Customer Service reading from script, knows nothing

Accounting & Taxes

Topic summary

Nonprofit charged sales tax on its annual Shopify subscription despite being tax‑exempt; last year Shopify recognized the exemption.

After 45–60 minutes on live chat with an agent (“Kia”), the only response is that they’re “waiting for a response from our delegated team” about the invoice.

The poster cannot escalate to or speak directly with billing and believes the agent is following an incorrect script and lacks understanding of nonprofit sales‑tax issues.

They suspect Shopify may have lost their tax‑exempt documentation and simply want a way to resend it.

Seeking advice on how to reach a knowledgeable, preferably US‑based, Shopify support/billing contact who can resolve the tax‑exempt status and remove the sales tax charge.

No resolution yet; key open items are how to contact the right team and where to submit updated tax‑exempt paperwork.

Summarized with AI on December 19. AI used: gpt-5.
1

I have been on a “live chat” with a “live agent” named Kia. For 45 minutes.

At issue: Our nonprofit was charged sales tax for the annual nonprofit Shopify subscription. We are not supposed to be charged sales tax. Last year, Shopify properly recognized our tax exempt status.

This agent is clearly reading from an incorrect script and understands ZERO about nonrprofits and sales tax. Closing in on an hour, and all “Kia” keeps saying is, “I’m still waiting for a response from our delegated team regarding the sales tax charge on your invoice.” I keep asking to speak directly to the billing department. No luck.

Has anyone found a way to get through to a US-based ---- or at minimum, not someone sitting in India, Pakistan, or Tunesia — who really understands Shopify and can help? Sales tax issues are super easy. If Shopify has lost our tax exempt form, I just need a place to send a new one.

Not sit for now one hour with a “CS agent” who has a script to read and cannot deviate from that.