Unexpected Azure charges after promotional credits expired — refund request

Hello @Harshal Bhangale

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A. I'm sorry to hear about the unexpected charges on your Azure account.

It's good to know that you have already disabled the subscription to prevent any further charges. If the Azure portal indicates that a refund is already in progress, this generally means that the refund request has been submitted successfully and is under review by the Azure Billing team.

Here are the steps you can follow to create support requests:

• Go to Azure portal > Search for Help + Support or https://portal.azure.com/#view/Microsoft_Azure_Support/HelpAndSupportBlade/~/overview
• Click on Create a Support Request.
• On right-side panel, enter Billing and click Go > select the issue with "Billing" > select your Subscription then click Next.
• Do not click on refund request button or any suggested articles instead click on the Create support request on top of the panel.
• Select the Issue type as Billing and, select the summary, problem type and problem subtype as per your issue like below > then click on Next.
• Do not click on refund request button or any recommendation solution/article, instead click on the Return to support request then click Next.
• Fill all the required information and provide a clear description of your issue and click Next.
• Review and create as submit the support request.
• You should receive an automated email within a few minutes and then be contacted by support team.

Kindly check the below documentation for more details: How to create an Azure support request - Azure supportability | Microsoft Learn

I hope this helps. Please let us know if you need assistance creating the billing support request or locating your subscription details.

Regards,

Venkat.M

Hello @Harshal Bhangale

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Q&A Support. We understand your concern and are sorry to hear about the unexpected charges on your account.

Based on your description, it appears that your Azure credits were exhausted during the billing period, and the Azure Container Instances continued running under the paid subscription model, which resulted in the charge of approximately ₹11,020. I understand that, as a student participating in a hackathon, this unexpected expense can be a significant financial burden.

It's good to hear that you have already disabled the subscription to prevent any further charges. If the Azure portal indicates that a refund is already in progress, this generally means that the refund request has been successfully submitted and is currently being reviewed by the billing team.

To verify the status of your refund request, please check the following:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to Cost Management + Billing.
2. Review the Support Requests section to see whether a billing support ticket has been created.
3. Check your email inbox, including the Spam/Junk folder, for any communications from Microsoft regarding the refund request.
4. If no support request is visible, you can contact Azure Billing Support by creating a new billing support request through the Azure portal and referencing the existing refund request shown in the portal.

When contacting the billing team, I recommend providing:

• Subscription ID
• Invoice number (if applicable)
• Screenshot showing the "Refund in Progress" status
• A brief explanation that the charges occurred after Azure credits expired during a student hackathon project
• Confirmation that the subscription has been disabled to prevent further usage

While refund decisions are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, providing this additional context may help the billing team during their review.

I hope this information helps. If you need assistance locating the billing support options in the Azure portal or preparing a message for the billing team, please let us know and we'll be happy to assist further.

Regards,

Venkat.M