Google forced us to roll back cashback campaign which is legal in India: Paytm
The company during a blog alleged that it had been arm-twisted to require down its campaign while Google Pay has been running similar cricket-based promotions.
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Google had blocked Paytm on its Play store following a policy update on September 18. (File)
Global internet giant Google’s Play store rules forced Paytm to roll back a UPI cashback campaign which is legal in India, digital payments company Paytm claimed on Sunday.
The company during a blog alleged that it had been arm-twisted to require down its campaign while Google Pay has been running similar cricket-based promotions.
Google had blocked Paytm on its Play store following a policy update on September 18, before the IPL cricket tournament, to disallow apps that support any unregulated gambling but restored the mobile app after a couple of hours after it rolled back the campaign.
The homegrown financial services firm Paytm said that it had been forced to suits Google’s mandate to urge rid of the UPI cashback and scratch cards campaign to get re-listed on the Android Play Store.
Explained: Paytm app back on Google Play Store; here’s why it had been removed
“Offering both is legal in India, and cashback was being given following all rules and regulations set by the govt ,” Paytm said.
The digital payments firm alleged that it had been “arm-twisted” by the program major to suits its biased app Play Store policies “that are meant to artificially create Google’s market dominance.”
Paytm within the blog said that Google Pay has started its Tez Shots Campaign which clearly says, “Score Runs to earn assured rewards worth up to Rs 1 lakh” at the start of this cricket season itself.
No immediate comments were received from Google on the topic .
Paytm in its blog said within the Tez Shots game a user can play as repeatedly as they need and earn vouchers that they will unlock at each milestone.
Finally, they qualify for a lucky draw through which they get assured tickets up to Rs 1 lakh with any qualifying payment. for various scores ranging from 50 to all or any the thanks to 1000 plus they also earn rewards and discounts on different services that they avail via the Google Pay app, Paytm said within the blog.
“Presumably, such cashback campaigns of Google Pay aren’t in breach of play store policies, or even they’re , but a special set of rules apply to Google’s own apps,” the digital payments firm said.
Paytm said that it launched a campaign on 9/11 where users could collect cricket stickers and scratch cards to earn UPI cashback.
The offer was applicable on recharges, utility payments, UPI money transfers, and adding money to wallet and on September 18 at 11:30 AM, the corporate received the primary email from Google Play Support informing that the Paytm Android app had been delisted.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma-run digital payments firm alleged that it had been not given any opportunity to reply to their concerns or put forth views.
“We maintain that our promotional campaign was within guidelines, and there was no violation. it had been also not associated with gambling in any manner whatsoever,” Paytm added its blog.
Paytm said the Google Play Support team had written to them on three occasions–on August 20, August 28 and on September 1, with some concerns on a separate matter of Paytm First Games’ promotion through the Paytm app for a few alleged previous “policy violations”.
“While we strenuously disagreed with the allegation that we are breaching the policy (and we afflict the policy itself too), we immediately complied with the diktat that barred us from promoting our gaming subsidiary,” it stated within the blog.
Paytm First Games can conveniently do a paid promotion on Google-owned YouTube but it’s not allowed to try to to an equivalent advertisement on the Paytm app as per Google Policy, Paytm stated.
“We are prompt and responsible in solving Google’s concerns and suits their directions. Google’s recent action on the delisting of the Paytm app due to a UPI cashback campaign is unjustified. We reiterate that our cashback campaign was within guidelines, and there was no violation,” Paytm said.
It added that as a rustic India shouldn’t beholden to such tech giants.
