Unexpected charge for Microsoft Azure Professional Direct Support – request for billing waiver

Question

Hello Microsoft Team,

I am seeing an unexpected charge on my Microsoft Azure account for Microsoft Azure Professional Direct Support, and I would like guidance on whether this charge can be waived or refunded.

Here are the details from my billing export:

<PII Removed>

I am a new / learning user and did not intentionally subscribe to a paid support plan. I was under the assumption that I was using free or pay-as-you-go services only, and I have not actively used Professional Direct Support services.

As soon as I noticed this charge, I stopped further usage and started reviewing my billing details. I would really appreciate your help in:

Confirming why this charge was applied

Advising whether this can be waived or refunded as a one-time exception, since it was unintentional

I am happy to provide any additional information required.

Thank you for your time and support.

Kind regards, Namitha Kadam

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Answer 1

Hi Namitha,

First, turn off Auto renew on your support plan to avoid future charges. In the Azure portal, please navigate to Cost Management + Billing using link below:

https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_Azure_GTM/ModernBillingMenuBlade

On left, click Products + services -- All billing subscriptions blade. Click on context menu (three dots) to the right of the Microsoft Azure Support line and choose Change renewal setting.

In the flyout window on right, select Off and click Save.

The above will cause your Professional Direct support plan to expire on the date shown and not be automatically renewed. If you want you can try Cancel option, but it will likely say you can't cancel and take you to renewal setting.

Second, I recommend you create a new billing support request so that you can speak to billing engineer. Explain to them you purchased support by mistake and want to immediately cancel and receive refund. Billing support is free.

Please carefully follow my instructions below to create new billing support request without getting stuck in endless loop.

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

3. Select Billing and click Next

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.

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

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

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.

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

Answer 2

To address your unexpected charge for Microsoft Azure Professional Direct Support, here are some steps you can take:

1. Confirming the Charge: It is possible that the charge was applied due to an unintentional subscription to the Professional Direct Support plan. New users sometimes inadvertently select paid support options during the setup process. You can review your subscription details in the Azure portal to confirm this.
2. Requesting a Waiver or Refund: For billing issues like this, you can create a support request through the Azure portal. In your request, explain that you are a new user and did not intend to subscribe to the Professional Direct Support plan. Microsoft may consider waiving or refunding the charge as a one-time exception, especially if it was unintentional.
3. Reviewing Billing Information: To prevent future unexpected charges, regularly review your billing details and ensure you understand the services you are subscribed to. You can also check the Azure Free Account guidelines to ensure you are within the free usage limits.

If you need further assistance, consider reaching out to Azure support directly through the portal for personalized help.

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References:

• General billing questions
• Analyze unexpected charges