Poster from Google

smallthanks.withgoggle.com

[keyplyr]

Received a package today from smallthanks.withgoggle.com

It was a big blue poster, supposedly for my business use, but the text had nothing to do with my business aside from a misuse of my company logo at the top. There was also several other smaller versions for display on windows, auto glass, etc. The accompanying letter said it was a free gift and that my business was a trending topic.

It went right into the rubbish. What a waste of resources. Doesn't anyone review stuff like this?

[not2easy]

I don't get it. How is this from Google?

[keyplyr]

It's a 3rd party using data from Google Business Center.
withgoggle.com is owned by teaminternet.de

[QuaterPan]

Personalized Marketing Toolkits

The Small Thanks program was created to help you turn your customers into your greatest advocates. For a limited time only, we are giving away printed personalized marketing kits that show off what customers are saying about your business.

The kits include: a custom poster, as well as stickers, a window decal, and a table tent that you can use to encourage your customers to support you with more reviews on Google. To take advantage of this opportunity, order your free kit today.
Terms & Conditions

To be eligible for the ACC Small Thanks giveaway, valued at approximately $15.00 (“Promotional Offer”), a Business must:

have an active and verified Google My Business listing;
have mailable street address that’s listed in your Google My Business listing;
be one of the first 10,000 submissions for the giveaway;
not be an employee of any government or a wholly or partially government-controlled or state-owned entity;
be located in the fifty (50) United States and Washington, D.C.;
be at least 18 years of age upon receipt of the promotional offer;

Businesses should allow at least four weeks from the submission date for processing and shipping of the giveaway.

Use of the Promotional Offers is at Business’s full discretion.

Google may revoke the Promotional Offer at any time for any reason.

Limit one Promotional Offer per Business. If Business has more than one location, each location is eligible.

Business’s use of the Promotional Offer constitutes its acceptance of these terms and conditions.

Google will in no event be liable for any damages whatsoever, whether direct, indirect, general, special, compensatory, consequential and/or incidental, arising out of or relating to Business’s use of the Promotional Offer.

Google is not responsible for inaccuracies or other deliverability issues associated with the active and verified Google My Business listing/address.

Offer void where prohibited by law.

May be someone submitted "you".

[keyplyr]

Google is not responsible for inaccuracies

Everything about each item was inaccurate. I'm also objecting to the illegal misuse of my registered trademark. They did not solicit permission to use it & I did not authorize its use.

[robzilla]

I don't get it either. Is it, or is it not actually from Google? withgoggle.com is just a parked domain (and teaminternet.de the owner of the domain parking service).

If it's officially from Google, and you signed up for My Business, you did give them the right to use your name in this way.

[QuaterPan]

I assume that this is - [smallthanks.withgoogle.com...]

[keyplyr]

Yes QuaterPan, that's what I said. I'm puzzled by the couple comments that it is not from Google.

This *is* from Google. The letter and other material clearly says so.

I did not give Google permission to reproduce my registered trademark on print media and distribute it through US Mail.

[QuaterPan]

I did not give Google permission to reproduce my registered trademark on print media and distribute it through US Mail.

If Google had to obtain the permission before doing something, they wouldn't be where they are now (joking)

[robzilla]

I'm puzzled by the couple comments that it is not from Google.

You kept referring to the misspelled "withgoggle.com" and "a 3rd party using data from Google Business Center". If it's from Google, it'd be withgoogle.com and there would be no 3rd party.

I did not give Google permission to reproduce my registered trademark on print media and distribute it through US Mail.

If you signed up for My Business, then you did, because you gave "Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display, distribute, and create derivative works of the basic listing information about your entity that you provide to your page (such as the entity name, location, phone number, category, hours, and website)."

[lucy24]

distribute it through US Mail

Does sending something only to you count as “distribution”? I’m inclined to doubt it.

[keyplyr]

You kept referring to the misspelled "withgoggle.com"

Ah yes, sorry about the typo. Stupid phone spell checker changes spelling when I hit the Submit button. Then if I don't catch it and go back and correct it, the spell checker will remember that spelling and continue with it.

Does sending something only to you count as “distribution”?

Assuming this was *only* sent to me, no. I have no idea who this was sent to. Again, I have no idea who even initialized this, if anyone actually did. I suspect some techie at Google, likely the nerd who thought-up this idea, programmed the software to send these out randomly and never even looked to see if they made sense.

The accompanying letter seemed to imply that my Google Business listing has had so much activity, it is now considered as "trending" (which is BS) and that is why I was sent this material.

If the material looked nice and relevant to my business, I would probably not have been *as* concerned, but the content included vague reviews from users that I would have not chosen to include and instead of the main heading being my business name, some unrelated text was prominent across the poster with my trademark at the very top suggesting I was accountable for all this. That is an illegal misuse use of my trademark which is unrelated to what robzilla posted. My registered trademark has strict restrictions of use regulated by law.

[tangor]

I feel left out. Where's my poster?