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Hi Guys,
This is Raghuvendra, I am a Shopify e-commerce platform user.
I am using Shopify as my online store builder.
I have built two store with Shopify, although I did not get any sales from them. I still think it is a platform that is easy to use.
However, a days ago, Shopify closed both of my growing store for no reason.
On September, 2, 2017, when I was working on the only store.
Suddenly, I see this:
brushesmm.myshopify.com is currently unavailable.
bikinibest.myshopify.com is currently unavailable.
Then I tried to reach other pages, they all looked the same “Sorry, this shop is currently unavailable.”
At that time I feel like WTF. I checked my emails. No one from Shopify have sent me any notice about the store closing.
Then I looked for the open chat in Shopify. They took 5 hours to give me a response:
Hello,
Wade here from Shopify Risk Operations.
I'm afraid that after reviewing your information and website we believe your business presents a level of risk that we will be unable to support with Shopify. I'm sorry we won't be able to help with your business, and if you have any questions, please let us know.
Best of luck with your business going forward,
Wade
Risk Analyst | Shopify
Your ticket ID is 6770004.
I am ready to provide my identity documents if you need but could you please resolve this?
If business presents a level of risk then i am ready to resolve that. I can give you id proof and address proof and anything else that you need. I really want to use shopify please.
The same thing happened to me too. I'm happy that this thing happened now, which has motivated me to re-consider using shopify. I cant imagine myself, or anyone in this kind of situation that makes you lose all your trust to shopify. When you just change your ip address or try to make payments with different cards, you are automatically banned, and no explanation is given. This is legal, but not fair.
I'm starting a strong business, but after this event, I dont think I'll ever use any service. I mailed to Wade too. Its good to receive answers, but not in this way because this makes it sounds like there is no way that you can use shopify again. I think people can always use shopify, but can you really imagine that your shop being declined suddenly, and no explanation given?
People should definitely be able to use or try different cards when buying shopify packs. I'll do international business and will be having lots of cards, and lots of laptops, which means there will be lots of ip addresses for me to log-in. So, how can I pose risk to shopify if i'm just an international trader? This is sth that I will never understand.
From this e-mail (that I also receive couple of days ago), I understand that everybody in shopify must be careful because their online stores can be closed in a second, with no explanation, and permanently...
My ticket id: 6752406
My site to was closed for No reason, and no notice was given, I received an email from a Customer
letting me know he could not access my store, and when I went to my site it was taken down, I contacted support and was referreed to the Risk dept. who came back 2 days later with a Generic response stating my site was some type of risk, which makes no sense, I am USA based, and the supplier is USA based, so I do not understand why my site was taken down, hours and hours of work down the drain for No reason and no valid explanation, every image I used on my site was 100% public domain, and the products was 100% Authentic, I am so dispointed and Pissed that Shopify can just Destroy your business at will and with No explanation or just reason, now I am out of business for Nothing I did Nothing wrong.
Maybe someone can explain to me How to avoid having your shop closed for no reason?
Happened the same to me. After hours of work the account was suddenly not available anymore without giving me any sort of notification.
"I'm afraid that after reviewing your information and website we believe your business presents a level of risk that we will be unable to support with Shopify. I'm sorry we won't be able to help with your business.
Regrettably as well for security and privacy reasons we are unable to divulge the results of our reviews and investigations.
Unfortunately, once an account has been declined the decision is final."
After asking for an explanation by email they stated they were unwilling to provide one other then that I provide some sort of risk. I did outsource some of the store building duties to a third party in Asia. Speculating on the cause that could be one of the reasons. But it also could be something else.
I thik this is shockingly bad customer service. You can have a strict policy which is fine but at least point out where one is overstepping the boundaries and provide them an opportunity to set it right.
Now it could be anything.
Hey, i recently had this exact situation happen to me. what did you guys do I still really want to use Shopify
i have exactly the same problem just like others. I've proceeded to pay with my debit card and then i have this message "cata-lyst.myshopify.com is currently unavailable." I am even unable to log in to my the backoffice. how do i cancel the payment from my debit card, since i am not able to log in to my shopify account. My shopify account is "shoppndrop.com " Looking forward for your response.
i have exactly the same problem just like others. I've proceeded to pay with my debit card and then i have this message "cata-lyst.myshopify.com is currently unavailable." I am even unable to log in to my the backoffice. how do i cancel the payment from my debit card, since i am not able to log in to my shopify account. My shopify account is "shoppndrop.com " Looking forward for your response.
If you are struggling to find an alternate payment processor please contact me. My name is Charlie Cicack and I am with BankCard USA. We specialize in business types that Shopify Payments, Stripe, PayPal, and Square consider "High-Risk". BankCard USA treats you just like any other business type.
BankCard USA understands the pains of being shut down, having funds held, increasing rates and chargebacks that can occur within specific industries. Our solution is designed to eliminate those problems.
Because we are the processing bank, your costs are markedly reduced. No extra hands in your processing.
Feel free to reach out to me directly to discuss how we can help your business.
Best regards,
Charlie Cicack
818.540.3472 Direct
832.630.5356 Cell
Same here. No reason give. This is fcking annoying. I'm done with Shopify.
what did you end up doing? every single time i try to set a new store up this happens too me 😞 this is heartbreaking. i think they have us on a list that considers us scammers or something like that.
@Raghu2 wrote:Hi Guys,
This is Raghuvendra, I am a Shopify e-commerce platform user.
I am using Shopify as my online store builder.
I have built two store with Shopify, although I did not get any sales from them. I still think it is a platform that is easy to use.
However, a days ago, Shopify closed both of my growing store for no reason.
On September, 2, 2017, when I was working on the only store.
Suddenly, I see this:
brushesmm.myshopify.com is currently unavailable.
bikinibest.myshopify.com is currently unavailable.
Then I tried to reach other pages, they all looked the same “Sorry, this shop is currently unavailable.”
At that time I feel like WTF. I checked my emails. No one from Shopify have sent me any notice about the store closing.
Then I looked for the open chat in Shopify. They took 5 hours to give me a response:
Hello,
Wade here from Shopify Risk Operations.
I'm afraid that after reviewing your information and website we believe your business presents a level of risk that we will be unable to support with Shopify. I'm sorry we won't be able to help with your business, and if you have any questions, please let us know.
Best of luck with your business going forward,
Wade
Risk Analyst | Shopify
Your ticket ID is 6770004.
I am ready to provide my identity documents if you need but could you please resolve this?
If business presents a level of risk then i am ready to resolve that. I can give you id proof and address proof and anything else that you need. I really want to use shopify please.
|
Your ticket ID is 12159244.
Hey Erik,
Thanks for posting, did you ever figure this out?
I know you understand how much i'm freaking out right now, I'm on day 4 of the same rigamaroll
Same happened to me as well. Ever find out what to do?
@mydream1 wrote:My site to was closed for No reason, and no notice was given, I received an email from a Customer
letting me know he could not access my store, and when I went to my site it was taken down, I contacted support and was referreed to the Risk dept. who came back 2 days later with a Generic response stating my site was some type of risk, which makes no sense, I am USA based, and the supplier is USA based, so I do not understand why my site was taken down, hours and hours of work down the drain for No reason and no valid explanation, every image I used on my site was 100% public domain, and the products was 100% Authentic, I am so dispointed and Pissed that Shopify can just Destroy your business at will and with No explanation or just reason, now I am out of business for Nothing I did Nothing wrong.
Maybe someone can explain to me How to avoid having your shop closed for no reason?
@brewerszx10 wrote:
Rebekah H (Shopify)
Mar 5, 04:50 EST
same here. this is crazy over 100 hours into 3 stores and they were shut down. i have not a clue what i did. i am a single father of 5 kids i was really trying to make this work i am going to talk to a lawyer tomorrow there has to be something we can do. i am definitely not just going to let this slide. there are other ways to verify if we are scammers or not besides just flushing our hard work down the toilet then saying f you get lost i am going to make it my mission in life to getting justice for this this is by far the worst example of poor customer service i have ever seen shame on you shopify i am coming for you. i might not win but i sure can cause a stink for them. Hello Bryan,
My name is Rebekah, I'm a Risk Specialisation Guru here at Shopify. I am helping Jez on this email to give you a quicker reply.
I hate to reiterate, on what Jez had said but I'm afraid that for security and privacy reasons we cannot divulge the findings of our reviews and investigations.
Regrettably, once an account has been declined the decision is final.
I have to inform you that if you start another store it will be closed. It might be best to look at other platform.
Kind Regards,
Rebekah
Your ticket ID is 12159244.
Same happened here, did you ever figure out what to do?
Exact same thing happened to me, it's honestly so frustrating. We did nothing wrong and they know we did nothing wrong. And they still permantly banned us from ever making shopify accounts again. We try and we try and they just get banned instantly. They have to live with banning people that have lives, and not providing any sort of response for what we did. It's honestly so upsetting and now I can't go down the ecommerce route ever again. Shopify really think what you are doing to people. You're pathetic.
@hpiment wrote:
@brewerszx10 wrote:
Rebekah H (Shopify)
Mar 5, 04:50 EST
same here. this is crazy over 100 hours into 3 stores and they were shut down. i have not a clue what i did. i am a single father of 5 kids i was really trying to make this work i am going to talk to a lawyer tomorrow there has to be something we can do. i am definitely not just going to let this slide. there are other ways to verify if we are scammers or not besides just flushing our hard work down the toilet then saying f you get lost i am going to make it my mission in life to getting justice for this this is by far the worst example of poor customer service i have ever seen shame on you shopify i am coming for you. i might not win but i sure can cause a stink for them. Hello Bryan,
My name is Rebekah, I'm a Risk Specialisation Guru here at Shopify. I am helping Jez on this email to give you a quicker reply.
I hate to reiterate, on what Jez had said but I'm afraid that for security and privacy reasons we cannot divulge the findings of our reviews and investigations.
Regrettably, once an account has been declined the decision is final.
I have to inform you that if you start another store it will be closed. It might be best to look at other platform.
Kind Regards,
Rebekah
Your ticket ID is 12159244.
Same happened here, did you ever figure out what to do?
@hpiment wrote:
@brewerszx10 wrote:
Rebekah H (Shopify)
Mar 5, 04:50 EST
same here. this is crazy over 100 hours into 3 stores and they were shut down. i have not a clue what i did. i am a single father of 5 kids i was really trying to make this work i am going to talk to a lawyer tomorrow there has to be something we can do. i am definitely not just going to let this slide. there are other ways to verify if we are scammers or not besides just flushing our hard work down the toilet then saying f you get lost i am going to make it my mission in life to getting justice for this this is by far the worst example of poor customer service i have ever seen shame on you shopify i am coming for you. i might not win but i sure can cause a stink for them. Hello Bryan,
My name is Rebekah, I'm a Risk Specialisation Guru here at Shopify. I am helping Jez on this email to give you a quicker reply.
I hate to reiterate, on what Jez had said but I'm afraid that for security and privacy reasons we cannot divulge the findings of our reviews and investigations.
Regrettably, once an account has been declined the decision is final.
I have to inform you that if you start another store it will be closed. It might be best to look at other platform.
Kind Regards,
Rebekah
Your ticket ID is 12159244.
Same happened here, did you ever figure out what to do?
This is hilarious, I could understand finding some discrepancies and requesting some type of validation or following up but they straight up disabled the account without even sending an email. I had to contact customer support for help, and this is what they told me below. Seems legit
Hello there, Taylor here from the Risk Operations Team at Shopify. We are writing to you in regards to your account. This email is to inform you that after reviewing your information and website we believe your business presents a level of risk that we will be unable to support with Shopify. I know this is not ideal, however we won't be able to help with your business. At this time since Shopify has been deemed not a good fit for your business you will need to research other e-commerce platforms to find one that will be suitable. Regrettably we are not able to make recommendations to merchants. Please note that for security and privacy reasons we are unable to divulge the results of our reviews and investigations. Once an account has been declined the decision is final. Thank you and I wish you all the best with your business going forward! Kind regards, Taylor Risk Analyst | Shopify
same experience
I recently migrated my website from a woocommerce / wordpress site to shopify. Let me be clear, I sell Cat costumes, clothes and hats. That's it. That's all I sell. my url is catoutfitstore.com
I spent hours and hours diligently entering all of our data, products and website. Upon completion and a few days prior to the end of our trial period, I used my business partner's credit card (the same card we use for all business related expenses) to pay for a monthly subscription. As soon as I did so, my entire site was shut down. My placeholder page was removed, my access to my account denied, access to my website denied. I thought, ok this must just be a routine checkup. I called for an explanation, I was told that I had to submit some documentation which included a copy of the credit card, and a copy of an ID. Since their email was entirely unclear about who's ID they required (mine or the card holders) I got clarification and was instructed to send the credit card holders id along with the card. I complied with that request.
Here is the email they sent requesting documentation.
Hello,
We need a little more information to verify the details you provided when you signed up for Shopify. Don't worry, this is just a standard review of your account associated with [STORE NAME].
Here's what we need:
Photo ID - Front
Government-issued ID (e.g. passport or driver's license)
Photo ID - Back
Back of Government-issued ID (e.g. passport or driver's license)
Credit Card Image
Clear image of the credit card used on your account - you may block out the first 8 digits of your credit card number with a strip of paper or your finger.
What you need to do:
Visit our secure upload form:
https://app.shopify.com/services/external/shops/27963424908/requested_documents/HVMuTfS7wtoRTCEJGWgQ... to securely upload a scanned or photographed color copy of a government-issued photo ID that matches the name of the credit card on file associated with your account.
Our analysts will review your ID within 3 business days.
Your documents will be handled securely in accordance with our privacy policy.
We're here to help. If you have any questions or concerns, simply contact our Shopify Support team at our help center.
Thanks for choosing Shopify. We look forward to helping you grow your business.
- The Shopify Team
As you can see the document says you "you may block out the first 8 digits of your credit card number with a strip of paper or your finger." implying that this step is optional. I did not do so because their wording clearly implies this is an optional step.
They responded saying that the ID has to be the account holders ID (even though I was CLEARLY instructed to send in CC owners ID) and that they cannot accept or open the ID without the front 8 digits blocked (how would you know they aren't blocked without opening the document?! hmmm?)
I complied and sent in the requested info, the front and back of the card used, as well as my own personal ID front and back, I then received the following response from the "risk operations team"
|
Your ticket ID is 15609797.
This is unbelievable. No explanation given, again I sell CAT CLOTHES AND CAT HATS. I have been denied access to my data, my pictures, my descriptions, everything. This conduct by shopify is wholeheartedly unethical. Its sad and pathetic. What a terrible way to treat people, to take advantage of people's time, money and trust. I have done nothing wrong, I have violated no terms in their TOS, I haven't made any sales yet, I have provided every piece of information and ID they have requested of me. They have embarrassed and belittled me, smeared the name of my business and denied access to my personal data. This is unacceptable. What recourse do I have here???
My shop has just been closed yesterday and they explain nothing.
My ticket is 16164094
This is disgusting. I suggest you all move to Woo. They rarely close your store like Shopify unless you got something very bad.
bye.
Same here, f'ing bastards. I can't even get a response from the legal team responsible, and chat support is no help at all.
I received an email saying my store had been 'permanently closed' due to a report that it may not comply with T&Cs. No further explanation. Didn't contact me about this report to investigate. Just arbitrarily closed a completely legit small business, late on a Friday night no less so not even a chance to be open over the weekend. Now it's Tuesday and still no response.
From the other comments here, seems there's no hope of getting it back again. We also invested money in the site design, etc. These guys are complete a'holes who don't give a damn about the small businesses they supposedly are there to support.
Never again Shopify.