My new website was closed on Wednesday after Shopify Payments was approved on Tuesday. The email received is very generic:
Dear Account Owner,
We have reviewed your account and determined that it is in violation of Shopify’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). As a result, we are no longer able to host your store on the Shopify platform and your account has been closed.
The full amount of pending payouts will be held by the Processor, in accordance with the Shopify Payments Terms of Service and the Processor’s Terms of Service. Payouts are typically held for 120 days.
If you believe that your account was terminated in error, you can appeal using this form.
Please note that this email address is not monitored. Any responses submitted will not receive a reply.
Shopify’s Terms of Service can be found here.
Thank you,
Shopify Merchant Trust Team
This situation doesn’t offer much clarity on what went wrong. I’ve reviewed the Acceptable Use Policy, and I don’t see anything that applies to our case. We’re a well-established business with over 10 years of experience. After paying a professional to build the website, I was left to complete the rest by entering personal and business information. Since we’re busy Monday to Friday, the only time I have to work on the website is over the weekend. We already have another website hosted by Shopify, which has been problem-free for a couple of years. This case is clearly a mistake, and I’m eager to resolve it, as we’ve already lost money and continue to do so. However, Customer Support has been unhelpful, and we’ve received no response from the team responsible for this error. To make matters worse, there’s apparently no phone number or email to contact them. Any help will be much appreciated.
I’m sorry to hear about the issues you’re experiencing with Shopify. It sounds incredibly frustrating, especially given the lack of clear communication and the impact on your business. Here’s what you can do to try and resolve this situation:
1. Review the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) Again
Even though you’ve reviewed the AUP already, it might be worth doing a very detailed check to see if anything might have been inadvertently overlooked. Sometimes the language can be broad or ambiguous, which could lead to unexpected violations.
2. Appeal the Decision
If you believe this is a mistake, Shopify allows you to appeal the decision. Use the appeal form mentioned in the email. When filling out the form:
Be clear and concise in explaining why you believe this is an error.
Include any relevant details about your business, such as its history, nature, and compliance with Shopify’s policies.
Provide any evidence that supports your case, such as past communications with Shopify, business licenses, or other documentation showing compliance with their policies.
3. Seek Clarification
If the appeal form is not yielding results, or if you want to clarify further, you can try to escalate the issue:
Twitter/LinkedIn: Sometimes, reaching out via social media, particularly Twitter, tagging Shopify Support or key Shopify personnel, can get a faster response.
Shopify Community Forums: Engage with the Shopify community forums. Sometimes, issues can be resolved or better understood with the help of other users who might have faced similar problems.
Legal Advice: If you continue to face non-responsiveness, consulting with a lawyer who specializes in e-commerce or digital platforms could be beneficial. They might be able to draft a more compelling appeal or identify specific legal avenues for resolution.
4. Evaluate Alternative Platforms
If the issue cannot be resolved in a timely manner, and given the potential financial losses, it might be worth considering an alternative e-commerce platform in parallel, such as WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or Wix. These platforms might have different policies or support that could better suit your business.
5. Contact Shopify Support in Different Ways
Chat Support: If you’re not getting responses, try using Shopify’s chat support on their website. This might lead to faster escalations.
Contact Form: Although they’ve stated the email in the original communication isn’t monitored, use Shopify’s general contact forms to submit inquiries, even if it’s just to express your need for a swift resolution.
6. Document Everything
Keep a detailed record of all your interactions with Shopify, including emails, chat logs, and any other communications. This could be important if the issue escalates further, and you need to demonstrate your efforts to resolve the situation.
I hope one of these approaches helps in resolving the issue swiftly.
Why no one from Shopify bothers to reply on this thread? Very active on Facebook ads to get new customers, but no intentions to resolve any problems with the existing ones. Is this the business model of this platform?