PHOENIX — A Phoenix artist who built her business through Instagram says Meta permanently banned her account without explanation.
The owner of "Rizvi Drops” tells us she’s been drawing and painting on clothes her whole life. She says she started her business over a year ago to combine her love for art with her own life experiences.
"I just wanted to mix something that's my passion, which is like art, with something that I observe on a daily basis, which is wearing a headscarf, and you know, expressing that and sharing that with other people who are like me, or even if they're not, anyone could buy my products," she explained.
She tells us she has used Instagram to help build a following for her business and grow her customer base for more than a year without any issues until recently.
"I woke up to an email saying that my account was under risk of being suspended, and I had to appeal it within 180 days. So, I did the appeal process," she said.
"10 minutes later, they sent me an email saying that I am permanently banned and I cannot re-appeal, and my account was just gone."
She says she reached out to Instagram support and was told her account wasn't following community standards.
"I read every single one of their community guidelines, and I did not break any," she said.
"On Instagram, there's a feature that tells you, it's called the Activity Center, and it tells you if you are actively breaking any rules. And I screenshotted that as proof that it had all green check marks for me on my account."
She says the support service for Instagram told her that she would have to make a new account, so she did. Then that account was suspended, along with her personal Instagram account.
"It's just hopelessness, because, I mean, I've done nothing but follow their guidelines," she said.
"Having that taken away from me overnight is just so devastating, because I rely on Instagram and my social media for so much communication, and, you know, to drive orders."
She says she tried to appeal the suspensions and again was denied.
"I talked to two different agents, and both of them pretty much told me the same thing, and said that I was breaking community guidelines, and due to privacy reasons, they can't really tell me exactly what it is," she explained.
She says she posts the same exact content on her "Rizvi Drops" TikTok account and has never had any issues there.
ABC15 reached out to several different accounts and email addresses for people with Meta and Instagram multiple times, and we have not received a single response.
Unfortunately, Meta is the one with all the power here, so the biggest takeaway for artists and business owners is don't rely on just Instagram and Facebook, because if something goes wrong, it's nearly impossible to get a hold of anyone to help you.
"Be aware of that. Branch out to other social media," she said.
As for "Rizvi Drops," the business owner is determined not to let this setback be the end of her and her art.
"This is my passion that I've worked so hard for. This is all that I've wanted is to actually make art and share it with other people, and that's something that I'm finally doing, and I'm not going to let them take me down like this," she said.
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