RJM62
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2007
- Messages
- 13,157
- Location
- Upstate New York
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Geek on the Hill
Just in case you need another reason to hate Google...
Apparently, due to some stroke of incompetence that I can't quite wrap my brain around, Google is sending 1099 forms for Adsense Publishers to the addresses they listed when they first joined the program, even if they have moved since then and their correct, updated record is on file with Google in both their Adsense account and the online W-9.
I found this out the other day when Gay Marc sent me a text message with a picture of the envelope from Google with "Important Tax Information" on the envelope, which was delivered to my old address in Queens. (When I moved, Gay Marc took over the apartment.) That was SEVEN YEARS AGO, and Google has my current address in both my Dashboard and my online 1099; but they still sent the 1099 to the old address.
If Gay Marc hadn't told me, I never would have known. I'm only barely an Adsense publisher at this point. I haven't generated enough revenue to get a 1099 in years. (The threshold is $600.00 / year.) In fact, I thought I took down all the ads, but apparently they're still getting clicks. Either a few ads evaded my search-and-replace, a site was restored from backup at some time without me knowing it, or someone plagiarized one of my sites -- ads and all. (Believe it or not, that's happened before.)
I've also found out that other publishers who've moved since signing up either know as a fact that the 1099s were mailed to their old addresses because they still know people at the old addresses, or suspect that they've been sent to their old addresses because they haven't received them yet at their new ones.
I really don't even know how that's possible. Once the addresses are updated in the databases, how the hell does the mail wind up going to the old addresses? Even a moron would have a hard time pulling that one off. To do that requires idiot-level incompetence, not the more common moron variety.
I sent Google an email through their contact form last night. All I asked for was that they email me the 1099 (which is one of the options on the form) because it was sent to my old address. I received a totally irrelevant boilerplate response from a robot from a "no-reply" address at Google that tried to guess what I was asking and responded based on that guess. Typical. I'm not sure any humans even work at Google any more. I do know there's no way for mere mortals to contact them if they do.
So screw 'em. I've filed reports with the FTC and the IRS, and also called my Congressman (who's more useless than the tits on a bull, but who does have a few competent people working for him). I may even start a class-action suit. I hate Google already and have for a long time. I've never made a secret of that. But putting publishers' PII out on the street like this makes me hate them even more -- something I didn't think was possible.
Rich
Apparently, due to some stroke of incompetence that I can't quite wrap my brain around, Google is sending 1099 forms for Adsense Publishers to the addresses they listed when they first joined the program, even if they have moved since then and their correct, updated record is on file with Google in both their Adsense account and the online W-9.
I found this out the other day when Gay Marc sent me a text message with a picture of the envelope from Google with "Important Tax Information" on the envelope, which was delivered to my old address in Queens. (When I moved, Gay Marc took over the apartment.) That was SEVEN YEARS AGO, and Google has my current address in both my Dashboard and my online 1099; but they still sent the 1099 to the old address.
If Gay Marc hadn't told me, I never would have known. I'm only barely an Adsense publisher at this point. I haven't generated enough revenue to get a 1099 in years. (The threshold is $600.00 / year.) In fact, I thought I took down all the ads, but apparently they're still getting clicks. Either a few ads evaded my search-and-replace, a site was restored from backup at some time without me knowing it, or someone plagiarized one of my sites -- ads and all. (Believe it or not, that's happened before.)
I've also found out that other publishers who've moved since signing up either know as a fact that the 1099s were mailed to their old addresses because they still know people at the old addresses, or suspect that they've been sent to their old addresses because they haven't received them yet at their new ones.
I really don't even know how that's possible. Once the addresses are updated in the databases, how the hell does the mail wind up going to the old addresses? Even a moron would have a hard time pulling that one off. To do that requires idiot-level incompetence, not the more common moron variety.
I sent Google an email through their contact form last night. All I asked for was that they email me the 1099 (which is one of the options on the form) because it was sent to my old address. I received a totally irrelevant boilerplate response from a robot from a "no-reply" address at Google that tried to guess what I was asking and responded based on that guess. Typical. I'm not sure any humans even work at Google any more. I do know there's no way for mere mortals to contact them if they do.
So screw 'em. I've filed reports with the FTC and the IRS, and also called my Congressman (who's more useless than the tits on a bull, but who does have a few competent people working for him). I may even start a class-action suit. I hate Google already and have for a long time. I've never made a secret of that. But putting publishers' PII out on the street like this makes me hate them even more -- something I didn't think was possible.
Rich
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