🔍 What Are Quota Charges?
Quota charges are additional fees applied when your account's usage exceeds the limits included in your current plan. These charges cover resources such as keyword tracking slots, content generation credits, backlink data pulls, and other metered features within Search Atlas.
In most cases, these charges are applied automatically based on your usage — but if you were given a specific pricing commitment by a member of our team before or during your purchase, that promise should be honored.
📋 Common Reasons a Quota Charge May Appear Unexpectedly
- Your account exceeded plan limits during the billing cycle without a usage alert being set up.
- A promotional deal or manager-approved pricing arrangement was not yet applied to your account at the time of billing.
- A miscommunication occurred between the sales or support team and the billing system.
- Your plan was upgraded or modified and the quota thresholds changed accordingly.
✅ What Counts as a Valid Pricing Promise
If a Search Atlas manager or team member explicitly told you — verbally, via chat, or in writing — that a specific deal would be applied to your account, that commitment is valid and our team will work to honor it. Common examples include:
- A discount or waived quota fee offered during the sales process.
- A custom plan shown to you before purchase that differed from the standard pricing page.
- A written or verbal agreement to lock in a specific price tier regardless of usage.
To resolve the dispute efficiently, it helps to have any supporting evidence ready, such as screenshots of the offer, chat transcripts, or the name of the team member who made the commitment.
🛠️ Steps to Dispute an Unauthorized Quota Charge
- Review your invoice: Log in to Search Atlas and navigate to the account menu (person icon, top-right) → Billing page to view your most recent invoice. Identify the specific line item for the quota charge and note the amount and date.
- Gather your evidence: Collect any proof of the pricing promise made to you — screenshots, emails forwarded to chat, or notes on who made the commitment and when.
- Check your usage: In the same Billing section, review the Plans & Top-ups tab for that billing cycle. This helps confirm whether the charge was triggered by genuine overage or applied in error.
- Contact our support team: Open the live chat widget and request a billing review. Provide the invoice date, the charge amount, and your supporting evidence so the team can investigate quickly.
- Await confirmation: Our billing team will verify the pricing commitment against internal records. If confirmed, you will receive either a refund for the disputed amount or a credit applied to your next invoice — whichever is appropriate.
⏱️ What to Expect During the Review Process
Once you submit your dispute through the chat widget, a member of our team will acknowledge your request. Billing reviews typically take 1–3 business days to complete, depending on the complexity of the case. You will be updated via the chat thread throughout the process.
If a refund is approved, it is generally processed within 5–10 business days and returned to the original payment method on file. Credits are applied immediately to your account balance.
🚫 How to Prevent Unexpected Quota Charges in the Future
- Set up usage alerts: In Settings > Billing, enable quota threshold notifications so you are warned before your account reaches its limit.
- Confirm deals in writing: Before completing a purchase based on a verbal offer, ask the team member to confirm the pricing arrangement in the chat transcript or have it noted on your account.
- Review your plan limits: Periodically check Top-right Avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing) to ensure your current plan matches your actual usage needs.
- Request a plan review: If you regularly approach your quota limits, ask our team about upgrading to a plan that better fits your usage pattern and avoids overage fees altogether.
💬 Need Help Right Now?
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.