Reviews (369)
Updated Shopify Review
AdScale solicited the removal of my original negative review in exchange for free service. This is what happened next.
I originally posted a 1-star review of AdScale documenting poor performance and unresponsive support. Frank, one of the owners, contacted me, offered a 100% discount for two months and two months of account management, and asked me to remove the review. I complied in good faith. He confirmed in writing: "Thank you for removing the review already." That email is dated April 16, 2026, and it is documented.
This was not an isolated request. Another Shopify merchant posted a review on this same listing in December 2024 documenting the identical offer -- two months of free service in exchange for removing a negative review. That makes this a pattern of conduct by AdScale, not a one-time mistake.
After I removed the review, the problems continued and worsened.
The account manager assigned to my store, Nicole, built campaigns that were broken from the start. Carousel ads linked to my homepage instead of individual product pages, costing conversions on every click. Meta placements were set to Facebook only, excluding Instagram entirely -- inexcusable for a visual product line. Lookalike audiences were targeted against a customer base of fewer than 400 purchasers, far too thin to generate meaningful signal. The campaign structure consisted of three campaigns, one ad set each, with no more than two ads per campaign -- structurally incompatible with what Meta's Andromeda and Lattice delivery systems require to optimize. The creative contained distorted product images, which is unacceptable for a brand built on the quality and presentation of handcrafted goods.
I requested the ads be stopped on a Friday. AdScale did not respond. The budget continued burning through the weekend. I stopped the campaigns myself on Monday. Total spend reached $1,107. Total returned value: $205. Four orders.
I then sent Frank a detailed email documenting every error and requested a different account manager. His response was four lines suggesting I pause the ads (which were already paused) and schedule a weekend call. He addressed none of the specific issues raised. When I notified him I was discontinuing the relationship, his reply was: "Why are you taking things in the wrong way?"
That is the AdScale playbook: solicit review removal with promises of resolution, fail to deliver, blame the merchant when problems are documented, and rely on the suppressed reviews to maintain a misleading public rating.
The 4.7 average rating on this listing is engineered. Negative reviews are removed through incentive offers. Positive reviews cluster around early onboarding impressions before performance can be evaluated. The G2 profile has been unmanaged for over a year. Trustpilot reviewers document an 11-day support gap, €2,800 in lost spend with one attributed sale despite promised 4x ROAS guarantees, refund refusals using Israeli headquarters to sidestep EU consumer law, and predatory billing practices including charges for a full year of unused service with no refund.
I have reported this incident to Shopify Partner Support as a violation of the Partner Program Agreement, which explicitly prohibits incentivizing merchants to add, edit, or remove reviews. Frank's April 16 email is documented evidence.
This review is reinstated and will remain in place. Other merchants deserve to see the full record before they install this app.
Avoid AdScale.
We’re disappointed to read this review and strongly disagree with both the characterization of events and several factual inaccuracies presented here.
First, it is important to clarify that this merchant never paid AdScale for the app itself. The account was already operating under free service periods and promotional support. Claims suggesting we attempted to “exchange refunds for review removal” simply do not align with reality because there were no app subscription payments to refund in the first place.
As part of our customer success efforts, we occasionally extend complimentary service periods, onboarding support, or additional account management assistance to merchants who are experiencing difficulties and are willing to continue working collaboratively toward improving results. This was intended as a retention and support effort, not an attempt to suppress reviews.
Second, the advertising activity referenced here lasted a total of approximately 11 days and generated 4 attributed orders during that period. While the merchant was dissatisfied with profitability, the store was in fact generating sales through AdScale at a higher rate than before the campaigns launched. Advertising optimization, especially for newer or lower-volume stores, requires testing, learning phases, creative iteration, and sufficient data over time. No serious advertising platform can accurately judge long-term performance from such a short period.
The claim that campaigns were “broken” is also misleading. Campaigns were structured and managed based on the available store data, audience size, tracking signals, approved creative assets, and platform best practices available at the time. Meta advertising strategies are not one-size-fits-all, and there is no universally “correct” structure applicable to every merchant or budget level.
Regarding support, our team remained actively engaged throughout the process despite increasingly aggressive communication from the merchant, including repeated demands that AdScale reimburse advertising spend, something we explicitly do not do and have never represented as part of our policy. Multiple support calls and follow-ups were provided in an effort to assist and de-escalate the situation.
Unfortunately, during these interactions, our team was also threatened with negative reviews unless full refunds and ad spend reimbursement were provided. We do not believe review systems should be used as leverage in commercial disputes.
AdScale has worked with thousands of ecommerce merchants over many years. Like any advertising platform, some stores achieve strong results while others require more iteration, stronger offers, improved products, or more mature conversion funnels before paid advertising becomes consistently profitable. We remain committed to providing professional support, transparent communication, and AI-driven advertising tools designed to help merchants grow.
We wish this merchant the best moving forward.
