Hanson v Google Settlement Fund – Apparently I won a lawsuit without even knowing I was involved.

Ok, maybe “I” didn’t really win a lawsuit. But I did find a check for $1.73 in my mailbox.

At first, I was hesitant to cash this check. I like Google. Google AdSense helps me make the ends meet when my part time job isn’t enough. But where will the money go if I refuse to cash it? And why did I get this check in the first place?

I still have not figured out who would benefit if I choose not to cash my check for $1.73. But I do think I understand why I got this check. And I remember the frustration it caused when Google made their mistake. You can get full details at http://www.adwordscustomersettlement.com/ , but here is my summary:

In 2005, I signed up for Google AdWords to advertise a small business. I was excited to get my name out there, so I set my daily budget a bit higher than I could really afford. My plan was to run the ads for a week or two then pause them until I had enough cash to run them again.

The problem came when I logged on to pause my ads and saw that they had been charging me more than expected. I was told that they actually just make sure your “average” daily spending doesn’t go over budget. So if I say I am willing to spend $1/day , they could sell me $1.50 worth of clicks some days as long as they made up for it by the end of the billing period.

Apparently I am not the only one upset that the “pause” feature didn’t work as precisely as expected. This money is to repay (at least part) of what I was overcharged 7 years ago. … With that information in mind, I feel like it is my money. I have every right to cash it.

I am seeing all kinds of numbers though for what other people got. – If you got a check, feel free to share how much it’s for. I am curious if my employer got one. She was putting a lot of money into AdWords right before I was hired.