A merchant’s own experience
How I fixed two Merchant Center suspensions
Published
My own merchant account was suspended twice. I resolved both suspensions after making changes to the store. This is my account of the problems I found and the fixes I made.
First suspension: countdown timers and unsupported claims
The first suspension involved countdown timers and claims I could not prove. I was fortunate to speak to support on the phone. They pointed me toward this issue, but did not identify exactly where it appeared on the store.
I removed the countdown timers and the claims I could not substantiate. Those were the changes I made for the first suspension, which I resolved.
A useful direction from support still left work to do. I needed to find the relevant content on my own store and change it. The call did not give me a list of exact pages or wording to replace.
Second suspension: transit times and contact email
The second suspension happened after transit times had changed and I had switched from a professional email address to Gmail.
I corrected the transit times and switched back to my business email. I resolved this suspension too.
These were changes made together. My experience does not establish that the email address alone caused the suspension or that changing it alone resolved the issue.
What this account establishes
I resolved both suspensions. This account records my own experience and the corrective work I completed. I have kept the store unnamed.
What another merchant can take from it
Start with the facts you can inspect: the claims and offers shoppers see, the delivery times you publish, and the contact details they can use. Record the problem, make the correction, then check the published result before requesting another review.
Google’s Misrepresentation policy addresses misleading information about products and businesses, including inaccurate claims and misleading fulfilment terms. Its Merchant Center guidelines also call for accessible contact information. Those requirements are broader than the changes in my own case.
This account is not a rule that every countdown timer or Gmail address causes a suspension. Check whether your offers are truthful, your delivery information is accurate and your contact details work. Review the current issue notice and account settings as well as the public store.