Google Doesn't Want Our Money

I have been handling accounts for small businesses for more years than I care to remember. I have managed to successfully transfer very large sums of money in a couple of days to various suppliers, but NEVER have I experienced the problems I have come across recently trying to pay one Google AdWords bill.

It started last month when we were due to pay our first AdWords account directly on behalf of a client. I was warned there may be difficulties paying it,  but I thought “this is a big outfit, they just aren’t managing it right”. Ha!

Firstly, the invoice had the wrong details on it and the bank wouldn’t process it. So I rang our friends at Google and told them of my dilemma. Forty-five minutes later my friend in India didn’t have a clue how to help me but he promised he would get me the information somehow. I had provided our account number, our ID number and the Invoice number.

The very difficult question I was trying to get an answer for, was: “WHO DO I SEND YOUR MONEY TO?”

That difficult question could simply not be answered that day, he would look into it and let me know.

It just so happened one of the AdWords account managers from Google called into the office to see our AdWords Specialist a couple of days later, so I thought “here is my chance! I will ask him, he has to know.”

Silly me. I showed him the invoice and he couldn’t tell me where to send it either, BUT he would find out for me if I could email him the statement and the invoice. That was 10 days ago… still no advice on where to send the money to pay the bill.

Suddenly, I receive an email from Google Collections Department telling me the bank branch is Singapore, send it to them. Signed by Google Finance India. So now do I have it sorted? Not a chance!

On the day the account is due, I receive another email from someone else telling me the bank is in Sydney - with all the details in the email followed up with a phone call from the Google Call Centre, assuring me this is the correct one.

This month’s bill is quite large … we’ll find out in a few days if the money actually got to Google, or who knows where… wish us luck!

This post was written by Robyn, a former administrator on the team.