Technical Issues with Vendor Advertising Causes Unauthorised Ad Charges

We have a case open for 5 months with Amazon. In December I saw unexpected charges taken from our bank account for advertising through the previous ams.amazon (now advertising.amazon). We hadn’t used these ads for a while so I was surprised. When I logged in all ads in Campaign Manager were disabled, as they should have been. However, many campaigns were accruing charges even though the ads were disabled. I discovered the only way to stop the charges accruing was to turn off each and every ad at keyword level.

now the idea of enabling and disabling ads at campaign level is so that you dont have to turn off/on every keyword.

Additionally, many campaigns were so old we no longer had the products in stock. The ACOS was like 2,000 %.

I opened a case which as you might guess no-one seemed to understand the concept and the only reply I got was a third party or api had enabled the ads. This was not the case. So I did a couple of videos showing that by enabling the keywords the ads again started accruing charges even though they were disabled at campaign level.

I am getting nowhere and getting the same old useless replies. I have written to [email protected] but dont expect that will yield any results.

Does anyone have any ideas or has anyone else experienced the same issues?

The whole system is currently messed up and when I view ad costs over the last 12 months it shows none! Yet we have 4 invoices for Nov, Dec and Jan totally over £1,000 which Amazon refuse to refund.

They refunded one campaign which was the one I used in my example in the video - they can’t understand that was just an example and that the charges had been incorrectly applied to many campaigns incorrectly.

It sounds like you’re experiencing a frustrating situation with Amazon Advertising, and I understand your concern regarding unexpected charges and the challenges in getting the issue resolved through regular channels. Here are a few steps you might consider taking to address this issue:

  1. Escalate with Seller Support: While you’ve already reached out to Amazon Seller Support, it might be worth escalating your case again. Explain the situation in detail, providing evidence like videos and screenshots that demonstrate the issue. Request that your case be escalated to a higher level of support.
  2. Contact Amazon Advertising Support: Amazon Advertising has a separate support team. You can reach out to them directly through the Amazon Advertising platform. Explain your issue and provide the evidence you’ve gathered.
  3. Seller Performance Team: If the issue persists, you can consider reaching out to Amazon’s Seller Performance team. They handle issues related to account performance and policy violations. They might be able to provide further insights and assistance.
  4. Amazon Forums: Post your issue on the Amazon Seller Central forums. Sometimes, other sellers who have faced similar issues might provide insights or solutions based on their experiences.
  5. Third-Party Assistance: Consider seeking assistance from a third-party Amazon consultancy or agency that specializes in navigating Amazon Advertising issues. They might have experience in dealing with complex cases and can provide guidance.
  6. Account Manager: If your monthly ad spend is substantial, you might be eligible for an Amazon account manager. Contact Amazon Advertising to inquire about this option and discuss your issue with a dedicated account manager.
  7. Document All Correspondence: Keep thorough records of all correspondence with Amazon support, including case IDs, emails, videos, and screenshots. This documentation can be helpful if you need to escalate the issue further.
  8. Review Advertising Invoices: Regularly review your advertising invoices to ensure they accurately reflect your ad spend. If you spot discrepancies, address them promptly.

Remember that resolving issues with Amazon can sometimes take time and persistence. Continue advocating for your case, providing evidence, and seeking assistance until the issue is properly addressed.