An Invercargill wedding photographer says he has been unable to stop Facebook advertising charges after losing access to his accounts. His experience highlights a practical problem for small businesses that depend on a platform for enquiries, bookings and paid promotion.
Stan McDowall told RNZ his accounts had been suspended in May. Since then, he said, advertising charges had reached $1,319.39 while he could neither manage the ads nor respond normally to customers. He separately estimated $6,000 in missed bookings. That second figure is his estimate of lost business, not an independently established loss or compensation award.
Recovery routes leave owners guessing
RNZ also spoke to nutrition coach Jane Ross-Davie, who regained access after nine months and several attempts to get help. She could not identify which approach finally worked. She said she had also paid $200 to someone offering account recovery who turned out to be a scammer.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment told RNZ it had forwarded 457 matters involving about 192 individual people or businesses to Meta since the previous September. Those numbers describe requests passed on, rather than confirmed account recoveries. MBIE was seeking clearer aggregate information about outcomes.
There is an unresolved discrepancy in the latest reporting. Meta told RNZ that all five accounts raised by the broadcaster had been reactivated. Two of the people involved told RNZ they still could not get in. The published accounts do not establish why those experiences differ.
An appeal needs an explanation
The questions extend beyond whether a platform is entitled to remove harmful material. An owner also needs to understand what triggered a suspension, what evidence can be supplied and how to get a meaningful review.
In June, Meta's Oversight Board addressed account enforcement in its first accounts case. It upheld a ban involving violent threats against a journalist, while calling for improvements to transparency and fair procedures around account restrictions.
That decision concerned a different account and different conduct. It neither determined the New Zealand business cases nor established a recovery route for them. It does, however, provide a published reference point for the broader argument that account-level penalties need understandable reasons and workable appeals.
Keep a route to customers outside the app
For a business owner, the immediate lesson is to reduce the damage a lockout can cause. Keep copies of booking records and advertising invoices, maintain an independent contact address and make sure customers can find a website or another established way to get in touch.
If an account is suspended, record the notices and case numbers before seeking help through official channels. Offers from strangers who promise reinstatement deserve caution, especially when they ask for passwords or payment. Ross-Davie's experience shows how the recovery search itself can create another loss.
