Merchant Center suspended for Misrepresentation: what Google is actually looking at

Misrepresentation is Google's catch-all account suspension. The notice names the policy and nothing else. In practice it is triggered by a short list of store-level problems that Google's reviewers and automated systems look for, most of them about whether the business behind the store is identifiable and honest.

What usually causes it

No physical address, or an address that does not match Merchant Center's business information.
Only a contact form, no email or phone.
Refund and shipping policies that are missing, templated or contradict product pages.
Placeholder text left from the theme or Shopify's policy generator.
Fake urgency: visitor counters, recent-sales pop-ups, permanent countdowns.
Every product permanently 'on sale' from an inflated compare-at price.
Health, superlative or affiliation claims that cannot be proven.

How to fix it

Put the business name, address and a real email on the footer and contact page, and make them match Merchant Center.
Rewrite the refund and shipping policies with real windows, conditions and delivery times.
Remove urgency apps and fake badges; clear compare-at prices that were never charged.
Write a real About page.
Wait a day for the re-crawl, then request review once.

The checks that detect it

Check	Rule
Contact details visible A phone number or email address, and a physical business address, on the contact page or in the footer.	Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Unacceptable business practices) (read 2026-10-06)
Refund policy states a window, conditions and a process The refund or return policy exists and says how many days a customer has, what condition items must be in, and how to start a return.	Merchant Center: Set up your return policies for Shopping ads and free listings (read 2026-10-06)
Shipping policy states costs, regions and delivery times The shipping policy exists and gives costs, where you ship and how long delivery takes, and product pages do not promise faster delivery than the policy.	Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Dishonest pricing and transaction conditions) (read 2026-10-06)
Business identity consistent The store name appears in the policies and footer, and the contact email is on the store's own domain.	Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Unacceptable business practices) (read 2026-10-06)
No template leftovers No placeholder text such as 'Your Store Name', '123 Main Street', 'lorem ipsum' or unedited policy templates.	Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Unacceptable business practices) (read 2026-10-06)
No fake urgency No countdown timers, fake 'people viewing' counters or fabricated recent-sales pop-ups from the common apps.	Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Dishonest pricing and transaction conditions) (read 2026-10-06)
No unverifiable claims or badges No '#1 in the USA', 'FDA approved', 'clinically proven' or similar claims without proof.	Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Unreliable claims) (read 2026-10-06)
No permanent or inflated sales Not every product is permanently 'on sale', and compare-at prices are not several times the selling price.	Product data specification: sale price [sale_price] (read 2026-10-06)
About page with real content An About page that says who runs the store, with more than a sentence or two.	Shopping ads policies: Misrepresentation (Unacceptable business practices) (read 2026-10-06)

Not legal advice. Policies change; each rule above names the page it restates and when it was read.