Google My Business
For those of us in business, Google is our best friend these days and we need to keep google happy with us and on our side. Recently I stumbled upon an issue that very few people new how to fix. After 20 plus phone calls and 20 more emails, and looking at multiple forums I was still not able to find an answer. Google Places and Google plus manage my business was not allowing me to edit my business address. It was permanently pending verification. The automated system would not allow me to send a postcard and I was not allowed to verify by phone. Most recently, since the New Year of 2017 the google verification team is no longer available to verify over the phone by confirming your address on the footer or content of your website. They have made the verification team unavailable and who you get when you request for the google callback system is a team under the verification team who can only put in a request. This makes it difficult as you are now talking through a third party to try to resolve this issue. To make matters worse, when emailing the verification team, they respond with automated answers such as:
‘As the postcard request is a automated process, we will not be able to able to send the postcard manually. We’re unable to proceed with the verification as there are no postcard requests left.’
-or-
‘Your listing could not be verified to appear on Google Search and Maps because it doesn’t comply with our eligibility guidelines.’
I would ask why it is not eligible or ask what other options I had and it was as if I was talking to an automated robot on the other end who would not supply me with an answer. My mind was boggled as I asked every computer tech wizard and web developer I knew who were giving me different links to chats and callbacks, all of which I will post for you of course! I also called in several times only for them to tell me they will expedite this issue to their verification team and day after day, my business was not verified. I had just opened a new business, how was I to get seen? The long and short is…if this is your issue, I know your pain! Yet, I have a solution and I was not able to find this solution on any of the forums, nor did anyone tell me this solution.
It was not until I kept persisting and got the right intelligent google representative on the phone by the name of Arshad who helped me solve my dilemma. His answer was you need to create a new business page listing and then delete the old business page listing and then we will merge the two. My concern was I didn’t want to lose my google reviews that I had worked so hard to obtain. He ensured me that I would not lose them. Arshad was great! I went through the process with him over the phone of creating my new google listing, deleting my old one and then he expedited the merging of the two accounts to the verification team. To ensure that I did not lose contact with Arshad (as in my experience a lot of people over the phone say they are giving refunds, changing information, doing something and you hang up the phone only to find out that your hour was wasted and it was never done) he emailed me so I would have his contact information by email so I could keep in touch. As you know, there is no way to call back the same person at google. Arshad made sure that my problem was resolved and called me until it was fixed. This was some AWESOME customer service!
So, my recommendation to all of you who are having this issue:
- Get a callback from google customer service here (this link is crazy hard to find now!!) and tell them that you cannot verify your business information and need to create a new listing, delete the old listing and then merge the two so you do not lose your google reviews. Here is another link to get a callback, email or chat option. The best way to do this is to get someone on the phone!
- Make sure to get the google customer service person’s email address (have them email you while on the phone) so you can keep in touch with the person to ensure that the fix is accomplished and you have a record of who you spoke to.
- Be persistent about getting this done. I was told many times that I was ineligible or that the issue could not be fixed. Find the right person and tell the exactly what I described above. There is an answer, they cannot just leave you TNoating in la la land. You will get verified.
I hope this helps everyone! 🙂
