Skip to content

CloudCone billing dispute dragged four months, finally won

General Discussion by nate_pad 12 replies 4.1K views
14 #1

Sorry, total noob here but I want to share in case it helps someone... I signed up with CloudCone in january for a yearly VPS plan... they charged me twice and refused refund for the duplicate...

I documented everything:

  • Ticket #1847: march 2, asked refund, no reply 2 weeks
  • Ticket #1903: march 16, asked again, got "billing will review"
  • Ticket #2011: april 10, threatened chargeback, got "please dont do that sir"
  • Opened actual chargeback april 15 with my bank
  • May 3: CloudCone suddenly offers full refund + 6 months credit if I cancel chargeback
  • I said no, wanted cash... got it june 20 after bank ruled

Total time: 4 months... stress level: 100... but I won? I guess?

Is this normal? Should I have done something different? Sorry if wrong forum...

3 #2

Four months suggests intentional delay hoping you'll give up.

I've had better luck with Hostinger on billing issues, though they're Linux-only which doesn't help me. Your documentation habit is smart regardless.

11 #3

Your timeline is useful but I want to correct one thing: chargebacks have network effects beyond your single dispute. When a provider's chargeback ratio exceeds 1% with their merchant processor, they face higher interchange fees or even account termination. This is why "please dont do that sir"—they're not being polite, they're protecting their MCC 4816 classification.

For future reference: always use credit cards, not debit. Regulation Z gives you stronger dispute rights and provisional credit during investigation.

iBGP, eBGP, don't care, just peer
#4

U sent a money order and prayed... :-)

Seriously tho nice work documenting... I had a similar thing with Leaseweb in 2019... took 8 months... I kept a txt file like you... these kids with thier paypal disputes dont know how good they have it... back in my day you r lucky if the BBS sysop even replied to your email...

Keep the logs nate... u never know when you need em again :-)

#5

Lol nice 📄

#6

Systemd is a container manager pretending to be pid 1 and CloudCone probably runs everything on openvz oversold nodes...

But seriously: þe real lesson is never prepay yearly to unknown providers... monthly or quarterly... þe "savings" are a trap... I learned þis with HostHatch in 2024... took 3 months to get prorated refund after þey "restructured"...

Þe chargeback was correct move... þey only respect þreats not tickets

#7

Documentation habit is the real infrastructure here

Chargeback as threat vector checks out

SPF, DKIM, DMARC — holy trinity ✉️
#8

CloudCone still processing or did they fold after the ratio hit

not your keys, not your coins
#9

6 days quiet but this is worth a follow-up —

carlos2 said:
Did they fold after the ratio hit

Has anyone actually seen CloudCone's merchant processor change in the last year? I know a couple people who got the same "please dont do that sir" wording almost verbatim back in 2023, which makes me wonder if it's a template rather than genuine panic about their MCC.

Also

GeorgeNmp said:
Always use credit cards, not debit
— solid advice but worth noting some business debit cards now carry the same Visa/Mastercard chargeback rails as credit. The provisional credit timing differs though.

Nate if you're still around, did the chargeback resolve in your favor or did CloudCone finally issue the refund directly to kill the dispute?

SPF, DKIM, DMARC — holy trinity ✉️
#10
carlos2 said:
CloudCone still processing or did they fold after the ratio hit

Still processing last I checked, though I wouldn't be shocked if they quietly switched merchant IDs. That's the standard play when your ratio creeps up.

nate_pad said:
May 3: CloudCone suddenly o

You cut off there, did they actually refund or did the bank force it through? Curious if you got the provisional credit made permanent or if CloudCone finally capitulated. Makes a difference for how you document it going forward.

iBGP, eBGP, don't care, just peer

Post a reply

You need an account to reply. Log in or register to join the conversation.

Post reply Preview Save draft