{"id":9061,"date":"2026-10-19T11:27:46","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T08:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ivitskiy.com\/blog\/?p=9061"},"modified":"2026-10-19T11:27:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T08:27:46","slug":"merchant-center-misrepresentation-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ivitskiy.com\/blog\/en\/merchant-center-misrepresentation-suspension\/","title":{"rendered":"Merchant Center Misrepresentation Suspension: How to Recover"},"content":{"rendered":"
In short:<\/strong> Before you request a review, make your business name, address and contact details match across your website, Merchant Center and payment profiles, fix your policies and feed, and complete identity verification if Google asks for it. A review takes up to 7 business days, and you can use the «I disagree with the issue» button only once.<\/div>\n\n

A suspension for «Misrepresentation» means Google Merchant Center believes the information about your business or products, on your website or in your product feed, is false or incomplete. You see it in the banner at the top of your Merchant Center account, in emails from Google, and under Products on the «Needs attention» tab.<\/p>\n\n

Do not confuse this with the ad policy of the same name, covered in Misrepresentation in Google Ads<\/a>: that one is about ads, this one about your Merchant Center account. If only some products were disapproved, read why Merchant Center disapproves products<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n\n

What it means<\/h2>\n\n

The policy requires shoppers to see clear, honest information. According to Google’s help page<\/a>, it does not allow offers that push people to buy without full information and explicit consent, or offers that describe you or your products in a way that is not accurate, realistic and truthful. What happens next depends on the policy section.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Policy section<\/th>What happens if you violate it<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
«Unacceptable business practices», «Coordinated deceptive practices», «Dishonest pricing and transaction conditions»<\/td>An egregious violation. Your Merchant Center account is suspended on detection, without prior warning.<\/td><\/tr>\n
«Unavailable offers», «Manipulated media», and the section on unrealistic promises<\/td>A warning comes first, at least 7 days before any suspension.<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n

If the violation is not egregious, Google usually emails the details and gives you 7 or 28 calendar days to fix it.<\/p>\n\n

Why it happens<\/h2>\n\n

In a normal online store the cause is usually inconsistency: the website says one thing, the feed or Merchant Center another. Here is what Google asks you to check.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
What to check<\/th>What Google requires<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Business details<\/td>Name, address and contact details match across your website, Merchant Center and payment profiles. Named violations include a false identity, business name or contact details, and a false or virtual headquarters address when you actually operate entirely from an undisclosed region.<\/td><\/tr>\n
Shipping, returns, refunds<\/td>Policies are clear, consistent and easy to find, for example in the footer. Violations: refusing a refund despite your own policy, taking payment without delivering.<\/td><\/tr>\n
Price and availability<\/td>The feed matches the landing page exactly. Showing a product as available when you cannot fulfill the order is not allowed.<\/td><\/tr>\n
Total cost<\/td>Taxes, fees, shipping and return costs are visible before payment.<\/td><\/tr>\n
Site functionality<\/td>No placeholder text or broken links, and a working checkout secured with HTTPS.<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n

In October 2025 Google clarified the policy<\/a> with examples of non-delivery and broken refund processes. These are not new rules.<\/p>\n\n

What to do<\/h2>\n\n\n
  1. Read Google’s emails, then open Products, the «Needs attention» tab and «View setup and policy issues». See which policy section is named and whether a deadline is shown.<\/li>
  2. If the tab asks for identity verification, complete it: upload clear government-issued ID or business registration documents. It is often required before you can request a review.<\/li>
  3. Use the table above and make your business details consistent. In audits I start with these: a mismatch between the website, Merchant Center and the payment profile is a common find. Account basics are in Google Merchant Center setup<\/a>.<\/li>
  4. Check the feed against the website. I open product pages by hand and compare price, availability and shipping with the feed. Remove offers that break the rules and update your data in Merchant Center manually or wait for the automatic update.<\/li>
  5. Only now send the request: select «I fixed the issue» if you corrected everything, or «I disagree with the issue» if you think it is a mistake, then «Request review». The second option gives you only one chance, so in an appeal give detailed, clear and truthful information.<\/li>
  6. Wait up to 7 business days. You get emails when you send the request and when the review ends. The status reads «Review requested», «Under review» or «Review not approved».<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n

    What not to do<\/h2>\n\n\n