MS Ads - Appeal Case Closed: Suspension Upheld

Question

Hi there,

I'm a new business and was attempting to set up a Microsft Ads account, using the email/domain as for all my other MS business accounts, when I was told I had violated the Terms of Use. I appealed and provided comment that I had simply updated the business information for Bing Places, and had only created the ads account.

Today I received an alarming email from the Trust and Safety Team saying the following:

Hello from Microsoft Advertising,

We have reviewed your appeal request of Manager Account G14xxxxxx and determined the account is in violation of the Microsoft Advertising Egregious Policy .

Egregious violations include:

• Obfuscation of advertiser or payer identity, to include providing inaccurate identity information or documentation
• Use of the service to facilitate illegal practices or content.
• This includes promoting illegal products or services.
• Malicious software codes (e.g., malware, phishing, scareware, ransomware, pirated software).
• Any landing page or downloadable content which removes user control.
• Ad content which obfuscates the intention or functionality of any downloaded product or provided service.
• Circumventing or evading system service safeguards or monitoring.
• Any content or action designed to facilitate gaining unauthorized access to any user, advertiser, or data, or manipulate the Microsoft Advertising service.
• Deceptive or obfuscated content, cloaking, or spoofing.
• Impersonation, manipulation or deceptive media, or deceptive use of name or brand to imply endorsement.
• Excessive collection of personal information unnecessary to fulfill ad promise.
• Emotionally manipulative or coercive content.
• Attempting to circumvent our account suspension or other measures intended to enforce our policies or terms by creating a new advertiser account or Manager Account.

Additional Details:

Per Microsoft Advertising Terms of Use and Policies that you agreed to when using our product and service, we have suspended all ads, and access to all Accounts for all users within your Manager Account. 

The thing is hadn't even gotten to the stage of creating my first ad on the platform. The promotion would have been for the garden, which is open by appointment, i.e. people pay $10 to walk around it, and we're in the process of setting up a side venture selling imported French glasshouses but that wasn't going to be part of the ad as I'm still building that part of the website, see here: <removed by Moderator>

So, I'm really stumped by the suggested violations as 1) no ad or content had been created, 2) promoting our garden in NZ only isn't malicious software or illegal products, 3) we don't have a landing page as suggested, we hosting via Huspot, and 4) if logging in to appeal is an attempt to circumvent suspension then I really have no clue what I'd done wrong.

Any help greatly appreciated, this feels like something has gone awry, but as said I simply trying to create an ad account.

Kind regards

Ben

Answer 1

Hi Ben,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Advertising Community Forum!

I understand from your request that your newly created account received an egregious policy flag. Generally, there could be a number of reasons why our system would suspend an account. For security reasons, we are unable to provide exact details on why an account has been suspended, but I've compiled a list below of the most common areas where accounts may be out of compliance with our advertising policies. 

Please see a list of important policies below to ensure you are following them. 

• Ad Content & Style (msft.it/6013gO1gl) 

• Financial Products & Services (msft.it/6014gO1gm) 

• Relevance & Quality (msft.it/6015gO1gW)

• Restricted & Disallowed Content (msft.it/6016gO1go) 

• Traffic Quality (msft.it/6017gO1gU) 

• User Safety & Privacy (msft.it/6018gO1gq) 

If you complied with all our advertising policies above, I would kindly ask you to submit an appeal. You can do that by following the email you received. You should have an option there where it says Complete Appeal Form. Please click that and follow the steps, and you reply will go directly to the internal team. 

Meantime, here’s an online support article to learn more about the Microsoft Advertising Egregious Policy and appeals process.  We also sent Private Message to further assist.

Updates to our network policies - Microsoft Advertising

Impact to your Microsoft Advertising account - Microsoft Advertising

**Margarita |**Microsoft Advertising Support Specialist | 1-800-518-5689 | Contact Us

Answer 2

This seems to happen to most people. I had the exact same thing happen. Sent an appeal letting them know I hadn't even created an ad yet.. still trying to put in credit card when it booted me. Same response. Egregious policy violation.

Chat is useless. Just like these Microsoft advisers. Copy and paste responses.

Their automated systems are obviously waaay too sensitive. They boot everyone.. or almost everyone. There are forums with hundreds and hundreds of business owners with the exact same experience. So.. you're not alone. It seems this has been going on for at least the last year. I wonder if the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.. I imagine they must have sales meetings and sign up goals trying to get new advertisers. That department doesn't realize there is a security department booting everyone who tries to sign up. If they fixed this, they would probably see their numbers shoot through the roof!!

The sad thing is, there seems to be no way to fix this. It seems to be a lifetime, permanent suspension. Any account you create will be suspended from here on out. Advertise with Google like everyone else. They seem to have no problem taking my money.

Answer 3

This is not the proper way nor professional way to treat a paying customer! Seriously, who the hell came up with this horrible insulting message? You took my money, didn't run my ads then suspended my account? THAT IS FRAUD - ITS THEFT And beyond that it's just a MORONIC way to do business. Bing's traffic share is a fraction of Google. What makes you think people will put up with this criminal behavior? I gave Microsoft a second chance after asking them to delete my account when I became so frustrated with the UI - and this is how you treat me to give it a try again? And this ridiculous email you sent. I don't know what you're accusing me of. "Obfuscation of advertiser or payer identity," I think not I sent a copy of my driver's license front and back and a picture of myself. The address on the DL matched the information on the account. "Use of the service to facilitate illegal practices or content.

• This includes promoting illegal products or services.
• Malicious software codes (e.g., malware, phishing, scareware, ransomware, pirated software)." No we provide Broadcast engineering and consulting services for radio and television stations nationwide. (Woops - big screw up Microsoft) We've been in business since 1985.
  "Any landing page or downloadable content which removes user control." We have nothing to download on our website!
  "- Ad content which obfuscates the intention or functionality of any downloaded product or provided service." again no downloads on the website.
  "Any content or action designed to facilitate gaining unauthorized access to any user, advertiser, or data, or manipulate the Microsoft Advertising service." The ads were created in Google ads - they were approved and then imported into Microsoft Ads. So again this doesnt apply to me in any way shapre or form. "Deceptive or obfuscated content, cloaking, or spoofing." I have no clue what that even means,. " Impersonation, manipulation or deceptive media, or deceptive use of name or brand to imply endorsement." Who am I impersonating? Myself? My companies? "Excessive collection of personal information unnecessary to fulfill ad promise." No information was collected from any users since Microsoft never even displayed the ad!!!! This is total nonsense. ALL OF IT! "- Emotionally manipulative or coercive content." WE ARE AN ENGINEERING FIRM - "- Attempting to circumvent our account suspension or other measures intended to enforce our policies or terms by creating a new advertiser account or Manager Account." Now perhaps you got the last one wrong. Because I requested the account be deleted because I was having nothing but problems. Nothing worked correctly. And I was offered several promo offers - paid and jumped through the hoops and didnt receive the promos! YES I WAS ANGRY. BUT I WAS NEVER SUSPENDED! I TOLD MS TO DELETE MY ACCOUNT. AND I MADE THE MISTAKE OF GIVING YOU ANOTHER CHANCE AND THEN YOU LITERALLY **** ON ME!!! "Per Microsoft Advertising Terms of Use and Policies that you agreed to when using our product and service, we have suspended all ads, and access to all Accounts for all users within your Manager Account. " oK - FINE - BUT I HAVE ALREADY FILED A DISPUTE WITH THE MERCHANT FOR THEFT OF MY FUNDS.

LONG LIVE LINUX <removed by Moderator>

Answer 4

The same thing happened to me. Just a long catchall list of reasons, and nothing to help the 'customer' resolve this. What I find astonishing is we're paying customers, and the experience MS is creating is terrible.

Answer 5

Hi Martin,

My appeal was also auto-rejected. However, my issue was picked up via DM, and after some great collaboration with Margarita, she was able to resolve matters. I don't really know what she had to do to get things working on the MS side of things, but fair to say she really went over and above!

After verifying that I was me and the business was my business, we spoke on the phone several times and via email, tried numerous things, plus Margarita engaged the dev team. It took a couple of attempts (casued by me not following instructions and using auto-login), but I can and have advertised on MS / Bing.

The key thing, which at the time seemed slightly counterintuitive but does make sense (in my case), was that I was already registered and licensed with MS for other services in a personal context/account, and the business I wished to advertise was separately registered with MS for unconnected services. I assumed MS would know me as one entity, but looking at it, why would they? I'd never registered or tied the personal and business accounts previously, and the cookies in my browser and likely the data they hold were, as you'd hope, separate, resulting in contradictory non-compliant profiles. I only surmise on that.

My thinking is that my trying to connect the two distinct and unrelated profiles on different domains triggered verification issues and failures, and then their automated processes kicked in resulting in the policy violations and ban.

The resolution was that the dev/engineering team and Margarita undid the profile connection, essentially removing the business profile for Ads. I then logged in using my personal profile and was able to activate Ads for the business, similar to being an authorised person of the business. Today, I still log in as me rather than as the business, which is no different from how you need a personal account to access some Facebook developer or "proof of person" features.

I'm not sure if activating Ads via your personal account will work for you, but it's worth a try. Then, maybe post your results to the forum for MS to pick up.

Cheers

Ben

PS: To those shouting and trashing MS, remember that you get treated as you treat others and that this is a B2B relationship. If your business is so reliant upon advertising, it may be time to reconsider your business model/offering. If you think MS owes you something, then perhaps reflect upon how you approach business and others. After All, MS is a business (a massive one at that!), and you shouting and trashing MS isn't exactly going to endear them to help you out. Try a more collaborative approach, it's proven to work!

PPS: I have no affiliation with MS; I'm just a licensed user of many of their awesome products!