Google Adsense Question

[searchbliss]

I received my recent Google Adsense check and the stub says the following:

CREDIT NOTE -VAT OVERCHARGE BETW.
1 JAN 2004 & 22/11/07 IF YOU NEED
DETAILS OF THIS VAT PLEASE EMAIL
GOOGLE@BDOSX.IE WITH CUSTOMER REF

What does this mean? What's VAT?

[chicgeek]

This is on the bottom of a genuine adsense cheque?

I would phone, not use that dodgy email address.

[StarLab]

VAT is Value Added Tax.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_added_tax

And yes, that email looks funny. There is a bdosx.ie website in Ireland. Is that where you're from? Not sure what they would have to do with Google though...

[nks]

There is a Google headquarter located in Ireland; which I have been there before. But as for the domain name listed, I cannot be sure if that actually belongs to Google. You may have to verify it further, but as suggested, it's better not to call and be charged for VAT.

The best contact to check with is perhaps with Google, and not with the contact from the box.

[searchbliss]

Yes, it was on the Google check stub. StarLab was right, it does stand for Value Added Tax. Here is the explaination I found:

A VAT (Value Added Tax) is sort of like a goods tax for European businesses.
That note is probably just a general announcement to all Adsense accounts.
It doesn't apply to you if you're in the U.S.

So I'm not going to worry about it.

[Dollar]

Ah, Poor Europeans always getting shafted.
This is why the U.S formed and the rebelled against british royalists, Becuase those Europeans got sick of Kings damn taxes.

[x3mario]

VAT overcharge. It seems that they are mistaken in computing the exact VAT. Imagine between 1 JAN 2004 & 22/11/07. Email google for this issue.

[Eire-Web Design]

definitely email Google about this.

[searchbliss]

Well I just got an email from Google that stated the following:

Hello,

It's come to our attention that the messaging printed on your
November AdSense check was incorrect. Please be assured that this
issue is purely the result of a printing error and will not affect
your ability to deposit these earnings into your bank account.

The payment details on the paystub section of your check should
have read as follows:

THIS CHECK IS FOR YOUR EARNINGS AS
PART OF THE GOOGLE ADSENSE PROGRAM.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE
EMAIL ADSENSE-SUPPORT@GOOGLE.COM

Instead, the following message was printed on your check:

CREDIT NOTE -VAT OVERCHARGE BETW.
1 JAN 2004 & 22/11/07 IF YOU NEED
DETAILS OF THIS VAT PLEASE EMAIL
GOOGLE@BDOSX.IE WITH CUSTOMER REF

The November payment you received is for earnings accrued though
your AdSense account and is not a VAT credit note.

So it seams there was a printing error, and I'm not the only one it happened to. I never even contacted them about it.

[Zap]

I got the same e-mail. Didn't even notice the error on the cheque.