Suspended Wrongfully - CS won't give a solution

Hey there,

this will sound a little crazy but I think Im being targeted by amazon for some reason - maybe a competitor has control over something?

Let me explain how everything started yesterday so someone might be able to help me but please first let me note that I’ve been selling for more than 3 years on amazon and I was registered from start with a UTR number as a UK sole proprietor. I registered for VAT on April 2018 and I went through verification again and everything was fine till yesterday.

They requested 2 documents for verification and I quote:

– A scanned copy of a certified bank letter for the primary contact person. The document must meet all the criteria listed below:

• Dated within the last 180 days.
• Signed or stamped by the bank.
• Shows the bank name or logo.
• Shows the account holder’s name, residential address, and bank account number.

For the business:

Please upload a new copy of the documents listed below to the “Settings” section of Seller Central (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/on-board/configuration/index.html). It is important that the documents are easy to read. The information on the documents should also match the information entered in Seller Central.

– One of the following documents issued by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) within the last year:

• Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) Bill
• Online VAT Certificate
• Self-Assessment notice to complete a tax return
• Letter confirming your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number
• Self Assessment Statement
• Short Tax Return.

We can also accept the following documents issued by HMRC:

• Certificate of Registration for Value Added Tax (VAT)
• ‘Welcome to Self-Assessment’ letter confirming your UTR number
• Letter confirming your VAT number, following a VAT1 application.

Then the nightmare began, first of all it’s really confusing that central was asking something and verification team was asking for something else but on their emails after that they were telling me to disregard central and follow their guidelines and so I did.

I’ve provided an online VAT certificate it got declined / I’ve uploaded a bank letter with all the info needed and got declined
I’ve provided a vat registration certificate it got declined/ I’ve uploaded a bank letter with all the info needed and got declined
I’ve provided again the online VAT certificate it got accepted./I’ve uploaded a bank letter with all the info needed and got declined

After that I got suspended and i quote again:

Hello,

Your Selling on Amazon payment account has been temporarily deactivated. Your listings have been removed. Funds will not be transferred to you but will stay in your account while we work with you to address this issue. If you have any open orders, please ship them to avoid further impact to your account.

Why is this happening?
We have reviewed your account and determined that you have incorrectly selected Individual as your legal entity in Seller Central.

How do I reactivate my account?
To reactivate your account, you must complete your account verification. To continue with your account verification, please update your legal entity by following the instructions below.
– Go to the “Account Info” page in the “Settings” section of Seller Central (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/on-board/configuration/index.html)
– Click “Edit” in the “Business and Contact Information” section and select the relevant legal entity.
– Confirm the business details and click “Submit”.

See below for more information on seller categories:

– Individual: you must only select this option if you do not intend to sell on Amazon commercially or professionally. This option allows you to sell personal items that you no longer want or need, for example old DVDs or books.
– UK Sole Proprietor: this option is for commercial individuals who sell for profit. A Sole Proprietorship is registered with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). There is no legal distinction between the owner and the business.
– Business or Partnership: this category includes Sole Proprietors registered in countries outside the UK. It also includes Charities, Partnerships, Private Limited Companies, and Public Companies.

Please select the correct category in order to continue with the verification of your account.

How do I send the required information?
Follow the steps listed above to submit information in Seller Central (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/on-board/configuration/index.html).

What happens if I do not send the requested information?
If we do not receive the requested information within 28 days, you will not be able to resume selling activity on your account.

We’re here to help
If you have questions about this policy or the information requested above, please contact us at (https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/cu/contact-us/cmn/BLU).

Thank you,

The Amazon Payments Team

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I’ve sent my appeal regarding my suspension:

Hi,

my account has been deactivated for no reason at all. Im providing everything they ask me for, they decline my documents then they suspend my account for a totally false reason.

It says at the notification I’ve been suspended because I’ve selected “Individual”. This is totally incorrect, I was always registered as a UK sole proprietor and my UTR is also uploaded normally for more than 2 years now! I have a picture attached showing my amazon’s account’s business information proving the same Im saying - that it shows I selected UK sole proprietor.

I’ve registered for VAT at 10 April 2018.
I’ve provided and Im providing an Online VAT certificate directly issued today by my GOV HMRC page.
I’ve provided and Im providing a bank statement of my payoneer account that is signed by payoneer and has everything needed issued also today. Please note that the payoneer account is linked with amazon account via their service for a year now without any issues.

I hope that is enough to prove I’ve been suspended by mistake.

And I’ve uploade my vat registration certificate, my Online vat certificate, my UTR registration, a bank statement and a bank letter.

No reply yet.

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They’ve requested again a document from HMRC and a bank letter from the verification team.

I’ve provided just the HMRC - an online vat certificate, since it seems to be accepted more than the other options…
Now we’re left with the bank letter. I’ve been emailing them so they can explain what the issue is but Im not receiving a reply at all. The statement Im sending (not a bank statement since statements have transactions and aren’t signed) is getting declined.

What am I supposed to do with this impossible situation?

Here is a sample of the letter Im sending them - please be aware I’ve used this letter more than a year ago too without any issues… http://prntscr.com/niou9q

@Kika I know you give solutions to many issues so I was hoping for your help too

Thanks

Last message - solution:

Today my account was reinstated and im back on business.

They really just wanted the certified bank letter and I was suspended given a false reason because of this.

As soon as they got the letter they asked for some more residential info etc and I got reinstated.

The problem wasn’t the Uk Sole proprietorship.

• What I learned from this experience that may help others.

• If they request a document and you provide it and you email them the process resets so they ask again for the same document mechanically(maybe?)

• They won’t provide info of what is wrong with the document - you’ll have to figure this out yourself.

• Opening a case with title “URGENT FAO A Senior Manager” while explaining the situation seems to give results and someone actually reads what’s going on and fixes the situation for you if you have really provided everything needed even when declined.

• Do not change anything on your bank/business etc info if it’s not necessary to avoid triggering the verification again - takes a while, I’ve read about cases taking 6 months…

Thanks everyone for their help.

Cheers