How a YouTube error could’ve cost thousands

A phone number verification error on YouTube put a creator’s earnings on the line. The worst part? There was no help in sight.

An honest and steady YouTuber who has been posting content for five years received a verification request from Google. After confirming her correct phone number, Google mistakenly updated her account details and changed the name of the account to her mom’s, since she was the one paying the bill.

This happened to Ushio Ebi Ch, a YouTube content creator who focuses mainly on Arknights, a popular mobile game, and adopts an anime persona. She currently has 101k subscribers.

“They keep marking my issues as resolved, but I’m a whole week into an issue that’s directly affecting my payments,” Ushio explained to Cybernews.

“It feels like there’s a communication barrier with the email support team, who are trying to follow a script by copying and pasting information from support articles based on keywords in my email they think are relevant, rather than responding to the issue itself.”

YouTube then demanded proof of a legal name change to revert the mistake, which led to a permanent change of the name on her account. Despite multiple support attempts, Ushio was told she couldn't fix the issue or submit the necessary documents for monetization, which would affect her earnings.

“They just told me they can’t help me,” she said.

She posted on X and Reddit, and the community grew in support, which created the noise required for YouTube to be alerted to the case.

Livelihood on the line

It’s understandable that the company may ask a user to double-check their credentials, but it screams of a “system says no” situation. It’s reminiscent of gig workers who get frozen out of their account for no apparent reason, often without explanation.

If Ushio had been forced to delete her AdSense, as YouTube suggested, she could have faced a potential 30% drop in earnings and permanent loss of monetization.

“It’s so frustratingly out of my depth and completely helpless,” Ushio shared.

Clearly, based on a small administrative oversight, content creators can lose hundreds or thousands due to an error.

And where at a bank or health clinic, you’d get an AI bot or human after some time, the Creator Support Team at YouTube is known to tell you directly that they can’t help you.

Getting paid to do your work

This isn’t merely about a simple claim for a timesheet – it’s navigating a complicated and unknown system. Many people assume that when a creator qualifies for monetization, you’re set and living the dream life. But in Ushio’s case, an unexpected technical mixup can happen, and then unexpected issues can lock you out entirely.

“I think it goes hand in hand with the lack of transparency – I have no clue whether this process is automated or not, but it feels like it is,” she said.

We’ve all been there, facing bureaucratic dead ends, whether it’s airlines, healthcare, or finances. However, this is the user’s livelihood, and there seems to be no simple solution. Surely, someone needs to look into the whole infrastructure of their support system.

Stonewalled and shoved into the void

It seems that YouTube’s complete monopoly means that content creators heavily depend on the platform. That way, YouTube can effectively ignore the issue until the creator has made enough noise for it to be heard.

“You can’t ask them to direct you to someone who can help or escalate the issue,” Ushio noted.

YouTube might not be a business partner per se, but allowing it to take 45% of ad revenue from a creator shows that there is a relationship similar to a business partnership.

Content creators can spend years shaping a business plan that relies on YouTube, and then when a unique hitch like this happens, support is like a broken train on the tracks – cranking the engine, but nothing gets moving.

A more sophisticated support network is required, and you’d expect more from the leading supplier of video content, especially when they’re raking in the squillions from subscription revenue.

The sad fact is that no one really owns their own YouTube career. It’s full of automated decisions, opaque policies, and outsourced support.

We contacted YouTube, and they were eventually got back to us. They highlighted a general need to protect account security, by verifying their identity and address in order to get paid. After raising Ushio’s case with them, it has now been resolved.