Question about Google Wallet merchant accounts

General (non-technical) Marketing and Monetization
#1

So, have had my app in the Google Play store for a while and no problems getting that in there and set up.

Am adding in-app purchases now, and Google says I need to create a Google Wallet account to do that.  So I do that in my company name, but Google will not verify the account because it’s in a company name.  I keep respsonses from them that say:

Thank you for your interest in signing up for Send Money with Gmail.

We are currently not accepting applications for business accounts as per our Google Wallet Terms of Service found here: https://wallet.google.com/legaldocument?family=0.buyertos&gl=US

Well, I don’t want to send money through Gmail; I just want to be able to have in-app purchases.  And I just keep going round and round with them on this.

How did other people do it?  Do you just have your Google Wallet in a single person at the company’s name?  Did you somehow get around dealing with the idiots at Support to get verified? 

My concern is that when the in-appurchasing screen appears, it doesn’t list my name but the company name for all the transactions.

#2

Try to create the Google Wallet from your Developer Console Portal (just go to Settings and go down the page)

#3

That is where I created it.  And it says “Your merchant account is active.”

If I click the link and go to the merchant account, and click on Merchant Settings, the Legal Address is blank, with a link to Edit it. 

If I click that Edit link, I go to another page that for “Verify identity”, displays:

Additional information required
For security purposes, we need more information to verify your identity. Please take a
few moments to provide additional information by securely uploading
identity documentation online.

And that is where I am trapped, because when I submit something like Federal EIN, they say they cannot verify a business account.  If I upload personal confirmation things, then they won’t verify it unless I change the legal name to me and not the business.

And I send simple emails in reply to them, like “If our company wants to add in-app purchasing to our app, and we have to set up a merchant account through Google Wallet to do that, how can we get the account verified for the company?”

And they send back that above quoted text, copy and pasted in.

#4

When you click in that Edit Link, you are redirect form the Google Wallet Merchant (former Google Checkout) to a normal Google Wallet account (not merchant). Make sure that during that redirection, it is not opening the normal Google Wallet using a different login account. 

So, try doing that same procedure in a new browser (or using the Incognito mode).

If that not solves, I suggest you to call then. I had a problem with my account once (when they changed the Checkout to Wallet) and the support solved the problem.

#5

Thanks, Renato.

It definitely is going to a non-merchant Wallet account, but it is the one for the same email address.  It is not going to another one.  Just looks like how that link is set up.

I did call, and was told by the person on the phone that he could not help me with the verification issue.  If there was a problem, he said I should reply to the email that I received to discuss it with that team.  He said that if I did not get a response from them or needed additional help to reply to an email he would send me.  I replied to that one as well, and was told by both about the non-verification of business accounts.
 

What I wonder is if I actually need to verify the account or not.  If the merchant account is set up and active, and the bank information for payments has been verified, does that verification even mean anything?  Am I chasing something that I don’t even need to?

#6

Where do you see that message of account not verified? Is it in the Wallet Merchant or Wallet non-merchant?

#7

It is in the Wallet non-merchant.  But then, I don’t have Legal Address showing in the Wallet Merchant either, which is how I got to that.

#8

My Wallet Merchant also doesn’t show my Legal Address, just the link to “Edit Legal Address”. But when I click on it I am redirected to the other Wallet and can see the address.

#9

Thanks for sharing, Renato.

Sadly, I did get a reply to the question I asked them.  This iswhat they said:

"If you want to use Google Wallet account just to buy any applications ,your account is very much active.

However we see that you have enrolled your self to Peer - Peer money transfer using the same company account but Peer-Peer is meant only for individuals,therefore you are  unable to transact  using Google wallet account to buy any applications .

So your account is been on hold due to the verification process for Peer to peer.

Once you confirm that you will be not using Peer-Peer transaction from your company account ,only then your account will be completely reinstated."

Umm, huh?  It really is just painful to deal with them. 

#10

Oh, but Renato, when you click the Edit Legal address, and go the non-merchant Wallet settings page, are you verified there?  That’s really what I am wondering now.  Do I need to be verified there?

#11

Hummm.  What I understand is that you didn’t want that P2P transaction, am I right? So it appears that you only have to tell them that you don’t want that and the verification process will no longer be required. 

I don’t have any info about my account being verified or not on the screen… I think (based on what you said) that the verification is only required for that P2P transactions

#12

Yeah, I replied and told them that.  We’ll see how it goes.  It is just bizarre how this is Google we’re talking about.  You think so highly of a company and then this is the interaction you have with them and it is just awful.

Thanks, Renato, for your help.

#13

Try to create the Google Wallet from your Developer Console Portal (just go to Settings and go down the page)

#14

That is where I created it.  And it says “Your merchant account is active.”

If I click the link and go to the merchant account, and click on Merchant Settings, the Legal Address is blank, with a link to Edit it. 

If I click that Edit link, I go to another page that for “Verify identity”, displays:

Additional information required
For security purposes, we need more information to verify your identity. Please take a
few moments to provide additional information by securely uploading
identity documentation online.

And that is where I am trapped, because when I submit something like Federal EIN, they say they cannot verify a business account.  If I upload personal confirmation things, then they won’t verify it unless I change the legal name to me and not the business.

And I send simple emails in reply to them, like “If our company wants to add in-app purchasing to our app, and we have to set up a merchant account through Google Wallet to do that, how can we get the account verified for the company?”

And they send back that above quoted text, copy and pasted in.

#15

When you click in that Edit Link, you are redirect form the Google Wallet Merchant (former Google Checkout) to a normal Google Wallet account (not merchant). Make sure that during that redirection, it is not opening the normal Google Wallet using a different login account. 

So, try doing that same procedure in a new browser (or using the Incognito mode).

If that not solves, I suggest you to call then. I had a problem with my account once (when they changed the Checkout to Wallet) and the support solved the problem.

#16

Thanks, Renato.

It definitely is going to a non-merchant Wallet account, but it is the one for the same email address.  It is not going to another one.  Just looks like how that link is set up.

I did call, and was told by the person on the phone that he could not help me with the verification issue.  If there was a problem, he said I should reply to the email that I received to discuss it with that team.  He said that if I did not get a response from them or needed additional help to reply to an email he would send me.  I replied to that one as well, and was told by both about the non-verification of business accounts.
 

What I wonder is if I actually need to verify the account or not.  If the merchant account is set up and active, and the bank information for payments has been verified, does that verification even mean anything?  Am I chasing something that I don’t even need to?

#17

Where do you see that message of account not verified? Is it in the Wallet Merchant or Wallet non-merchant?

#18

It is in the Wallet non-merchant.  But then, I don’t have Legal Address showing in the Wallet Merchant either, which is how I got to that.

#19

My Wallet Merchant also doesn’t show my Legal Address, just the link to “Edit Legal Address”. But when I click on it I am redirected to the other Wallet and can see the address.

#20

Thanks for sharing, Renato.

Sadly, I did get a reply to the question I asked them.  This iswhat they said:

"If you want to use Google Wallet account just to buy any applications ,your account is very much active.

However we see that you have enrolled your self to Peer - Peer money transfer using the same company account but Peer-Peer is meant only for individuals,therefore you are  unable to transact  using Google wallet account to buy any applications .

So your account is been on hold due to the verification process for Peer to peer.

Once you confirm that you will be not using Peer-Peer transaction from your company account ,only then your account will be completely reinstated."

Umm, huh?  It really is just painful to deal with them.