Meta and the Illusion of Support: My Journey into the Black Box
A Long-Time User Turned Skeptic
I’ve been a Facebook user and page admin for years, investing heavily in advertising across multiple Business Manager accounts. But my recent experience with Meta’s support has been nothing short of exasperating. Over the past several months, I’ve found myself trapped in a cycle of automated replies, unhelpful support agents, and a blatant disregard for my data privacy rights.
It’s well known that Meta doesn’t have the strongest reputation for protecting user data—and often seems to prioritize profit over ethics—but now I’ve experienced it firsthand. The result has shaken whatever faith I had left in Meta’s ability to do right by its users—so much so that I’ve decided to leave the company’s platforms entirely.
The First Red Flag: A Restricted Account with No Explanation
It all started when I realized that one of our Facebook business profiles had been restricted from advertising. There was no clear reason given—no visible policy violations, nothing. I reached out to Meta support through their Business Support chat, hoping for a quick explanation and fix.
Instead, I got a support agent who spoke in platitudes and never answered my direct questions. I politely asked what specifically triggered the restriction and how to fix it. The agent had no answers; he suggested a phone call. I agreed, and we scheduled a call that led nowhere. Afterward, he dropped a few links to Meta’s policy pages into the chat and essentially said goodbye. The case was marked “completed” without any resolution.
A GDPR Request Ignored
Frustrated, I noticed a feedback survey pop up asking, “How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the help provided for your issue?” I didn’t even know how to answer—obviously dissatisfied, but still in need of real help.
Instead of filling out the pointless survey, I typed a question into the chat: “Where do I get my data?” I was referring to all the personal data and internal notes Meta had on my account restriction. Under the GDPR (the European data protection law), I have the right to request that data.
So I went a step further—I formally wrote out a GDPR Article 15 data access request right there in the chat, detailing everything I wanted: all internal notes, the specific reasons for the restriction, any algorithmic or profiling data used—all of it.
Once I hit send, the chat went silent. Meta’s support never responded or acknowledged the request. They simply closed the chat on their end. It’s hard to describe how powerless that made me feel. Here I was invoking my legal right to my own data, and Meta just… ignored it. (Under GDPR, that’s illegal.)
The Page That Belonged to Someone Else
While I was still processing that, another issue emerged: one of our Facebook pages had been incorrectly linked to another company’s Business Manager account.
In plain terms, our page was somehow under the control of someone else’s business account, which prevented us from fully managing our own page. We couldn’t add new admins or use the page properly. It was a serious problem, so I opened case after case trying to get it fixed.
This became a masterclass in Meta’s incompetence. I was first given a step-by-step guide on how to add people to a Business Suite—basic Facebook 101 advice that completely ignored the actual issue. It was like saying, “My key is broken in the lock,” and getting the response, “Have you tried turning the key to the right?”
That case was abruptly closed with a cheerful message summarizing the “solution.” Nothing had been solved.
Five Agents, Zero Accountability
I went through five different support agents—plus several AI-driven bots. Each time, I had to re-explain the entire issue from scratch. Some left notes, but it was clear no one was actually reading them.
One agent finally admitted there was an internal problem: “The page is stuck under another business account, and you have a temporary block which could be the reason.” For the first time, Meta acknowledged the problem was on their side.
But instead of fixing it, they asked for three forms of documentation:
- A government-issued photo ID of mine
- Official organizational registration papers
- A signed statement on company letterhead requesting the page transfer
I remember staring at that request in disbelief. I had already proven I was the admin—the highest level of control possible on Facebook. Yet Meta was essentially saying, “We don’t believe you—prove it again.”
The Data Dilemma
Still, I complied. But I couldn’t ignore the alarm bells. Meta was asking for extremely sensitive data: my passport, organizational registration papers, and a signed letter with my personal information.
So I asked the obvious question: What happens to these documents once I upload them?
The answer? “They will be stored according to our policy.”
No time limit. No explanation of access. No transparency.
Under GDPR, this violates Article 5 (Purpose and Storage Limitation) and Article 13 (Transparency). I asked follow-up questions. They deflected. Again.
By this point, my patience and trust were gone. I couldn’t shake the feeling that my ID could sit on a Meta server for years—used for who knows what.
Meta’s Support: A Black Box
The worst part wasn’t even the lack of solutions—it was the system itself. Meta holds all the cards. They have my data, they control access to my business page, and they make or break the rules as they please.
If I disagree or if they stop responding, there’s no real appeal. Their support happens in a black box: once a chat is closed, I can’t reply or reach the same person again. Every attempt means starting over from zero. It’s an exhausting hamster wheel.
I don’t blame the individual agents—they work under a structure designed to prioritize data extraction and profit over ethics or humanity. One support representative even hinted at this during a call. Her tone said what she couldn’t: the system isn’t built to help paying customers—it’s built to protect Meta.
The Breaking Point
By October, I’d had enough. My ad account remained restricted. The page still wasn’t under our control. My GDPR request was ignored. And Meta kept asking for more personal documents.
So I made my decision: I’m done with Meta.
I can’t continue to entrust my personal or professional presence to a company that operates like this. The final irony? The problem with our Facebook page being linked to the wrong business account was eventually solved—but not by Meta. It was resolved because real people from both organizations worked together directly.
Why I Left — and Why You Should Think Twice
I’ve deleted my Facebook account and am encouraging every organization I work with to move away from Meta platforms. It’s simply not worth it.
Meta’s behavior throughout this ordeal showed me they don’t deserve my trust. I gave them every chance—five chat sessions, multiple calls, and every document they asked for. In return, I got copy-paste replies, zero accountability, and demands for more private data with no transparency.
If you’re reading this, think twice before giving Meta your information. If something goes wrong, you’ll be trapped in the same Kafkaesque loop I was—alone, ignored, and powerless.
A Final Word to Meta
Meta, if you’re somehow reading this:
Do better.
Treat user data with respect. Provide real support.
For Journalists and Legal Experts
If you are a journalist, lawyer, or data protection expert and would like to learn more about this case, feel free to contact me. I have detailed evidence and documentation that clearly demonstrate Meta’s violations of GDPR and their mishandling of personal data. I’m willing to share the full timeline, chat transcripts, and official correspondence to support further investigation or reporting on these issues.
