Dealing with Google Ads frustrations: Poor support, suspensions, rising costs

Google Ads has 718 reviews on TrustPilot with a 1.1-star rating.

That’s a shockingly low score for a platform that has helped countless businesses grow and created entire careers in digital marketing.

Let me preface this by saying that this isn’t meant to be an angry rant. 

Google Ads has provided incredible opportunities, but the overwhelming number of negative reviews clearly shows that advertisers face serious frustrations daily.

Poor support, unexplained account suspensions, rising costs, and a lack of transparency have left many users feeling helpless. 

These aren’t just isolated issues – they’re widespread problems that need attention.

So, what exactly is going wrong? And more importantly, how can it be fixed?

Here’s a breakdown of the most common complaints about Google Ads – and what could be done to improve the platform.

Poor customer support

Users frequently report that customer support is unresponsive, slow, or provides generic, unhelpful responses.

Many of us have experienced the customer service loop of Google Ads: 

• Contact support.
• They submit a ticket.
• Ask you to allow 3-5 days for a resolution. 

After eight days, you contact support again, and the process repeats with no resolution. 

Several weeks or months later, the issue may be resolved – or not.

It’s unclear what the internal protocol is for Google Ads support; it doesn’t seem to follow the standards of most major companies. 

There appears to be a lack of account notes and follow-up. 

Users report contacting support for the same issue, opening a ticket, but receiving no further response. 

Another ticket is then opened, and the cycle continues. 

If a customer support representative remembers, they may send an email with the reference number. 

When contacting support a second time, little to no information can be provided using the reference number. 

Support often says, “There is no update on your ticket; please allow 3-5 more days.”

This is a nightmare for business owners, freelancers, and ad agencies trying to manage their Google Ads accounts and resolve issues quickly.

If Google Ads consistently sent feedback surveys, it could significantly improve customer support. 

However, many users are no longer receiving the surveys – either after a phone call or because the link is not sent after a live chat.

If you do receive a survey via email or see one pop up in your account, be sure to fill it out thoroughly. 

We can’t expect to improve customer service without providing constant feedback.

Account suspensions

Account suspensions without clear explanation and slow response times are common complaints with Google Ads.

While Google Ads needs to suspend accounts that blatantly violate their policies, they should be handled more quickly for accidental violations that can be resolved with a simple ad rewrite.

Many new accounts are suspended quickly but approved slowly, often taking weeks or months, if ever – despite the issues being corrected to comply with Google Ads’ policies. 

When accounts are suspended, the explanation is often vague.

Customer support representatives typically just read what’s on the screen, offering no further explanation, resolution, or assistance.

A frequent reason for account suspensions or ad disapprovals is a “Policy Violation,” but the specific policy is rarely cited. 

Even after the user resolves the issue, the account or ad may still be delayed in approval, sometimes taking weeks or months. 

For advertisers in sensitive categories (i.e., mental health services, supplements, housing, employment, recruiting, technical support services, or financial services), quick suspensions and slow resolutions can be devastating. 

These businesses often have everything in place to comply with Google Ads’ policies but may have made a minor mistake during ad setup.

Another common suspension reason is “Circumventing Systems Policy,” but once again, the explanation is unclear, causing frustration over the lack of transparency in enforcement. 

This often happens with businesses that hire multiple agencies or freelancers over time, leading them to be unaware of how many Google Ads accounts were set up under their name. 

Even worse, Google Ads support typically fails to explain this situation clearly, making it difficult for businesses to track who created all the accounts that got suspended. 

If these agencies or freelancers are responsible, are they now banned from running ads on Google across any account? 

This policy and review process urgently needs rethinking.

Agency owner and PPC expert Menachem Ani shared:

• “Reps can no longer help with some of the things they were able to help with in the past. For example, we have a client whose account was suspended – but our reps can’t do anything to help us.” 
• “While I believe that Google’s intentions are good, the reality is that many accounts get suspended incorrectly with no recourse.”

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Lack of results

Many reviews complain about a lack of results with Google Ads. 

This often stems from a lack of understanding of how to use the platform effectively. 

Basic strategies – such as choosing the best keywords, writing effective ads, controlling bidding and budgets, building relevant landing pages, and adding negative keywords – could have helped prevent these negative reviews.

Google Ads can improve by following the lead of other software companies and offering in-depth tutorials to help users get the most out of the platform.

Collaborating with industry experts outside Google to create tutorials would also help users make informed decisions about their ad spend.

Currently, Google’s advice often contradicts guidance from industry-leading publications.

Instead of conflicting guidance, open collaboration could align best practices, ensuring users who invest time in learning Google Ads can actually apply their knowledge effectively.

The running joke is that learning how to run Google Ads from Google is like learning how to play Blackjack from the casino – they don’t have your best interests in mind. 

PPC industry leader Brad Geddes specifically calls out “Recommendations I always ignore,” which, ironically, are the same recommendations that Google Reps and account notifications often advise users not to ignore. 

A collaboration between industry experts and Google Ads could be mutually beneficial, helping both the platform and its users. 

If new users take Google’s tutorials and certifications only to lose substantial amounts of money on Google Ads, they may not continue investing in the platform.

It’s unclear why the worst advice on running Google Ads comes directly from Google Ads and its reps.

Rising costs

Advertisers have also voiced concerns about the rising costs of Google Ads, which have become even more problematic in recent years. 

Search Engine Land’s Danny Goodwin reported on Google Ads’ price manipulation:

• “The U.S. Department of Justice hammered Google over search ad price manipulation and more in its closing statement on search advertising.” 

Many business owners, freelancers, ad agencies, and industry experts are worried about these rising costs and the lack of transparency.

Boris Beceric, Google Ads consultant and coach, remarked:

• “Google is a monopoly that’s raising prices without telling advertisers about it.” 

Google Ads’ newest update for double service ads now allows the same business’s ad to appear twice on the same page. 

Will this cause further issues for advertisers concerned about rising costs, or will it help boost results?

PPC expert Navah Hopkins also noted:

• “Google is officially making it fair game to have more than one spot on the SERP. I have thoughts on this, but I want to see how performance actually shakes out in Q2.” 

We will have to wait and see if this helps with rising costs or hurts them. 

Issues with Google reps and Teleperformance

Many Google Ads users also express frustration with Teleperformance, Google’s outsourced customer support team. 

Complaints often include poor advertising results due to Google Reps’ advice, overly aggressive outreach, and generic or scripted responses.

Advertisers also report trust issues with Google reps, particularly after one made unauthorized changes to a business’s Google Ads account. 

Andy Youngs, co-founder of The PPC People, highlighted this, discovering a recent instance where a Google rep altered an account without approval.

TrustPilot reviews, Reddit, and nearly every social media channel are filled with complaints about Google reps.

However, Google Ads has not made significant changes to the program. 

Matt Janaway, CEO of Marketing Labs, stated:

• “We get calls daily from reps that have been assigned to our client accounts. It’s very convoluted, and when we don’t engage – because we can’t possibly engage them all – they try to go directly to our clients instead!” 
• “This happens regularly. And the scare tactics they use are quite ludicrous.”

The simple solution for Google Ads would be to train their reps to provide useful advice and assign them to a smaller number of accounts. 

An even simpler solution might be to remove the program entirely, given the overwhelming amount of negative feedback.

So, what can we do?

Direct feedback is the best way to push for change.

While posting frustrations online might feel satisfying, it’s unlikely Google Ads will see or act on them. 

Instead, be sure to complete the surveys Google sends via email or within your account, offering detailed and constructive feedback.

If you want to voice concerns publicly, you can share them on platforms like TrustPilot (Google Ads TrustPilot page), Reddit, industry forums, or social media – but always keep it professional and solution-focused.

For direct communication, use Google’s official feedback and support forms:

• Google Ads Complaint and Feedback Form.
• Google Ads Customer Support.

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