Google, adwords, adsense and improper use of search words and links.

Just a little story..
A potential customer was googling for me 4 weeks ago.
They did a google for my commercial links : first search result was a google add: under my name in bold blue hyperlink text that provided a direct link to competitors web page

Then realized after hitting the link it was an add, found me and let me know.

The add appeared on virtually every browser and google.com.au

Incredibly difficult to contact google operatives : menu with "options", no direct line for complaints that I could find: finally told it would be "investigated" and looked at when someone from 'legal' was available..

Google was hopeless and uninterested: if my competitor was not interested, from stories I have seen, Google can take months to respond.

Contatcted the web master and suggested to them their business would be contaminated by association with tainted practices.

Contacted Domain name registrar; Contacted several "statutory bodies" here, all with very impressive titles: all useless !!

Not good enough by Google.au: taking money for seo and creating improper links is imo v.v poor practise and obviously infringes several trade practice laws. To get a fix or even recognition of the issue, from my perspective as a small biz was starting to look like a drawn out and potentially expensive proceedure !!

Taking my good reputation ( modest as it may be) to link to other site.
Damage to my reputation and ongoing business issues.
Had several inquires as to whether I was out of business.

Contacted the competitor and advised that this was totally unacceptable practice and steps would be taken after 24 hrs if the link was still appearing.
Suggested that apartr from ,legal issues, their own business would be damaged after I finished with trashing them to referral base. !!

To their credit: they responded and the link disappeared.

I'm still waiting for any acknowledgment from Google re the problem and fix.
No guarantee it may not happen again

From this experience, there appears to be almost no way to get a speedy fix if this happens.
No recourse, no-one to turn to and nothing from Google: who are patently beyond any real short term control.

Just a little precautionary tale..from this web speck.

I'm just a small professional service biz with 5 employees, I've been able to avoid any 'special' web presence in a professional sense to date: much happier going on word of mouth and sheer reputation value to date.

Might have to set-up some a more noticeable web presence.
Admin costs etc etc
Some peers have noticed that stepping up their web presence has resulted in major office work increase without any real turnover value
Some have had some success at blending a web effort into increased biz.
So I'm still just plugging along: LOL: not even a direct e-mail.

Any one got any suggestions/contacts as to what to do in these circumstances ??
ie : good name being hijacked by seo ??

 

Yes, the result was in all the search portals I went to but using google.com.au as search page.

It has been fixed: just a vent re how google failed to respond and has poor quality control.
No real damage done.

 

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-opening-up-trademarked-keyword-bidding-on-june-4th/10363/

 

That is so wrong.
How is that legal ?

LOL: I bet there will be a few ~ Snipped as per TOS ~ brands: there is real capital invested in Branding.

Lets see them take on "Coke" or "Microsoft" or "IBM" and put those up for sale .

Heh : The Linux foundation should buy Microsoft