## 🔍 Overview

Some customers have reported being charged after receiving confirmation that their billing had been cancelled or a refund had been issued. This article explains why this can happen, what steps to take, and how our team will resolve it for you.



## ⚠️ Why Charges May Continue After a Refund or Cancellation

In most cases, unexpected recurring charges after a cancellation are caused by one or more of the following known issues:

- **Stacked recurring top-ups:** Following a billing system migration, some accounts had multiple "Recurring Top-Up" charges bundled into their subscription incorrectly. These charges continued to fire each billing cycle even after a refund was issued.
- **Add-on charges not fully deactivated:** Certain add-ons — such as OTTO top-ups or Google Ads integrations — were not fully removed from the subscription during migration, causing them to re-bill automatically.
- **Old payment method still active:** For accounts migrated to our new billing system, the previous default card may still be on file and continue to be charged even after a new card was added or the account was updated.
- **Refund issued without subscription cancellation:** In some cases, a refund was processed manually but the underlying subscription or add-on was not cancelled, allowing the charge to recur in the next billing period.

## 📋 What Information to Gather Before Contacting Support

To help our team resolve your issue as quickly as possible, please have the following ready when you reach out:

- Your account email address and account ID
- The invoice numbers for all disputed charges (for example: LENSRESR-0004, LENSRESR-0005, LENSRESR-0006)
- The dates and amounts of each unexpected charge
- Any previous confirmation you received stating that billing would stop or a refund would be issued (for example, a chat transcript or reference number)
- The name or last four digits of the card that was charged

## 🛠️ Steps Our Team Will Take to Resolve Your Case

Once you contact support, here is what you can expect:

1. **Verification:** Our billing team will confirm your account history and cross-reference all disputed invoices against your subscription records.
2. **Charge investigation:** We will identify the root cause — whether it is a stacked top-up, an unremoved add-on, or a lingering payment method — and stop any future charges immediately.
3. **Refund processing:** All confirmed erroneous charges will be refunded. Refunds typically appear on your statement within **5–10 business days**, depending on your card issuer.
4. **Confirmation provided:** You will receive written confirmation of each refund processed and confirmation that the recurring charge has been fully cancelled.

## 🚫 How to Prevent This From Happening Again

While our engineering team is actively fixing the underlying billing issues, you can take the following steps to protect your account:

- **Request written confirmation:** Any time a refund or cancellation is agreed upon, ask the support agent to confirm the specific invoices, amounts, and the cancellation of the underlying subscription or add-on.
- **Check your billing settings:** After a cancellation, log in to your Search Atlas account and review the Billing section (Avatar in the top-right → Billing → Plans & Top-ups) to confirm that all add-ons and recurring top-ups show as inactive.
- **Monitor your next billing cycle:** After a cancellation is confirmed, check your bank or card statement on your next expected billing date to ensure no new charge has appeared.
- **Update your default payment method:** If you have changed your card details, verify in the Billing section that the new card is set as your default and the old card has been removed.

## 💬 Need Immediate Help With a Disputed Charge?

If you have been charged after a cancellation or refund was confirmed, our billing team is ready to help you right away. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our team.

Please have your invoice numbers and account details ready so we can process your refunds without delay.