 Adwords tracks history of ads/keywords activity...also logs of longings, etc.... they have the evidence... they dont even have to believe my words
as I already said...nothing like this ever happened. The even said it in their email: your account was associated with another account that was banned for blablablah
He was in my account 5 minutes
One nanosecond was enough for him to be asociated with your account. It's not what he did or didn't do with your account. It's what he did or didn't do with HIS account.
And in Google's eyes, you chose to be associated with him.
I had no idea his account was suspended or whatever the hell he was doing with it.
I NEVER did anything with mine and thats what Google should base their actions on! 5 years that I was a loyal customer.. and this is the return I get.
I had no idea his account was suspended or whatever the hell he was doing with it.
Quite; but google don't know that.
All Google know is that you chose to share your account with a known scammer (for reasons you still haven't really explained).
Personally, I like Google being quick on the draw in security m,atters, and I think your anger at google rather misses two key targets:
1. You. You gave someone access to your account. OK, you didn't know he was a scammer, but you didn't know he wasn't either. I know this will hurt, but you really, really, need to take some responsibility for your own actions. You wuz wrong. Period.
2. Him. The scammer deceived you. He broke your trust. He got your account closed. I really, really cannot understand why you have no anger gainst him. He's the villain, not Google. Or is there something you haven't told us?
Yes, there is an argument that maybe Google are too protective, and should loosen up. Then they'll be blamed by people for turning a blind eye to scammers invading accounts.
At least TRY to see this from Google's POV.
No giving me the benefit of the doubt after 5 years of NO PROBLEMS with them. Still think is fair?
Now about your points:
#1 I have known this person since 1999 and had no reason to believe he was doing anything wrong, didn't even know he had an Adwords account!
#2 He has apologized to me and have called Google himself explaining the error. Yes I was angry at him but it wasn't his intention to have me banned. You say he is the villain, not Google. I agree....and on the same token I say he is the villain, NOT ME.
You keep saying that there is something I am not telling...well, sorry to disappoint you but EXACTLY what I said is what happened. No mystery or conspiracy theory.
#3
I never said Google should loosen up...I think they did the right thing by closing HIS account. But didnt bother to look AT THE EVIDENCE they have in hand to see that I didnt do nothing wrong.
My account was never used to do ANYTHING against their TOS.
Google did the wright thing to ban him and the wrong thing by banning me. If they dont have 10 minutes to look at the logs and at the history of my account to keep a long time customer I say their business practices are mediocre at best.
I sympathize with you, but you keep arguing with everybody who is trying to help you. Whether or not you like it, G had the right to do what they did, right or wrong. With the amount of time you have spent repeating your arguments to people who can't do anything to help, you could have fixed the problem as suggested above.
