Unacceptable Business Practices, lifted by business operations verification: a telecoms provider’s case

Account suspension appeal successful – Business operations verification completed successfully.

The subject line of the Google Ads email we received at 17:10 on 21 November 2024, quoted word for word.

This is a real case: Dyfed Telecom, a telecoms provider that also advertised Starlink installation. Its Google Ads account was suspended under the Unacceptable Business Practices policy. We completed Google’s business operations verification with them, and on 21 November 2024 Google lifted the suspension, in the same email that confirmed the verification had passed.

Four days later the account was suspended again, this time for Circumventing Systems. That fell inside the post-reinstatement support we offered at the time, so we handled it as part of that support, and on 27 November the account showed as unsuspended: two suspensions in one week, both cleared.

Written from our case files: Google’s emails and the account’s screens, with their dates. The account number shows only its last four digits, and the documents the business sent are hidden and never shown. The Google pages linked here were checked on 4 October 2026.

At a glance

• Another company’s brand

  The business advertised Starlink installation. Starlink is another company’s brand.

• Verification was the route

  We completed Google’s business operations verification with them. It went in on 20 November 2024.

• Lifted the next day

  Google’s email at 17:10 on 21 November said the suspension had been lifted.

• A second suspension

  Circumventing Systems, 25 November, inside our post-reinstatement support. Lifted on 27 November.

• One case, not a promise

  Every account is different, and only Google decides.

On this page7 sections

What triggered the suspension

The account was suspended under Google’s Unacceptable Business Practices policy, and Google says violations of that policy are taken very seriously and are considered egregious.

The trigger was Starlink. The business advertised Starlink installation, and Starlink is another company’s brand. Google’s policy covers ads that make it seem like you’re affiliated with another brand when you’re not, so the account had to make the separation clear: the business is an installer of Starlink, not Starlink itself.

It also had to show that it was a genuine, established business, with a contract to resell a major network’s services.

An earlier appeal had already been closed: on the evening of 19 November 2024, Google’s help panel in the account said “Your last appeal was closed on 19 Nov 2024”.

Verification, completed with them

Google says certain selected advertisers must complete advertiser verification successfully to appeal a suspension. Here the route was Google’s business operations verification form. Our guide to business operations verification goes through the form question by question.

On 19 and 20 November we sent the director a checklist of what it needed: identity, payment, the domain and its DNS records, the business’s contracts and Search Console. We filled in the form with them, and it went in on 20 November. That afternoon, a Help Centre case for the verification was in progress.

The result: suspension lifted

At 17:10 on 21 November 2024 Google emailed: “Your original account suspension for Unacceptable business practices has been lifted and your account has been reinstated.” It asked for 24 hours for the changes to take effect and for the ads to run again.

Four days later: Circumventing Systems

On 25 November 2024 the same account was suspended again, this time under the Circumventing Systems policy. It came four days after the reinstatement, inside the seven days of post-reinstatement support we offered at the time, so we handled it as part of that support. Our support period is 14 days now.

The appeal went through the circumventing behaviours one by one, for example using dynamic DNS or running multiple accounts, and showed that the business wasn’t doing any of them.

At 19:51 on 27 November 2024, the account showed “Your account is unsuspended”.

What this case shows

• Another company’s brand needs a clear line. Here, the account had to make clear that the business installs Starlink and isn’t Starlink, and that it was a genuine, established business.
• Verification can be the appeal. Passing business operations verification is what lifted this suspension: Google’s email says so in its subject line.
• Reinstatement doesn’t end the risk. The same email said the ads must still comply with Google’s policies “at all times”, and that the account “may be suspended if it is in violation”. A second suspension followed four days later.
• Dated screenshots matter. Screens with the date showing are what let us tell this case accurately, almost two years on.

Questions people ask

Why was a Starlink installer suspended for Unacceptable Business Practices?

In this case the business advertised Starlink installation, and Starlink is another company’s brand. The account had to make clear that the business was an installer of Starlink, not Starlink itself, and show that it was a genuine, established business. Business operations verification, which we completed with the business, is what lifted the suspension.

How long did business operations verification take in this case?

The form went in on 20 November 2024, and Google’s email confirming the pass arrived at 17:10 on 21 November. Google’s form asks you to allow 5 to 7 business days. That’s one case, not a timescale anyone can promise.

Can an account be suspended again after it’s reinstated?

Yes. This one was suspended for Circumventing Systems four days later, inside our post-reinstatement support, and the suspension was lifted on 27 November 2024. Google’s reinstatement email itself says the account may be suspended if it is in violation.

Does Google always ask for verification before an Unacceptable Business Practices appeal?

No. Google says certain selected advertisers must complete advertiser verification successfully to appeal. In this case it was business operations verification.