Salon IG + FB page suspended, 70% of my bookings came through DMs. What are people doing for business accounts?

Sam R.2026-02-24 17:12 UTC1,180 views

Small salon, 2 chairs, East Van. Our Instagram (about 6k followers) and the linked FB page got suspended Saturday morning. Notice says 'account integrity'. No idea what triggered it. We never ran ads, never bought followers, nothing weird. The money side is what's killing me. Probably 70% of new clients book through IG DMs and I can't see any of those messages now, including people who'd already booked for this week. What I've done: - Appealed both (once each, no spamming) - Put a notice on our Google Business profile with our phone + email - Texted every regular I had a number for Questions: 1. Has anyone gotten a business account back from 'account integrity'? How long did it take? 2. I've seen people talk about small claims, is that a thing in BC? 3. What booking system do people use so this never happens again?

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3 comments

Jo Tran2026-02-24 19:40 UTC
Switched to an actual booking app with its own link after the same thing happened to my studio last year. Put that link everywhere (Google, business cards, receipts, email signature). Never relying on DMs again.
Anonymous2026-02-25 03:18 UTC
On small claims: I read about a Federal Court case from last year where the judge wouldn't hear a claim about an Instagram account because it was used for business. Apparently Meta's terms send non-consumer claims to California. There's a bit about it in the Canada section of the resources page here. Not legal advice, just know that before you spend money on filing.
Sam R.2026-03-17 22:30 UTC
update: FB page came back on its own yesterday, IG still suspended. Moved bookings to a booking link and we're losing far fewer people now. will post if IG comes back