Import meta ads to microsoft ads - microsoft ads overspent

Question

Import meta ads to microsoft ads - microsoft ads overspent

Red Barn Ads 5

When we set-up our microsoft campaigns - under the recommendations from Microsoft, we were told that if we import our meta ads, it would improve our campaign scores. All along we thought it was just for report, safe-keeping, unfortunately microsoft ads create ads using those reports and launches them in microsoft display network. All in all we were charged $11k!!! Which is so weird since from meta we only spent $3k all in all!! How is that possible?? Now I'm demanding a refund from Microsoft ads and hopefully get our money back. Anyone encountered the same situation?

Patrick McKenna 0 Reputation points

2025-10-29T11:38:07.08+00:00

I had the same issue. 14k spend on ads that resulted in very little revenue. Completely unexpected and unfair. Now sure which region your in, but I'm almost certain this is against most fair trading regulations in most countries.

In Australia, the key issue here is consent and disclosure. Under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010), services must not include charges for features or actions that were not clearly and expressly agreed to. Automatic activation or billing based on a default “auto-import” setting without explicit opt-in and clear disclosure falls under unfair or misleading conduct as defined by sections 18 and 29 of the ACL.

I'm pushing this for a refund for my clients as well. No other ad platform does this, and Microsoft ads will start getting really really bad PR for this issue. No one will even touch the ad platform once people start hearing about this. Completely dishonest business practice, and not to mention completely unessicary. We would have likely spent that money with them on campaigns we built that were set up properly over time, but now we are staying as far away from this ad platform for all of our clients. We manage millions in ad spend. Such a shame.

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Patrick McKenna 0 Reputation points

2025-10-29T11:38:07.08+00:00

I had the same issue. 14k spend on ads that resulted in very little revenue. Completely unexpected and unfair. Now sure which region your in, but I'm almost certain this is against most fair trading regulations in most countries.

In Australia, the key issue here is consent and disclosure. Under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010), services must not include charges for features or actions that were not clearly and expressly agreed to. Automatic activation or billing based on a default “auto-import” setting without explicit opt-in and clear disclosure falls under unfair or misleading conduct as defined by sections 18 and 29 of the ACL.

I'm pushing this for a refund for my clients as well. No other ad platform does this, and Microsoft ads will start getting really really bad PR for this issue. No one will even touch the ad platform once people start hearing about this. Completely dishonest business practice, and not to mention completely unessicary. We would have likely spent that money with them on campaigns we built that were set up properly over time, but now we are staying as far away from this ad platform for all of our clients. We manage millions in ad spend. Such a shame.

Answer 1

Hi Red Barn Ads,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Advertising Learn Q&A Platform! My name is Jefferson, and I will be assisting you with this query.

I understand how frustrating it must be to see unexpected charges after importing your Meta ads into Microsoft Advertising. It’s completely valid to feel caught off guard in situations like this.

The optimization score provides a clear estimate of how effectively your account or campaign is configured to achieve its full potential. Displayed at the top of the Recommendations page, this score ranges from 0% to 100%, with 100% indicating optimal setup and performance readiness.

Implementing the suggested recommendations can enhance campaign effectiveness and contribute to a higher optimization score. One such recommendation provided was to import your ads from Meta, enabling you to expand your reach and engage a broader audience across the Microsoft Advertising network.

When you import campaigns from Meta Ads, Microsoft Advertising uses that data to create new Audience campaigns. If the import settings weren’t reviewed closely, it’s possible that ads were published automatically leading to charges that may be considered valid. We understand that the process may not always feel straightforward, and it's completely normal to have questions. You can learn more about this through this link: Import campaigns directly from Meta Ads

Our support teams are happy to discuss your account in more detail via phone, chat or email to provide review assistance, please see our support page to reach out!

I hope this information helps clarify things. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support. I have also sent you a PM in case you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Jefferson| Microsoft Advertising Support Specialist | 1-800-518-5689

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Import meta ads to microsoft ads - microsoft ads overspent

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