I Recovered A Facebook Page Without An Admin!
About 13 months ago, a secondary Facebook account that I used to manage multiple business pages for my employer was deleted, and with it access to dozens of pages, not to mention the deletion of our main business page and that of two properties. Read about my experiences with Facebook here, and here.
On Friday, I learn that a new manager had started working at one of our properties, and she wanted to know if that property had a Facebook page. I explained to her that I did not have access to the page and that her predecessor was a page editor, with no ability to add or edit page roles, leaving it orphaned.
As there seems to be no web form to send a request for a change of page admin, my logic was to try to get the old page removed through a copyright takedown, so when a new business page for the property is created, and people search for the property name, only one listing appears, to avoid confusion.
So I filled out the copyright report form, and a few hours later, this response came back;
Thanks for contacting us. Based on the information provided, it is unclear whether you’re making an intellectual property claim or requesting an admin change for a Page or group.
Please note that intellectual property claims can result in the permanent removal of the content you’re reporting from Facebook. We can’t change the admins of a Page or group based on an intellectual property claim.
If you’re requesting an admin change for a Page or group, a different team at Facebook might be able to help you with that issue. If you’d like us to forward your request to that team, please reply to this message with the following information:
* A link to the Facebook profile of the person requesting an admin change for a Page or group. If you’re submitting this request on behalf of someone else, please provide a link to their profile, and the team will follow up with them directly.
* A link to the Facebook Page or group you’re requesting an admin change for
If instead you’d like to continue with your intellectual property claim, understanding that the reported content may be removed from Facebook, please respond to this message confirming this and we will look into the matter further.
I responded saying, yes I am trying to regain admin control, supplying the requested information. The next day I get this response from Facebook’s “I Have an Issue Accessing My Page” department;
Thanks for contacting us. We’ve received your request to gain access to the Page Brookfield Residences at /196608030524100/. We’d be happy to look into this, but please keep in mind that we are not in a position to resolve disputes between third parties.
If you’d like us to help, please provide all of the following:
1. A copy of a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a current driver’s license or a passport, of the individual signing the statement. You can find the different kinds of IDs we accept in the Help Center:
https://www.facebook.com/help/
159096464162185?ref=cr 2. A signed statement from a person with sufficient knowledge and authority over this matter that includes all of the following:
a) A description of your relationship to the Page (including your authority to request a change in the person(s) who manage the Page, as applicable);
b) The name of the current person(s) who manage the Page, as applicable;
c) The relationship of the above person(s) to the Page;
d) An explanation of your request, and whether there has been a termination of the employment and/or business relationship with the named person(s), as applicable;
e) All documentation supporting your request;
f) The Facebook account or email address associated with the Facebook account that you wish to have added as the new admin of the Page; and
g) A declaration that the information you have provided is true and accurate (e.g. “I certify that the information provided is true and accurate”) – your statement must include similar language.
Please understand that if we do not receive a signed statement with all of the requested information, we won’t follow up. If the statement is not signed or doesn’t contain a declaration attesting to its truth and accuracy, we won’t be able to help.
Once you have provided all of this information, we may follow up with additional requests for information or documentation. Please keep in mind that providing us with this information doesn’t guarantee that we’ll be able to fulfill your request. If we are able to process your request, only one admin will be added to the Page, and it will be the admin’s responsibility to manage the Page roles.
To cut a weekend-long story short, I uploaded my photo ID, in my case, a driver’s license, a signed declaration with all the information requested in the above Email, and a recent copy of the property’s electricity bill. A few hours after I submitted these documents I received an Email saying;
Thanks for providing the requested information. We reviewed your request, and based on the information you provided, we added Jason Lewis
as an admin for the Page < redacted > at < redacted >.If you have any questions about the different Page roles and what each can do, you can learn more in the Help Center:
So, the bottom line here is to get to someone that can help you with recovering a business page, you need to lie about copyright infringement. There is no form whatsoever, that I can find, to get help with regaining control of your business page. CRAZY, RIGHT? If anyone knows a more direct way to access the “I Have an Issue Accessing My Page” department, please comment below…
I hope this helps alleviate some stress for business owners and managers who have been tearing their hair out trying to find a solution, the Facebook help pages are literally no help with this kind of scenario.
Please explain this : a signed declaration with all the information
as I have to scan a sign copy of attested government paper or a word file will work ?
Hammad, I created a Word document with all the information requested, with a digital version of my signature; exported it as a PDF file, and using the Facebook support inbox form I attached the PDF with some text saying “I have attached the signed letter as requested”.