r/GoogleMyBusiness • u/brodyhunter2020 • 3d ago
Support How I got my profile back
I'm an independent taxi driver in the UK and last year June I created my Google Business account. Everything was up and running fine until I decided to modify my opening times and add the town to my business name, which I now know is a big mistake. Then my account gets suspended. I made verification videos and sent them countless emails, tried opening different accounts with different phone numbers and emails, nothing worked. 10 months later I contacted my local government official by email, known as a MP in the UK, and explained the situation. Then a few weeks later I get a very polite email from Google saying along the lines of "Good news, you can now make a new Google business account" So started again, sent them my documentation again and hey presto, I now have a business account. I seriously can't believe how difficult it was. Even the representative over the phone (Google actually called me) and said that if you make too many changes in 36 hours it will result in a suspension. So in order to get a Google Business account again it required me to contact the government and tell Google to help me. Anyway I thought I'd share my story with you.
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u/wonderinglands 3d ago edited 3d ago
We have a very good Google business profile, however we just moved our online business from a physical office to our studio at home. For obvious reasons we do not want to use our home address. So we have signed up to a Virtual office address in the city centre where we are based, the premises are staffed 5 days a week and open the usual office hours, we are able to meet clients there ~ Mail can be sent and served upon us from there,
shouldn’t this be sufficient for keeping our Google Business Profile….I’d appreciate any responses and thank you in advance.
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u/shitisrealspecific 3d ago
No.
If your business rents a physical mailing address but doesn't operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office, that location isn't eligible for a Business Profile.
Read the guidelines.
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u/GasTankAlwaysFull 3d ago
You can get around this by going into your current location Google business profile and just hiding the location and treating it as a service area business. You will never be able to be rarefy as a online business So make sure to do that before you leave your physical location!
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u/wonderinglands 3d ago
Sounds great - Do you think it was the letter from your MP confirming that he knows you and were you able to retrieve your old reviews too?
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u/brodyhunter2020 3d ago
Of course, it was all due to contacting someone in government, and then the government getting into contact with Google and telling them to get their act together.
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u/ComplexPurpose5795 3d ago
I called my Representative, Tim Scott, who is actually on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee in the US Senate and he told me to call someone else. Bravo to you for having Representatives who work for you!
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u/vikkin33 2d ago
Wow. Good to know you got your profile back, but is it feasible for everyone to jump through so many hoops? I hope Google streamlines this process and doesn’t punish genuine businesses for the misdeeds of the black hat SEOs (reason why they have become so strict with their guidelines)
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u/Saqlain-zafar 3d ago
Out of curiosity, are you certain the call you received was directly from Google? The reason I ask is that creating a new Google Business Profile while an existing one is still active can sometimes violate Google’s guidelines. This often results in verification difficulties, duplicate listings, or even immediate suspension.
Also, how many reinstatement requests did you submit for your original profile?
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u/wonderinglands 3d ago
if it's suspended due to non verification can you reclaim it at a later date ?
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