🔧 Troubleshooting Plan Downgrade Billing Errors

🔍 Why Downgrade Billing Errors Occur

When you downgrade your Search Atlas subscription plan, billing discrepancies can occur for a few common reasons:

• Prorated charges: If your billing cycle was already in progress when you downgraded, you may see a prorated charge for the time spent on the higher-tier plan before the downgrade took effect.
• Timing of the downgrade: Downgrades typically take effect at the end of the current billing period, so a final charge at the original plan rate is expected before the new, lower rate applies.
• Promotional codes or credits not applied: If a discount or credit was expected but did not appear on the invoice, this can cause the charge to look higher than anticipated.
• Duplicate or overlapping charges: In rare cases, a system delay may result in an overlapping charge between the old and new plan.

Understanding the likely cause of the discrepancy will help you resolve it faster, either on your own or with team support.

🛠️ Steps to Review and Resolve the Charge

1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your billing or subscription settings to confirm which plan is currently active and what charges are listed.
2. Compare the charge on your invoice against the plan pricing for both the plan you downgraded from and the plan you downgraded to. Check whether the amount reflects a prorated charge or a full billing-cycle charge at the old rate.
3. Check your billing date and downgrade date. If your downgrade was initiated mid-cycle, a prorated charge for the remainder of that cycle is expected and correct.
4. Verify whether any promotional codes or credits were applied. If a credit is missing, note the code or credit name and the amount you expected to see.
5. Review the invoice number and billing date for the charge in question and keep this information available.

💬 If the Issue Persists

If the charge does not match a prorated amount, a final cycle at the old rate, or any other expected billing event, the issue may require manual review by our team. When escalating, have the following ready:

• The invoice number or billing record showing the charge
• The charge amount and billing date
• The date you initiated the plan downgrade
• The plan you downgraded from and the plan you downgraded to
• Any promotional codes or credits that should have been applied but were not reflected

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be instantly connected with a member of our team.