topic Re: Can Google Adwords report me to the CRA if I never got a (physical) letter? in General Credit Topics

Can Google Adwords report me to the CRA if I never got a (physical) letter?

ando35 — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 02:39:12 GMT

I had run an ad by mistake with Google ad words and it was $250. They would not help me even though they admitted it was apparent to them that the ad was a dummy ad run by mistake. I asked Bank of America to fight and was honest with them and they fought it and I was refunded the money by Bank of America. Then a couple months later I noticed an email from Google adwords saying if I did not pay by a certain date it would go into collections.

Don't they have to at least send me a phscial letter or a phone call before they do that? II know Google is pretty bad in terms of not being the best company to deal with. Their collections and their customer service is all based in India and I am not sure they follow U.S. law to a tee.

Anyone have an ideas?

Re: Can Google Adwords report me to the CRA if I never got a (physical) letter?

SunriseEarth — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 08:00:10 GMT

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Re: Can Google Adwords report me to the CRA if I never got a (physical) letter?

SunriseEarth — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 08:07:13 GMT

@ando35 wrote:
I had run an ad by mistake with Google ad words and it was $250. They would not help me even though they admitted it was apparent to them that the ad was a dummy ad run by mistake. I asked Bank of America to fight and was honest with them and they fought it and I was refunded the money by Bank of America. Then a couple months later I noticed an email from Google adwords saying if I did not pay by a certain date it would go into collections.

Don't they have to at least send me a phscial letter or a phone call before they do that? II know Google is pretty bad in terms of not being the best company to deal with. Their collections and their customer service is all based in India and I am not sure they follow U.S. law to a tee.

Anyone have an ideas?

AFAIK, Google already advised you of their intent to send the matter to collections. As far as what a CA can do regarding reporting of the debt, that is regulated by state and federal law; that is a different matter than Google's intention.

As far as their standing to do this, typically ad sales provide a disclaimer about not being responsible for proofing errors. I would review the contract or agreement you made with them very carefully. In any case, you may consider seeking third-party assistance, perhaps through BBB or your state AG's office.

Re: Can Google Adwords report me to the CRA if I never got a (physical) letter?

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 16:52:59 GMT

You could try filing a complaint via the Better Business Bureau (BBB). May not resolve the issue, but at least puts it on the record for others to see.

$250 is a huge amount of money to some and not others; it's all relative. From a financial aspect, depending on your specific financial situation, it may be better to simply pay straight away. Not paying the $250 and having it go to collections could result in an adverse entry on on your personal and/or business credit reports. That could easily cost you more than $250 in the longrun depending on your reliance on credit and/or other services, such as insurance, that utilize information on credit reports to determine pricing. Also, use of various Google services could be limited due to the outstanding balance.

On a related note, some creditors (and collectors acting on their behalf) generally don't report collections to the CRAs, but that's a fluid situation and can't be relied upon. There's always a chance of an old collection appearing years later, often at the worst time, such as when applying for a mortgage.

As a compremise, seek additional credit for future adword purchases. For example, buy $250 and get an additional $250 free, which would, in effect, make up for the $250 you spent. This would likely only work after paying the $250 you owe to their collections department, then contact their sales department to work out such an arrangement.

Re: Can Google Adwords report me to the CRA if I never got a (physical) letter?

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 16:56:42 GMT

I know of someone who went through this with Google. She found herself in dire straights and could not pay her monthly bill, (it was a checking account debit and she had no money in the account). They sent an eMail notice which, since she had no money, she ignored. No physical letter. She now has a collection account reported to the CRA's.

Re: Can Google Adwords report me to the CRA if I never got a (physical) letter?

ando35 — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 19:48:47 GMT

Thank you. I will call them now. Maybe I can pay 50 a month instead of all of it since I just took a $20,000 pay cut and life sucks.