Billing Escalation: Refund Request and Account Review. I am still being charged for a service that does not exist

Lance 371 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2026-03-15T22:06:34.6333333+00:00

First let me say I understand that if you cancel something halfway through a month, it will be there until the next invoice... this is not that situation.

I am being charged thousands of dollars for a key vault that does not exist and it is still charging me right now.

I want to start a refund process and to get to the bottom of why an HSM vault is still being charged to me although it does not exist.

  • I was charged ~$1500 in Feb for Jan-Feb cycle (this I understand, I saw the HSM vault and deleted it)
  • A charge for ~$2500 in March for a Feb-March cycle. This is not correct; the vault has been deleted for 45 days (this is not the situation of partial month use)
  • I am still being charged, but as you can see in my screenshot... there is no keyvault there.

I am unable to open a support request; I keep getting sent back to the beginning of the support tirage (being deflected back to self-help).

I need a human with authority to see the subscription charges, and help with next steps.

Thank you!

[edit] Removed screenshot and exact $ amounts

Cost Management
Cost Management

A Microsoft offering that enables tracking of cloud usage and expenditures for Azure and other cloud providers.

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Answer accepted by question author
Siva shunmugam Nadessin 10,900 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-03-16T01:19:41.5066667+00:00

Hello Lance,

For queries related to billing create a service request they will contact you via email or call to resolve it. below are the steps.

1. Click link Contact Microsoft Support to navigate to support ticket page.

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Type Billing.

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In Contact Support, create support request

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Fill in Problem description.

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Click Next button in Recommended Solution.

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n Additional details add your problem description and in File Upload containing the detailed screenshot of the error you are facing.

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Click Review+Create and click Create button

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Your support ticket will be created and a mail will be sent.

You can track the support ticket in Azure portal using Help + Support, Recent Support tickets.

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and for your support ticket # 2603160040000074 when we check from the backend we see that our support engineer will be reaching to you via email to discuss on this issue at the earliest and its usually in 1 business days.

Reference:

Support + troubleshooting - Microsoft Azure

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Answer accepted by question author
TP 162.3K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-03-15T22:17:58.5366667+00:00

Hi Lance,

Did you purge your Key Vault Managed HSM? This is required to stop billing. To do this, please navigate to below link, click Manage deleted HSMs, select subscription, select HSM, click Purge, confirm.

https://portal.azure.com/#browse/Microsoft.KeyVault%2FmanagedHSMs

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What are soft-delete and purge protection?

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/recovery?tabs=azure-cli#what-are-soft-delete-and-purge-protection

Please carefully follow my instructions below to create new billing support request without getting stuck in endless loop. That way you can speak to billing engineer.

If you have issues creating ticket please let me know in a comment.

1. Navigate to this link to start the process:

https://portal.azure.com/#create/Microsoft.Support

2. Enter billing in the box and click Go

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3. Select Billing and click Next

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4. Select your subscription from the dropdown and click Next

5. At this point there will be a delay of several seconds, and then various options will be displayed. Click Create a support request button at the top. DO NOT CLICK any of the other options.

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6. Fill out screen, Summary, Problem type, Problem subtype, then click Next button at bottom. You may need to select different Problem/subtype than shown below

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7. There will be another several second delay, and then some solutions will be displayed (this is similar to above). DO NOT CLICK any of the solutions, instead click on Return to support request button in upper left corner, similar to below

azure support request Return to support request

8. Now you are back at support case. Click Next button at bottom to continue to Additional details tab. Fill out information as required, one of the items you may need is your Subscription ID.

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You can open separate browser tab and navigate to your subscription in portal, the ID is there, click the copy button to the right of it, then paste it into the box on Additional details tab. Click Next to advance to Review + create tab, then click Create.

You should receive an automated email within a few minutes and then be contacted by support within 1 business day.

Please click Accept Answer and upvote if the above was helpful.

Thanks.

-TP

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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-15T22:06:54.25+00:00

    For unexpected Azure charges on a deleted resource and to request a refund, the next step is to work directly with Azure Billing Support so they can access the subscription, verify the Key Vault HSM usage, stop any incorrect metering, and process credits where appropriate.

    Follow this escalation path:

    1. Create an Azure billing support request
      • In the Azure portal, open Help + support and create a new support request.
      • For Issue type, choose Billing.
      • This route is specifically called out for billing issues in Azure: billing questions, unexpected charges, and subscription cancellation are handled via billing support.
    2. Use the billing category that matches the problem
      • Select options related to unexpected charges or billing questions for the affected subscription.
      • Attach the cost analysis screenshots that show Key Vault charges after the deletion date and the subscription’s Resources view showing no Key Vaults.
    3. Ask support to perform these actions
      • Investigate the Key Vault HSM metering for the subscription over the affected billing periods.
      • Confirm the deletion date of the HSM Key Vault and reconcile it against the billed usage.
      • Stop any ongoing metering for that resource if it is still being charged.
      • Initiate a billing adjustment/refund for the overbilled periods (for example, the Feb–Mar cycle and any in‑progress charges) once they confirm the discrepancy.
    4. If the portal keeps redirecting to self‑help
      • Use the same Help + support entry point but ensure Issue type = Billing; billing cases are supported even for basic support plans.
      • If still blocked, use the generic Azure billing support entry from the Cost Management + Billing FAQ to open a request outside the triage flow.
    5. Track and escalate
      • After submitting, monitor the support request in the Azure portal.
      • If the impact is high (charges in the thousands of dollars), set the highest available severity for billing and clearly describe the financial impact so the case is prioritized.

    Azure Billing Support is the channel that can both stop the incorrect charges and authorize refunds/credits once they validate the issue.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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