Spending Limit Problems

Question

First of all:

• 2 days ago I attempted to create a VM in US WEST 2.
  • Failed 2x - after churning for, legit, like 10+ minutes each time.
  • And, it's NOT like I somehow bypassed the validation process.
  • my options/selections/details were VALID both times.
• Finally, tried same options in US WEST 3 and VM created without problems.
  • So, US WEST 2 was just at capacity, buggy, or having problems.
  • and Azure error handling is TERRIBLE - because it couldn't let me know that there were PLATFORM issues.
    • Total waste of time.

Meanwhile, I had storage resources from my FAILED VM ... sitting around that I could NOT delete (in US WEST 2).

• Each time I tried to delete these - over the space of HOURS (i.e., try, error, wait, try again, error, rinse and repeat)...
• I'd get odd errors either about how I'd tried something I didn't have permissions for, or ... was doing something wrong.
• SERIOUSLY lame that I couldn't force-delete resources in / against a FAILED VM.
  • Again: total waste of time.

Fast forward to today.

• Email: "Doh!!! - your services were disabled because you hit a spending limit. "
• Fine. Given 'cloud' horror stories - I'm not even cheesed off.
• Only:
  • I'm kind of pissed that a big chunk of this was caused by $20 in charges for storing the FAILED disks from my VM that NEVER even managed to spin up.
    • Translation: I'd like a credit for this. Seriously.
  • After getting all sorts of stupid/odd 500-level (like) errors when trying to look at my "Cost Management" dashboard ...
    • Things then start working.
    • Honestly, I can't quite believe Azure's been around for years. Feels like it was coded by interns during a 'code week' given the janky error handling and inconsistent results I'm seeing.
      • But I digress...

At this point, I've just ponied up $30 to get support.
I don't really give a crap about $30.

I do care about the COLLOSSAL waste of time this has been.

And, I've created a support account so that I can pose the following question:

• I don't SEE that I've ever set a spending limit. I mean, wouldn't surprise me if I did.
  • BUT when I look at my 3x accounts (no EFFING idea why I've got 2x different Visual Studio accounts, but whatever)...
    • I don't see ANY spending limits put in place on ANY of these accounts.
• So. How do I go about re-enabling my account?
  • the lame email I got says I have 2 options: a) wait until next month, or b) ... adjust my monthly limit.
    • adjust it where?
      • If I go to BUDGETS, there are no budgets "You do not have any budgets"
      • I have NO alert rules, and NO alerts.

LOL. Holy crap.

I've refreshed my Subscriptions page.

• I only have 2 subscriptions.
  • Not the 3x I was seeing a few minutes ago.
  • Is this whole thing, really, seriously, this buggy?

LOL. Holy CRAP!!!

• After seeing that I only had 2x Subscriptions (not 3x) I clicked on my Visual Studio Subscription.
• 'This' Subscription ... had a nice warning up at the top saying: "Hey there, pilgrim, looks like you spent too much money on women and booze, want to try again, or hit the hay?"
• So, I clicked on the option to "reset spending limits"
  • Nice.
  • Cool. I was able to chose to suspend forever, or just for this month.
  • RUH ROH!
    • My credit card is/was expired.
    • Could I please provide ANOTHER form of payment.
    • SURE.
    • NOT A PROBLEM.
  • Only, guess what?
    • I'm really not sure how you just charged me $29 or whatever for this month's support contract so that I could write this nasty-gram to support... unless that was a different account? I mean. it's the account I'm using to complain right now.

Seriously.

Can we hang this on the fridge somewhere - for the engineers managing the site?
I know that this stuff is BEYOND complicated.

But good hell. I've just wasted so much time.

And yeah - it's entirely possible that I'm a moron.

But, after hunting, pecking, and trying to find ANY option to remove my spending limit:

• I finally gave up and opted to open up a support contract.
• Because, I had 3 subscriptions.
  • Not 2.
  • And I couldn't even see billing details - on ANY of them.
• Then, while I'm writing up this hate-mail, presto-change-o! I've got 2 again.

Meanwhile, after removing spending limits, here's what I'm still seeing when trying to view parts of my account:

Sigh.

What... we're using NoSQL now - eventual consistency?

At any rate - assuming that my account now works - I'd like a credit of $20+ for all of the storage costs associated with the failed VM "disks-tests":

That VM NEVER started - and was always in a failed state.

Thanks,

--Mike