I had created an account in Adwords sometime in June, 2013 and made a single payment on 24 June 2013 for 15, 200. However, erroneously from Google side, I was charged twice. When I contacted them over phone the next day and I asked for one of the transaction of 15, 200 to be reversed, I was informed by Rajeswari C that she has escalated the matter to the concerned team and will get in touch with me with the solution. I received a call from Rajeswari the next day and was told that Google does not have the capability to reverse the transaction and I was told to contact my card issuer to get it reversed. All this for no fault of mine. I called my bank and asked them for a charge back on one of the transaction. It was done within 2-3 days. I thought the issue is closed and resolved. Alas, that was not to be.
On August 7, 2013 I received a mail from adwords-noreply@google.com, stating that my account has been suspended because they cannot verify my billing information. I opened my adwords account and as instructed, I filled some forms explaining things in detail. Also, I contacted Rajeswari again on the mail (on August 8) and asked her to look into this as she had resolved this issue in the first place. She called me back and informed that she had escalated the matter to the concerned team and will inform me once done. She called me on August 9 and told me to do some changes in my Billing setting as informed to her by the finance/billing team. She has helped me in resolving all my issued till date, to the best of her ability but there are only certain things which an individual in an organization can do as per his/her jurisdiction (if that’s the right word).
My issue is still not resolved and its been 6th day for the suspension of the account. I have few questions:-
1.Why did it take them more than 43 days to figure that my billing information is wrong?
2.If the billing information is wrong, how did the transaction happen in the first place? I have already received the bill for the same on the credit card and have already paid for the same!
3.Whose fault is it that my card was debited twice? Why should I suffer the pain of calling my card issuer to get it reversed in the first place?
4.Why shall I suffer for the same for no fault of mine? My adwords account still has more than 13, 000 credit remaining?
5.Why has no one called me till date? Apart from Rajeswari, whom I had contacted? Are all the forms which are linked to the error message on my adwords account only for the sake of doing some stupid customer service audit?
6.Who will compensate me for all these issues?
7.Worst of all the number mentioned for calling (1-866-246-6453) only reiterates that my account has been suspended and does not allow me to do anything or talk to someone?
I have never felt so helpless till date dealing with a business, ever in my life. Customer care is the only live contact point for Google in India with its end customers, and you outsource them to Genpact, who can’t even talk properly, who can’t embody the Google Culture in themselves and will never be able to transfer that during calls.
Building a brand is very difficult and destroying it only takes few instances.
God save Google!