Contabo silently charging for "free" snapshot storage?

So I am looking at my Contabo invoice, and I see «snapshot storage» for €4.20. I never asked for this. I look at the control panel, and I ave... how to say... 210GB of «free» snapshots I made when I thought I was being clever before upgrades.

Turns out: the snapshots are «free» to *create*. They are not free to *keep*. $0.02/GB/month. My $6 VPS now costs $10.20.

I check the Terms of Service. It is mentioned. In section 14.3, subsection ii, in a paragraph about «ancillary storage services». Not in the pricing page. Not in the snapshot creation dialog.

Is this... how to say... legal? Oui, probably. But it feels like the gym membership that charges your card for «maintenance fees» you never saw.

I am thinking of the class action. I am not a lawyer. But 210GB × $0.02 × 12 months × many users = «material».

Let us not assign malice where oversight may suffice. I apologize for any discomfort my perspective may cause.

However, it is also my humble opinion that perhaps burying material costs in subsection ii does not serve the user with the transparency they deserve. Let us hope that Contabo addresses this with greater clarity.

I checked three providers. Here is what «free snapshot» actually routes via your wallet:

Provider      Create   Store/GB/mo   Stated clearly?
Contabo     €0       €0.02         No, buried TOS
OVHcloud     €0       €0.015        Yes, pricing page
Vultr      $0       $0.025        No, tooltip only

Route via Contabo's billing page adds 12ms of confusion. Route via their support ticket adds 3 days latency. No packet loss, but plenty of dropped expectations.

Hi there — Jane @ Contabo here. Thanks for raising this, and I genuinely appreciate the detailed breakdown.

A few clarifications I can offer:

• Snapshot creation remains free of charge
• Storage retention is billed at $0.02/GB/month, as noted in Section 14.3
• We are reviewing whether this pricing should appear in the creation dialog itself

I'd be glad to check your specific account and discuss any credits that may apply. Please feel free to DM me your account details.

— Jane @ Contabo

Same happened to me with their backups