Charges, Disputes & Chargebacks

💳 Unexpected Renewal Charge Refunds and Credits

💳 Disputed Annual Plan Charge Refund Investigation

🔍 Overview Some customers have reported being charged for an annual plan renewal unexpectedly — sometimes seeing the charge on their credit card statement or email receipt before it appears in their Search Atlas billing history. In a small number of cases, billing system errors have caused duplicate charges, early renewals, or charges linked to a previous plan tier. This article explains why this can happen, what we do to resolve it, and the steps you should take. ⚠️ Common Reasons for an Unexpected Annual Charge - Duplicate Stripe account created during an upgrade: In some upgrade flows, a second billing account was created in our payment processor, resulting in a double charge alongside a lingering charge from your previous plan. - Annual plan re-billed at an old monthly boundary: Customers who changed plans during a special promotional period occasionally had their full annual amount re-billed at the wrong renewal date. - Charge not yet reflected in your dashboard: There can be a short delay between when your payment processor records a charge and when it appears in your Search Atlas billing history. This is usually resolved within a few hours. - Charged for a previous plan after downgrading: In rare cases, a plan downgrade did not fully cancel the previous subscription tier, resulting in a charge for the old plan. ✅ Steps to Take If You See an Unexpected Charge 1. Check your billing history: Go to Settings → Billing inside Search Atlas. Confirm whether the charge appears there. If it does not, wait up to 24 hours and check again, as processing delays can occur. 2. Compare the amount: Note the exact amount charged on your card or receipt and compare it to your expected plan cost. Discrepancies — such as a charge that is double your plan price, or a charge for a plan you previously cancelled — are the clearest indicators of a billing error. 3. Save your evidence: Keep a copy of your bank or card statement, your email receipt, and a screenshot of your Search Atlas billing page. You will need these when contacting support. 4. Contact our team immediately: Our billing team can investigate the charge, confirm whether an error occurred, and process a refund if one is due. Refund investigations are typically completed within 3–5 business days. 💡 What Happens During a Refund Investigation When you report a disputed charge, our team will: - Cross-reference your Search Atlas account with our payment processor records to identify any duplicate or misaligned subscriptions. - Confirm which plan you were on at the time of the charge and whether the amount matches your agreed pricing. - Correct any duplicate or incorrect subscription entries to prevent future billing errors. - Issue a full or partial refund to your original payment method if an error is confirmed. You will receive confirmation once the investigation is complete and, where applicable, a receipt for any refund issued. Refunds typically take 5–10 business days to appear on your card statement, depending on your bank or card provider. 🛡️ How We Prevent This From Happening Again We have already deployed fixes for the known billing errors that caused unexpected annual charges, including issues related to plan upgrades creating duplicate payment accounts, special-offer plan changes triggering early re-billing, and downgrade flows that did not fully cancel previous plan subscriptions. If you were affected by any of these issues, our team will proactively correct your subscription status as part of the investigation. 🆘 Need Help Right Away? If you have been charged an amount you did not expect and need urgent assistance, please reach out to us directly. 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.

💰 Refund a Webinar-Originated Subscription Charge

🔍 Understanding How This Charge Appeared Search Atlas occasionally partners with webinar hosts and online events to offer platform trials. If you registered for a webinar that included a Search Atlas promotion, a subscription may have been activated on your behalf — sometimes without a clear reminder that recurring billing would begin. These charges typically appear as $99 per month on your card statement and will continue until the subscription is cancelled. If you never intended to use the platform, you are entitled to request a refund and cancel the account. 📋 Before You Contact Support — Gather These Details Having the following information ready will help our team process your refund as quickly as possible: - The email address used to register for the webinar or create the Search Atlas account - The number of charges you have been billed (check your bank or card statement) - The charge dates and amounts for each transaction - The name of the webinar or event where you first encountered Search Atlas, if you remember it 🛑 How to Cancel Your Subscription Immediately To stop future charges right away, follow these steps inside your Search Atlas account: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Billing from the dropdown menu. 3. Open the Plans & Top-ups tab. 4. Click Manage Subscription and follow the prompts to cancel your active plan. Cancelling your subscription will prevent any further billing. It does not automatically trigger a refund — you must request one separately through our support team as described below. 💬 How to Request a Refund Our billing team reviews refund requests on a case-by-case basis. Customers who were charged through a webinar promotion and never actively used the platform are generally eligible for a full or partial refund of recurring charges. To submit your refund request, 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 share the charge details you gathered in the step above so our team can locate your account and initiate the refund without delay. ⏱️ What to Expect After You Request a Refund - Our team will verify the charges against your account history in our billing system. - Approved refunds are processed back to your original payment method. - Depending on your bank, funds typically appear within 5–10 business days after the refund is issued. - You will receive confirmation once each refund has been processed. ⚠️ Important Notes - If you have been charged multiple times, please list every transaction clearly when you contact support — our team can request refunds for all eligible charges in a single case. - If you no longer have access to the email address associated with the account, mention this in the chat so our team can locate your account by payment details instead. - Disputing charges directly with your bank before contacting us may delay the resolution. We recommend reaching out to our support team first. 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.

🔧 Fix Premature Downgrades and Disputed Billing Charges

Overview If you purchased an annual Pro Plan but your account was downgraded to Growth before your renewal date, you may have experienced unexpected credit costs, incorrect billing amounts, or a confusing charge history. This article explains what to expect and how to get it resolved. Common Signs You Are Affected - Your account shows a Growth plan even though you paid for an annual Pro Plan. - Your plan renewal date does not match your original annual payment date. - You were charged for credits at a higher per-unit rate due to the downgrade. - Your billing history shows unexpected charges alongside your annual payment. - You received no warning before the plan change took effect. Why This Happens A small number of accounts have been affected by billing system issues that caused annual subscriptions to be incorrectly downgraded or re-billed. If your account was affected, your plan status and billing history may need manual correction by our team. What to Have Ready When You Contact Support Because resolving this issue requires a manual review of your account, please gather the following before reaching out so our team can act quickly: 1. Your current plan status: Log in to Search Atlas and confirm whether your plan currently shows Pro or Growth, and note the listed renewal date. 2. Your original payment receipt: Locate the confirmation email or receipt for your annual Pro Plan payment. Note the exact payment date and amount charged. 3. Your expected plan end date: Your annual plan should be active for 12 full months from the date of that payment. For example, a payment made on August 27, 2025 means your Pro Plan should remain active until August 27, 2026. 4. Any disputed credit charges: If you were billed for credits at the Growth plan rate during the period your Pro Plan should have been active, record the specific dates and amounts so our team can review them for a potential credit or refund. Our support team will review your account, restore your annual Pro Plan status if applicable, and investigate any disputed credit charges on your behalf. 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.

💳 Fix Pro Plan Downgrade and Disputed Charges

🔍 Overview If you purchased an annual Pro plan but your account was downgraded to Growth before your renewal date, or if you noticed unexpected charges after a plan change, this article explains what may have happened and how to get it resolved quickly. ⚠️ Common Billing Issues on Annual Plans Several known billing scenarios can affect annual Pro plan subscribers. Understanding which situation applies to your account helps our team resolve it faster. - Premature downgrade: Your account was moved to a lower-tier plan (such as Growth) before your annual subscription period ended, causing a loss of Pro features and credits. - Duplicate charges: A plan upgrade created a second billing profile, resulting in two charges appearing on your payment method. - Lingering monthly charge: After switching to an annual plan, a previous monthly charge was not fully cancelled and continued to bill. - Credit errors from proration: Upgrading mid-cycle caused an incorrect proration calculation, leading to unexpected credit adjustments — sometimes as high as several hundred dollars in either direction. - Double annual charge: A plan change triggered a full annual re-bill on top of an existing payment, resulting in being charged twice for the same period. ✅ What to Check Before Contacting Support Before reaching out, gather the following information so our team can resolve your case as quickly as possible: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and go to your billing or subscription settings. 2. Note the current plan shown on your account (e.g. Growth, Pro, Starter). 3. Check your email for your original annual purchase confirmation. Note the purchase date and the plan end date stated in that email. 4. Review your payment history or bank/card statement for any duplicate or unexpected charges, and note the exact amounts and dates. 5. If you were charged extra credits or incurred additional costs due to the downgrade, note the approximate credit amount lost or charged. Having this information ready significantly speeds up the investigation and resolution of your case. 🛠️ How to Get Your Plan and Credits Restored Our billing team can manually restore your annual Pro plan to its correct end date, reverse erroneous charges, and refund any extra credits you were billed for as a result of a premature downgrade or billing error. These corrections cannot be made directly by customers inside the platform — they require a billing team action on the backend. Please follow the steps below to get this resolved: 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the Search Atlas platform. 2. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. 3. Share the details you gathered in the previous section: your original plan purchase date, the expected end date of your annual plan, your current plan, and any charge amounts in dispute. 4. Our team will investigate your account, confirm the billing error, and apply the appropriate corrections — including plan restoration and credit or charge adjustments. 📋 What Happens After You Contact Support Once our team reviews your account, they will: - Restore your account to the correct plan tier (e.g. Pro annual) with the accurate renewal date. - Reverse any duplicate or erroneous charges where applicable. - Adjust your credit balance to reflect what you were originally entitled to under your purchased plan. - Confirm all changes with you before closing the case. Resolution times vary depending on the complexity of the billing correction, but our team prioritises plan and charge disputes and aims to resolve them promptly. 🚫 What Not to Do To avoid complicating your billing situation further, please do not: - Manually upgrade or downgrade your plan again before speaking to support — this can overwrite existing corrections and make the investigation harder. - Initiate a chargeback with your bank or card provider without first contacting us. Chargebacks can cause your account to be suspended and delay resolution. - Purchase a new annual plan to replace a wrongly downgraded one — this may result in double billing. 💡 Preventing This Issue in the Future After your plan is restored, keep these tips in mind to monitor your subscription: - Save your annual plan confirmation email and note your renewal date in a calendar or reminder app. - Periodically check your plan status inside your account settings, especially around known billing dates. - If you notice your plan tier has changed unexpectedly, contact support immediately rather than waiting — the sooner we investigate, the easier it is to reverse any associated charges. 🆘 Still Need Help? 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.

💳 Dispute Unauthorized AI Credit Charges & Get Refunds

🔍 What Are Automatic AI Credit Top-Ups? Search Atlas uses AI credits to power features such as content generation, keyword research tools, and other AI-assisted workflows. Account admins can optionally enable an automatic top-up setting that replenishes your Universal Credits balance when it runs low — once turned on, this can trigger charges you may not have expected. Automatic top-up is off by default and can only be enabled or changed by an account admin. If you have seen line items labeled something like AI credit top-up on your invoice that you did not intentionally authorize, this article will help you understand what happened and how to resolve it. 📋 How to Identify the Charges on Your Invoice Before disputing a charge, confirm the details by reviewing your billing history: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner to open the Account Menu. 3. Select Billing. 4. Open your recent invoices and look for line items marked as AI Credits or Automatic Top-Up. 5. Note the date, amount, and number of top-up transactions that appear. Once you have confirmed the charges are not ones you manually initiated, follow the steps below to disable automatic top-ups and request a refund. 🛑 How to Disable Automatic AI Credit Top-Ups Turning off automatic top-ups prevents any future unexpected charges. Here is how to do it: 1. Go to the top-right avatar (Account Menu) → Billing. 2. In the Billing dashboard, open the Plans & Top-ups tab and locate the automatic top-up setting. 3. Switch the setting to Off or Disabled. (Only an account admin can make this change.) 4. Save your changes. You should see a confirmation message. Once disabled, your AI features will pause when your credit balance reaches zero instead of triggering an automatic purchase. You can always top up manually whenever you need more credits. 💰 How to Request a Refund for Unauthorized Charges Search Atlas reviews refund requests for automatic top-up charges on a case-by-case basis. To give your request the best chance of a quick resolution, have the following information ready before you contact support: - The total amount you believe was charged without authorization. - The dates of the disputed transactions. - Your invoice or receipt numbers (found in Billing). - A brief explanation of why you did not authorize the top-ups (for example, you were unaware the setting was enabled). Our support team will verify the transactions against your account activity and process any approved refund back to your original payment method. Refund processing times vary depending on your bank or card issuer but typically appear within 5–10 business days after approval. ⚙️ Tips to Prevent Unexpected AI Credit Charges Follow these best practices to stay in full control of your AI credit spending: - Review your billing settings after onboarding. Automatic top-up is off by default, but an admin may have turned it on — check and adjust it to match your preferences. - Set a manual top-up workflow. Purchase AI credits only when you need them by topping up manually from the Billing section. - Monitor your usage regularly. Check your AI credit balance in the account menu (person icon, top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups to avoid surprises at the end of a billing cycle. - Enable billing notifications. Where available, turn on email or in-app alerts for payment activity so you are notified of every charge in real time. 🙋 Still Need Help? If you have followed the steps above and still have questions about a specific charge, or if you would like a support agent to initiate a refund on your behalf, we are here to help. 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.

💳 Refund for an Incorrectly Charged Google Ads Addon

📌 Overview Some customers on plans that already include the Google Ads integration occasionally see a separate charge for this addon. This can also happen when joining a new area, such as the Platinum workspace, where the system may prompt for a payment that is already covered by your subscription. This article explains why this occurs and how to get any incorrect charge reversed quickly. ❓ Why This Charge Happens The Google Ads integration is bundled into several plans, including the Agency plan. A duplicate or unexpected charge usually appears for one of the following reasons: - Plan recognition delay: The platform may not immediately recognize that your current plan already includes the addon. - New workspace access: When you join a new area like Platinum, the checkout flow may present the addon as a separate purchase even though it is included. - Billing overlap: A recent upgrade or plan change can briefly cause both the old and new billing items to display. In each case, you should not be required to pay twice for an addon that is part of your subscription. ✅ Confirm What Your Plan Includes Before requesting a refund, confirm that the Google Ads integration is part of your plan: 1. Log in to the platform. 2. Open the Billing → Plans & Top-ups section from your account menu. 3. Review your active plan and its included features. 4. Check whether the Google Ads integration is listed as an Add-on (paid) rather than as included. If the integration is listed as included but you were still charged the addon fee, the charge qualifies for a refund. 🧾 How to Request a Refund To have an incorrect Google Ads addon charge reversed, gather a few details and reach out through live chat: 1. Note the date and amount of the charge (for example, $199). 2. Identify the plan you are subscribed to (for example, the Agency plan). 3. Take a screenshot of the charge from your billing history if possible. 4. Start a live chat and share these details with our team. Our team will verify your plan, confirm the duplicate charge, and process the refund to your original payment method. Refunds are typically reviewed promptly once the details are confirmed. 🚫 Avoid Paying Again to Access a New Area If you are prompted to pay for the Google Ads addon while joining a new area such as Platinum, do not complete that payment if your plan already includes the integration. Instead: - Close the payment prompt without confirming the charge. - Verify your included features under Billing → Plans & Top-ups. - Contact us through live chat so we can grant access without an extra payment. This prevents a second charge from being created and avoids the need for a refund altogether. ⏱️ What to Expect After Your Request Once you submit your refund request, our team will: - Confirm your current plan and its included features. - Locate the incorrect charge in your billing history. - Process the refund and remove any duplicate addon billing going forward. You will be notified once the refund has been issued. The funds may take a few business days to appear, depending on your payment provider. 💬 Need More Help? If you need further assistance, click the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type "Human Teammate" to start a live chat with a member of our team.

💳 Understanding Refunds for Past Subscription Charges

💡 Overview If you believe a past subscription charge — such as a May billing — does not reflect the value you received from Search Atlas, our team is here to help. This article explains how our refund process works, what information you'll need, and how to get your case reviewed quickly. 📋 Our Refund Policy at a Glance Search Atlas evaluates refund requests on a case-by-case basis. While we do not offer automatic refunds for expired billing periods, we take every concern seriously — especially when a customer feels the platform did not perform as expected. - Eligibility: Refund requests are reviewed individually and considered based on the nature of the issue reported. - Timeframe: Requests related to a specific billing month should be submitted as soon as possible. The sooner you reach out, the faster we can investigate. - Evidence helps: Providing specific details about what did not work as expected strengthens your case and speeds up the review process. 🛠️ What to Do If You Believe You Were Incorrectly Charged 1. Gather your details. Note the exact charge amount, the billing date, and a clear description of the issues you experienced with the platform. 2. Document the problem. If features were not working as advertised, screenshots, screen recordings, or written examples of the issue are very helpful for our team. 3. Contact our support team directly. Our team can review your account history, verify the reported issues, and escalate your case to billing for a formal decision. ⚠️ A Note on Chargebacks We understand that initiating a chargeback through your bank may feel like a fast solution, but we strongly encourage you to contact our support team first. Here is why: - Chargebacks can take weeks to resolve and may result in your account being suspended during the dispute period. - Our support team can often resolve billing concerns much faster — sometimes within the same business day. - A direct resolution keeps your account and data fully intact. We are committed to making things right. If Search Atlas did not deliver what was promised during your subscription period, we want to know about it and address it fairly. 📝 Information to Have Ready When You Contact Us - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - The charge amount and approximate billing date (e.g., May charge of $199) - A clear description of the features or functionality that did not work as expected - Any supporting screenshots or documentation of the issue 💬 How to Reach Our Support Team 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. Our team will review your account, investigate the reported issues, and work with you toward a fair resolution as quickly as possible.

💳 Manage Billing Disputes, Refunds, and Plan Changes

🔍 Understanding Your Charges Before submitting a dispute or refund request, it helps to review exactly what you have been billed for. Charges on your account may come from several sources: - Core subscription plan – your monthly or annual plan fee - Usage-based add-ons – billed separately from your core plan - Other add-ons – additional features or seat expansions that may auto-renew unless cancelled You can review your billing details inside the platform under your account settings, where charges are listed with the date, amount, and the product each relates to. 💳 How to Request a Refund for Disputed Charges If you believe you have been charged incorrectly or for services you did not intend to purchase, our billing team can review your account and process an adjustment. To open a refund request: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Navigate to your billing settings and note the specific charges and amounts you are disputing. 3. Contact our support team directly (see below) and share the charge details, dates, and amounts in question. 4. Our billing team will review your account and, if the refund is approved, return the amount to the original payment method on file. Our billing team reviews every refund request individually. If you have experienced repeated or unexpected charges, have your invoice details ready when you reach out so the team can locate the transactions quickly. ⬇️ How to Downgrade Your Subscription Plan If you want to move from a higher-tier plan to a lower-tier plan, you can request a plan change at any time. Check your billing settings for self-serve plan management options. If a downgrade option is not available directly in your dashboard, our support team can apply the change on your behalf. Important: Downgrading your plan may reduce the number of projects, keywords, or features available to you. Review the plan comparison page before confirming to make sure the new plan covers your needs. 🚫 How to Cancel Auto-Renewing Add-Ons Some add-ons renew automatically each billing cycle unless you cancel them. To stop future charges, check your billing settings for options to manage or cancel active add-ons. If you are unable to locate a cancellation option in your dashboard, our support team can assist you directly. 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.

💳 Resolving Billing Disputes and Unfulfilled Quota Offers

🔍 Overview If you were promised a promotional quota offer — such as unlimited usage for a set period — as part of an annual plan upgrade, but a billing issue prevented you from accessing it, you may be eligible for compensation or reinstatement of that offer. This article explains how to identify the problem, what information to gather, and how to escalate it to our team for resolution. ⚠️ Common Reasons a Quota Offer Goes Unfulfilled Promotional quota offers can fail to activate or get interrupted for several reasons: - Payment processing failure: A declined card or failed transaction can pause or delay plan activation. - Billing cycle misalignment: The promotional period may not have synced correctly with your account start date. - Plan upgrade not fully processed: In rare cases, an upgrade order is initiated but not completed on the backend. - Account access disruption: If service access was interrupted during the promotional window, usable quota time may have been lost. 📋 What to Prepare Before Contacting Support To help our team resolve your dispute as quickly as possible, gather the following information before reaching out: 1. Proof of the promotional offer: A screenshot, email confirmation, or any written communication showing the terms of the offer (e.g., "unlimited quota through May"). 2. Date of your annual plan upgrade: The exact date you purchased or upgraded your plan. 3. Description of the billing issue: What went wrong — for example, a failed payment, an error message, or a service interruption. 4. The dates you were unable to access the platform: Be as specific as possible about when your service was disrupted. 5. Your account email address: So our team can locate your account immediately. ✅ What Resolution May Look Like Once our team reviews your case, possible resolutions include: - Quota reinstatement: If you lost access during a valid promotional window, we may reinstate the unused portion of your quota. - Promotional period extension: If the original offer could not be honored in full, your promotional window may be extended to cover the lost time. - Account credit: In some cases, a credit may be applied to your account to compensate for the disruption. Each case is reviewed individually. Our team will confirm what is possible based on your account history and the terms of the original offer. 🛠️ How to Escalate Your Billing Dispute Because resolving an unfulfilled quota offer requires backend review of your account and billing history, this issue must be handled directly by our support team. Before reaching out, make sure you have all the information listed in the section above ready to share. 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.

Resolve Unauthorized Charges and Subscription Issues

🔍 Understanding Your Charges If you noticed an unexpected charge on your billing statement that you do not recognise, it may be related to your Search Atlas subscription, a plan renewal, or an add-on feature associated with your account. Before escalating, we recommend reviewing your billing history inside the platform to confirm exactly what each charge corresponds to. 📊 How to Check Your Billing History 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click on your profile or account icon in the top-right corner of the platform. 3. Select Billing from the account menu dropdown. 4. View your invoices, past charges, and subscription details on the Billing page. If a charge appears on your bank or card statement but is not reflected in your account, it may still be processing or could be related to a separate account. Our support team can investigate further on your behalf. 🎯 Accessing Your VIP Features If you were charged for a feature or upgrade but cannot see it active in your account, first try logging out and logging back in to refresh your account state. If the feature is still not visible, our support team can verify the activation status and resolve it. When reaching out, please have the following ready: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account. - The name of the feature or upgrade you were charged for. - The charge amount and date it appeared on your statement. ❌ How to Cancel Your Subscription 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click on your profile or account icon in the top-right corner of the platform. 3. Select Billing from the account menu dropdown. 4. Locate your active subscription and select the option to cancel or manage your plan. 5. Follow any on-screen confirmation prompts to complete the cancellation. If you cannot locate the cancellation option or encounter an error, our support team can process the cancellation on your behalf. Please have your account email address and the date of your most recent charge ready when you reach out. 💰 Requesting a Refund Search Atlas reviews refund requests individually. To give your request the best chance of a quick resolution, have the following information ready before contacting support: - The exact charge amount and date it appeared on your statement. - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account. - A brief description of why you are requesting a refund. 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.

💳 Understanding Charges, Refunds, and Billing Disputes

💡 Overview Unexpected or duplicate charges can be frustrating. This article explains what to do if you believe you've been charged incorrectly or would like to request a refund due to duplicate charges or dissatisfaction. 🔍 Why You Might See Multiple Charges There are a few common reasons customers see more than one charge on their statement: - Subscription + Add-on fees: Your Search Atlas plan charge and any add-on purchases (such as training sessions, extra credits, or premium features) are billed separately and may appear as distinct line items. - Multiple accounts: If you have more than one Search Atlas account linked to the same payment method, each account is billed independently. 📋 Before You Submit a Refund Request Please take a moment to gather the following information — it will help our team resolve your case faster: 1. The exact charge amounts and the dates they appeared on your statement. 2. The last four digits of the card that was charged. 3. A brief description of what you purchased or signed up for. 4. Any order confirmation emails or receipts you received. ✅ What to Expect When Requesting a Refund Search Atlas reviews refund requests — including those related to duplicate charges or dissatisfaction — on a case-by-case basis. Our team will consider the circumstances and work toward a fair resolution. To get your request reviewed, contact our support team directly using the instructions below. 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.

💳 Billing Disputes, Refunds, and Credit Resolutions

🔍 Overview If you've been charged unexpectedly or believe a payment was made in error, Search Atlas has a process to review your case and resolve it fairly. This article explains how billing disputes work, what qualifies for a refund, and how account credits are applied. 💳 Common Reasons for a Billing Dispute Customers typically reach out about billing issues for the following reasons: - An unexpected charge appeared on their statement - A payment was processed after a cancellation or plan change - A previously removed card was charged again - A charge doesn't match the plan or amount they expected - A duplicate payment was made If any of these apply to your situation, you may be eligible for a refund or an account credit. ✅ Refund Eligibility — What to Know Refund eligibility is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. While Search Atlas does not guarantee refunds for all charges, our billing team will assess your situation with the following in mind: - Timing: Disputes raised shortly after the charge date are more likely to be approved. - Charge type: Accidental charges, system errors, or internal billing issues are prioritized for resolution. - Account activity: If the plan or feature was not used during the billing period in question, this is taken into consideration. - Previous credits or adjustments: Any credits already applied to your account are factored into the resolution. If your charge was caused by a platform-side issue — such as an incorrect card being billed or a system error — this is treated as an internal billing issue and handled with priority. 🔄 How Credits Work as a Resolution In some cases, rather than a direct refund to your payment method, our team may offer an account credit as a resolution. Here's what that means for you: - Credits are applied directly to your Search Atlas account balance - They are automatically deducted from your next invoice - Credits do not expire while your account remains active - You can verify your current credit balance inside the platform under your billing settings If a credit has been applied to your account and you're having trouble seeing it reflected, please reach out via the live chat widget so our team can confirm the details. 📋 How to Submit a Billing Dispute To get your billing dispute reviewed as quickly as possible, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Navigate to the top-right avatar (Account Menu) and select Billing to locate the charge in question. 3. Note the charge date, amount, and any relevant plan or invoice details. 4. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 5. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our billing team. 6. Share the charge details and explain the reason for your dispute. Our team will review your account, confirm the charge details, and provide a resolution — typically a refund to your original payment method or an account credit — within a reasonable timeframe. ⚠️ Tips to Avoid Future Billing Issues To reduce the chance of unexpected charges on your account, we recommend the following: - Review your payment methods regularly: Remove any outdated or unused cards from your billing settings to prevent accidental charges. - Check your plan renewal date: Know when your billing cycle renews so charges don't come as a surprise. - Monitor plan changes: If you downgrade or cancel, confirm the change is saved before your next billing date. - Keep your billing details updated: Ensure your primary payment method is current to avoid failed payments or retry charges. 🙋 Need Help With a Specific Charge? Our team is ready to review your account and work toward a fair resolution. 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.

💳 Billing Disputes, Downgrades, and Refunds Explained

🔍 Overview If you requested a plan downgrade but were still charged at your previous rate, or if you noticed an unexpected charge on your account, this article explains why that can happen and exactly what steps to take to get it resolved quickly. ⚙️ How Plan Downgrades Work When you request a downgrade, the change is scheduled to take effect at the start of your next billing cycle. This means: - Your current plan remains active until your existing cycle ends. - The new lower-tier plan activates on your next renewal date. - You should only be charged the new plan price from that renewal date onward. In most cases, downgrades process automatically without any issues. However, in rare situations a billing error can cause the system to charge you at the old plan rate even after a downgrade was requested. ⚠️ Why You Might See an Incorrect Charge There are a few known scenarios that can result in an unexpected or incorrect charge: - Downgrade not fully processed: A technical issue prevented the downgrade from being applied before your renewal date, resulting in a charge at the old plan price. - Duplicate subscription created: In rare cases, a checkout retry or account action can create a duplicate subscription, leading to double charges. - Bundled top-ups: If you have usage-based add-ons or top-ups attached to your subscription, these can sometimes be bundled into your renewal charge and appear as a larger-than-expected amount. These issues are taken seriously and investigated on a case-by-case basis. If any of these apply to your situation, our team can verify the charge and issue a correction. ✅ What to Do If You Were Overcharged 1. Check your billing history: Go to the top-right avatar menu → Billing inside the platform to review your recent charges and current plan status. 2. Confirm your plan: Verify that your account is now showing the correct downgraded plan. If it still shows the old plan, the downgrade may not have completed successfully. 3. Note the charge details: Before contacting support, have the following ready — the charge amount, the date it appeared, and the plan you intended to be on. 4. Contact our team: 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. Share the details above so we can investigate and process any applicable refund promptly. 💰 How Refunds Are Issued If our team confirms that you were charged incorrectly, here is what to expect: - Partial refunds: If you were charged the higher plan rate after a valid downgrade request, the difference between the two plan prices is refunded to your original payment method. - Full refunds: In the case of a duplicate charge or a double-billing event, the full duplicate amount is refunded. - Processing time: Refunds are typically processed within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. The funds will be returned to the card or payment method on file. - Future billing correction: Our team will also confirm that your subscription is correctly set to the new plan rate so that future renewals are billed at the right amount. 🛠️ Preventing Billing Issues on Downgrades To reduce the chance of a billing discrepancy when changing your plan: - Submit your downgrade request at least 48 hours before your renewal date to allow time for processing. - After requesting a downgrade, revisit the top-right avatar menu → Billing within 24 hours to confirm the plan change is reflected. - Save or screenshot any confirmation message you receive after requesting the downgrade — this is helpful if you need to raise a dispute. 💬 Still Need Help? If you have reviewed your billing details and still have questions about a charge, a pending refund, or your current plan status, do not hesitate to reach out. 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.

💳 Resolve Unexpected AI Quota Charges & Refunds

🔍 What Are AI Quota Charges? Search Atlas offers AI-powered features that consume credits from an AI quota. In some cases, customers have reported charges for AI quota they did not intentionally subscribe to or activate. If you see an unexpected line item on your invoice — such as a charge labeled AI Quota — this article will help you understand why it happened and how to resolve it. ⚠️ Why a Charge May Appear More Than Once If you received a refund for an AI quota charge in a previous billing cycle and the same charge reappears in a subsequent cycle, this is most likely caused by one of the following reasons: - Auto-renewal of an add-on: The AI quota add-on may have been re-enabled automatically at the start of a new billing period, even after a prior refund was issued. - Account-level settings not updated: A refund does not automatically cancel or remove an active add-on. If the add-on was not explicitly removed from your subscription, it will continue to renew. - Timing of billing cycles: If a refund was processed near the end of one billing cycle, the system may have already generated the next invoice before the add-on was deactivated. 🛠️ How to Check Your Current Subscription Add-Ons 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner to open the Account Menu. 3. Select Billing. 4. Review the list of active add-ons and features. 5. If you see AI Quota listed as an active add-on that you did not intentionally enable, make note of it before contacting support. 💡 Steps to Request a Refund for an Erroneous Charge If you have been charged for AI quota you did not subscribe to — especially if this is a repeated occurrence after a prior refund — follow these steps to escalate the issue for review: 1. Gather your billing details: Note the charge amount, the date it appeared, and any previous refund reference numbers related to the same issue. 2. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 3. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our support team. 4. Provide the agent with your account email, the charge amount, the billing date, and a brief description explaining this is a recurring erroneous charge. 5. The agent will review your billing history, confirm whether the add-on was active, and process an eligible refund. 🔒 How to Prevent This From Happening Again Once your refund has been processed, take these steps to avoid being charged again in future billing cycles: - Confirm the add-on is removed: Ask the support agent to verify that the AI Quota add-on has been fully deactivated on your account — not just refunded. - Review your subscription after every refund: Whenever a charge is reversed, log in and check your active add-ons to ensure nothing is still set to renew. - Monitor your billing email notifications: Search Atlas sends invoice emails at the start of each billing cycle. Review these promptly so you can flag unexpected charges before they go unnoticed. 📊 What to Expect During the Refund Process Once a refund request is submitted and verified by our team, here is what typically happens: - The support agent will confirm the charge is eligible for a refund based on your account history. - Refunds are generally processed once approved by our team; exact timing depends on your payment provider and there is no fixed guaranteed window. - You will receive a confirmation once the refund has been initiated. - If the same issue reoccurs after this resolution, mention your prior case history when contacting support so the team can investigate any underlying account configuration issues. 🤝 Still Need Help? 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.

💳 Dispute an Unauthorized AI Quota Renewal Charge

🔍 Why Did This Charge Happen? Search Atlas AI quota renews automatically when your balance runs low or reaches zero. This auto-renewal feature is designed to keep your workflows running without interruption. However, if you were not aware this setting was active — or if you previously requested it be turned off — an unexpected charge can occur. Common reasons customers see an unintended renewal charge include: - Auto-renewal was enabled by default at account creation and was never manually turned off. - A previous request to disable auto-renewal was not saved or confirmed correctly. - A team member or co-administrator re-enabled the setting without your knowledge. ⚙️ How to Turn Off AI Quota Auto-Renewal To prevent future automatic charges, disable the auto-renewal setting immediately after reading this article. Follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your profile icon (Avatar) in the top-right corner and select Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing). 3. Locate the per-service Total Quota figures. 4. Toggle Auto-Renewal to the off position. 5. Confirm the change when prompted. You should see a confirmation message on screen. Once disabled, your AI quota will not renew automatically. You will need to top up manually when your balance is low. 💡 What Qualifies for a Refund? Search Atlas reviews refund requests on a case-by-case basis. A refund is most likely to be approved when: - You have clear evidence you requested auto-renewal to be disabled prior to the charge (for example, a previous support conversation). - The renewal occurred within a short window and the AI quota has not been used since the charge. - This is the first instance of an unintended renewal on your account. Refunds are generally not issued if the quota has already been consumed or if auto-renewal was knowingly left enabled. 📋 How to Request a Refund To submit a refund request, please have the following information ready before contacting support: - The exact charge amount and the date it appeared on your statement. - Your account email address. - Any previous communication confirming you asked for auto-renewal to be turned off. - Confirmation that the AI quota has not been used since the charge. Once you have this information, reach out to our team right away. The sooner you contact us after the charge, the faster we can review and process your request. 🛠️ Prevent This From Happening Again Taking a few minutes now can save you from unexpected charges in the future: - Verify your auto-renewal status after every plan change or account update — settings can sometimes reset. - Set up billing alerts through your bank or card provider so you are notified immediately of any charge from Search Atlas. - Review team permissions if multiple users have access to your account, and restrict billing access to authorized administrators only. - Keep a record of any support conversations where you request billing or renewal changes. 🤝 Still Need Help? 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.

💳 Resolve Double Billing, Add-On Charges & Refunds

🔍 Understanding Why Double Billing Happens Duplicate charges in Search Atlas most commonly occur in one of the following situations: - Subscription processed on two payment methods — for example, both Shopify and a credit card on file. - Multiple subscriptions created in the same account — this can happen when a plan upgrade does not apply correctly and a second subscription is generated in our billing system. - Quota top-ups bundled into a Stripe subscription — one-time top-up charges are occasionally included in a recurring billing cycle instead of being processed separately. - Upgrade not applied but charge still processed — if a plan upgrade fails partway through, you may be charged without the new plan activating. All of these scenarios are recognized billing issues our team actively investigates and resolves. If you believe any of these apply to your account, follow the steps below. 🧾 Step 1 — Identify the Charges in Question Before contacting support, gather the following information so our team can resolve your case quickly: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to the top-right avatar (Account Menu) → Billing. 2. Note the dates, amounts, and descriptions of every charge you believe is incorrect. 3. Check whether charges appear on more than one payment method (e.g., both a credit card and a platform integration like Shopify). 4. Identify any add-ons — such as OTTO SEO extra site top-up charges or user seat fees ($35/month per seat) — that you did not knowingly authorize. 5. Note any upgrade you attempted that may not have activated correctly. Having this list ready will allow our billing team to locate the exact transactions in our system and process your case without delays. ❌ Unauthorized Add-On and User Seat Charges Two charge types are commonly flagged as unauthorized: - OTTO SEO extra site charges — OTTO SEO is included in every Search Atlas plan (Starter includes 1 site, Growth 2, Pro 4, Agency 10). Additional OTTO sites beyond your plan's included amount are billed as a paid top-up. If you did not intentionally add extra sites, the top-up may have been activated during a trial, a plan change, or an account configuration step. - User seat charges ($35/month per seat) — Additional user seats are billed monthly. If a seat was added in error or by another team member, this charge can be reviewed and reversed. Our team can verify when each add-on or seat was activated, confirm whether authorization was recorded, and issue a refund if the charge was applied in error. Refunds for unauthorized charges are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and typically processed within 5–10 business days back to your original payment method. ⬆️ Upgrading Your Plan While a Refund Is Pending You do not need to wait for a refund to be finalized before upgrading your plan. Here is how to handle both at the same time: 1. Inform our support team that you want to upgrade to Growth (or another plan) alongside your billing dispute. 2. Our team can apply any confirmed refund amount as a credit toward your new plan, reducing your next invoice rather than issuing a separate payment back to your card — if you prefer that option. 3. Alternatively, the refund can be returned to your original payment method and the upgrade can be processed independently. 4. Once the upgrade is confirmed active in your account, you will receive the features and limits of your new plan immediately. If a previous upgrade attempt was charged but not applied, our team will ensure the correct plan is activated and that any duplicate charge from that failed upgrade is refunded. ⏳ What to Expect After You Report a Billing Issue - Initial review: Our billing team will locate all transactions associated with your account across payment methods. - Duplicate charge confirmed: A refund will be initiated to your original payment method, or applied as account credit — whichever you prefer. - Unauthorized add-on confirmed: The add-on will be removed from your plan going forward, and the charge reviewed for a full or partial refund. - Refund timeline: Most refunds appear within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. - Plan upgrade: Processed at the same time as your billing resolution, with no additional delay. You will be kept informed at each step. If you were previously promised a reimbursement that was not delivered, please mention this when you contact support — our team will locate the original commitment and prioritize your case. 🛡️ How to Prevent Duplicate or Unauthorized Charges - Review your top-right avatar (Account Menu) → Billing page monthly to confirm only expected charges are listed. - Before starting a plan upgrade, confirm the new plan has activated before closing the browser or navigating away. - If you manage multiple accounts or workspaces, ensure each account is linked to only one active subscription. - Remove any payment method integrations (e.g., Shopify) you no longer use to avoid charges being routed through multiple processors. 💬 Contact Support to Resolve Your Case Billing disputes, refund requests, and plan upgrades require account-level access that only our team can action. 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 share the list of charges you identified in Step 1, and mention if a reimbursement was previously promised. This allows us to prioritize your case and resolve it as quickly as possible.

💳 Resolving Refund Gaps and Unexpected Subscription Charges

🔍 Overview Some customers have experienced situations where a promised refund was only partially received, or where unexpected charges continued appearing after a refund was issued. This article explains why these issues occur, what to check on your end, and how to get them fully resolved. ⚠️ Why This Happens Billing discrepancies on Search Atlas accounts are typically caused by one or more of the following known issues: - Duplicate subscriptions in Stripe: In some cases, a billing error caused multiple active subscriptions to be created on the same account simultaneously. Each subscription then triggered its own recurring charge. - Stacking recurring top-ups: Recurring top-up credits were not properly consolidated after a platform migration, causing them to stack and generate additional charges beyond what was expected. - Partial refund processing: When a refund was calculated, it may not have accounted for all charges present on the account at that time — particularly if new charges were processed between when the refund was promised and when it was issued. - Legacy billing conflicts: Customers who were on older pricing plans occasionally experienced duplicate billing events when their accounts were updated or when OTTO site pricing was adjusted. ✅ What a Full Resolution Includes If you believe your refund is incomplete or you have been charged unexpectedly after a refund was promised, a complete resolution should cover all of the following: 1. Full refund of the originally promised amount — the total agreed upon by our team, not a partial amount. 2. Refund of any additional charges that were processed after the refund date or were not included in the original calculation. 3. Cancellation of all active subscriptions on your account, if that was part of the agreement or if duplicate subscriptions were the source of the problem. 4. Written confirmation from our team once all refunds have been processed and subscriptions have been cancelled. 🛠️ Steps to Take Right Now 1. Gather your charge history. Log in to your Search Atlas account and note the dates and amounts of every charge you have received. If you have access to your Stripe receipts via email, collect those as well. 2. Note the original refund promise. Locate any email, chat transcript, or message where the refund amount was confirmed by our team. Record the date it was promised and the exact amount stated. 3. Calculate the gap. Compare the total amount you were charged against the total amount refunded so far. This gives you the outstanding balance to reference when contacting support. 4. Contact our support team immediately. Our billing team has direct access to your Stripe account records and can identify all active subscriptions, duplicate charges, and unprocessed refunds in one review. 📋 Information to Have Ready To help our team resolve your case as quickly as possible, have the following ready before starting a chat: - Your Search Atlas account email address - The date and amount of the original refund that was promised - The amount you actually received - Dates and amounts of any charges that appeared after the refund - Any reference to previous support conversations where the refund was discussed ⏱️ Expected Resolution Time Once our billing team has reviewed your account, most refund corrections and subscription cancellations are processed within 3–5 business days. Refunds typically appear on your original payment method within 5–10 business days depending on your bank or card issuer. Our team will confirm the timeline with you directly during your chat session. 💡 Preventing This in the Future Once your account has been fully resolved, we recommend the following to avoid future billing surprises: - After any refund is processed, check your payment method statement within 7 days to confirm the correct amount was received. - If you are cancelling your account, ask our support team to confirm in writing that all subscriptions have been deactivated in Stripe. - Save any chat transcripts or emails where refund amounts or cancellations are confirmed by our team. 💬 Get Help Now If you have an incomplete refund or unexpected charges on your account, our billing team can investigate and resolve this for you directly. 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.

💳 Unexpected VIP June Invoice and Refund Guide

🔍 Why Did You Receive a VIP June Invoice? Some customers who participated in the VIP Challenge promotion received a June invoice even though their main Search Atlas plan appears cancelled or inactive. This can happen for one of the following reasons: - A VIP Challenge subscription was created separately from your main plan and was not cancelled at the same time. - A billing record existed in our payment system (Stripe) that was not yet linked to your visible account, causing the charge to process without a matching active plan showing in your dashboard. - A previous account migration or email transfer left a lingering VIP upgrade active on an old account. In short: the charge is real, but it is not always easy to spot because the VIP subscription can exist independently of your main login. This is a known issue our engineering team has addressed. 📋 How to Check Your Account Status 1. Log in to Search Atlas at your usual login URL. 2. Navigate to Avatar (top-right icon) → Billing (Billing) to review any active subscriptions and recent invoices. 3. If your billing section shows no active plan but you have received an invoice, this confirms a mismatched billing record — your charge may still be recoverable. 4. Check your email inbox for any receipts from Stripe or Search Atlas that reference a VIP or VIP Challenge plan to confirm the exact subscription that was billed. ✅ What to Do If You Were Charged Unexpectedly If you believe you were charged for a VIP subscription you intended to cancel, follow these steps to get it resolved quickly: 1. Do not dispute the charge with your bank yet. A bank dispute (chargeback) can delay resolution and may affect your account standing. Contact us directly first — we can issue a refund faster. 2. Gather the following information before reaching out: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - The invoice number or charge amount shown in your receipt - The date of the charge - Any confirmation of cancellation you received (a screenshot or email is helpful) 3. Open the live chat widget and request a refund review. Our billing team can look up your Stripe record directly, even if the subscription is not visible in your dashboard. ⏱️ How Long Does a Refund Take? Once our team confirms the charge and approves your refund, processing times are as follows: - Credit or debit card: 5–10 business days to appear on your statement, depending on your bank. - Stripe credit: Applied immediately to your account if you have an active plan. You will receive a confirmation email from Stripe once the refund has been initiated. 🛡️ How to Prevent Future Unexpected Charges To make sure all subscriptions are fully cancelled and no further charges occur: - After cancelling, always check Avatar (top-right icon) → Billing (Billing) and confirm that all listed plans — including any promotional or add-on plans — show a cancelled or inactive status. - Look for a cancellation confirmation email. If you did not receive one, the cancellation may not have completed successfully. - If you participated in the VIP Challenge or any limited-time promotion, confirm that the promotional subscription was cancelled separately from your main plan, as these can be independent billing items. 💬 Still Need Help? If your invoice is not showing in your dashboard, you are unable to locate a cancellation confirmation, or you simply want a billing team member to review your account directly, we are here to help. 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.

💳 Dispute an Unexpected $199 Subscription Charge

🔍 Why Did This Charge Appear? We understand how alarming it can be to see an unexpected charge on your account. A $199 charge typically appears for one of the following reasons: - Accidental plan activation: A plan may have been started unintentionally during sign-up or while exploring the platform. - Duplicate billing: In rare cases, a known technical issue caused some accounts to be billed twice due to a checkout error. Our engineering team has since resolved this. - Shared account access: Someone with access to your account may have initiated a subscription. - Trial-to-paid conversion: A free trial may have converted to a paid plan automatically if a payment method was on file. ✅ How to Check Your Subscription Status Before requesting a refund, verify your current subscription so you have all the details ready: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner. 3. Navigate to Billing & Subscription. 4. Review your active plan, billing date, and charge history. 5. Take note of the charge amount, date, and any active plan names — you will need these when contacting support. 💡 What Qualifies for a Refund? Refund eligibility is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Charges are generally eligible for a refund if: - You did not knowingly activate or authorise the subscription. - The charge is the result of a verified platform error or duplicate billing. - The request is submitted promptly after the charge appears. Charges that were part of an active, intentionally selected plan are not typically eligible for a refund unless a billing error is confirmed. 🛠️ How to Request a Refund To request a refund for an unauthorised $199 charge, follow these steps: 1. Gather your billing details: the exact charge amount, the date it appeared, and the last four digits of the card that was charged. 2. Log in to Search Atlas and open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 3. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our support team. 4. Explain that you received an unexpected $199 charge and would like to request a refund and cancellation. 5. Share the billing details you gathered in step one so the team can locate your transaction quickly. Our team will investigate the charge, confirm whether a billing error occurred, and process an eligible refund as quickly as possible. ⏱️ How Long Does a Refund Take? Once our team confirms your refund is approved, the timeline is as follows: - Refund initiated: Within 1–3 business days of confirmation. - Funds returned: Typically within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card provider. You will receive confirmation from our team once the refund has been processed on our end. 🔒 How to Prevent Future Unexpected Charges To avoid unintended charges going forward, we recommend the following: - Review your active subscriptions and add-ons regularly in the Billing & Subscription section. - Remove any saved payment methods you no longer wish to use. - If multiple people have access to your account, review their permissions under account settings. - Enable billing notifications so you are alerted before any charge is processed. 🤝 Need Further Help? 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.

💳 Disputing Incorrect or Unauthorized Charges

🔍 Overview Billing errors can happen in rare cases — for example, an unexpected Top-Off charge, a duplicate subscription fee, or an add-on billed after a plan change. This article explains the most common charge types, how to verify whether a charge is correct, and the exact steps to request a refund for any unauthorized or incorrect amount. 📄 Common Causes of Incorrect Charges Understanding where unexpected charges typically come from helps you describe the issue clearly when you contact our team: - Top-Off charges: Automatically applied when your account exceeds its included credit quota. If your usage did not exceed the quota, the Top-Off may have been triggered in error. - Duplicate base subscription: Can occur during plan upgrades, re-checkout flows, or billing-system migrations, resulting in two active subscription lines for the same period. - Add-on charged after cancellation: An add-on such as OTTO Google Ads may continue to bill for one cycle if the cancellation was not processed before the next billing date. - Incorrect plan pricing: Legacy accounts occasionally experience pricing mismatches when migrated to the updated billing system. - Annual quota billed twice: A known edge case where annual subscribers were charged a duplicate quota fee at renewal. ✅ What Qualifies for a Refund Search Atlas will review and refund charges that meet any of the following criteria: - You were billed for a service you did not activate or request. - A duplicate charge appears on the same invoice or across two consecutive invoices for the same item. - A Top-Off was applied despite your usage remaining within the plan quota. - An add-on was billed after you cancelled it and before the next billing cycle began. - Your account was migrated and the new price does not match your agreed plan rate. Refund requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Charges that reflect genuine usage overages or services actively consumed are generally not eligible for refunds. 🗂️ How to Check Your Invoices Before contacting support, locate the specific charge so you can share the details with our team: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner and select Billing. 3. Open the Invoices tab to view a full list of past charges. 4. Click any invoice to see a line-by-line breakdown, including subscription fees, add-ons, and Top-Off amounts. 5. Note the invoice date, line-item name, and the exact amount you believe is incorrect. 🛠️ How to Request a Refund Once you have identified the charge, follow these steps to submit your refund request: 1. 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. 2. Provide the following information so our team can investigate quickly: - The invoice date(s) in question (e.g., May and June invoices). - The name of the charge or line item (e.g., Top-Off, OTTO Google Ads add-on, duplicate base subscription). - The amount charged and the amount you expected to be charged. - Any relevant context, such as a recent plan change, cancellation, or billing migration. 3. Our billing team will investigate the charge, confirm whether a refund is applicable, and process it if approved — typically within 5–10 business days depending on your payment method and bank. ⏱️ Refund Processing Times Once a refund is approved, the timeline for it to appear depends on how you pay: - Credit or debit card: 5–10 business days to appear on your statement. - PayPal or other payment methods: Timelines vary; allow up to 10 business days. If you do not see the refund after 10 business days, contact our team again with your original case reference number. 🛡️ How We Prevent Billing Errors Search Atlas actively monitors for billing anomalies. Known issues — such as duplicate subscription charges during billing migrations and incorrect add-on pricing for legacy accounts — have been identified, fixed, and remediated for affected customers. If you were part of an affected group, our team may already have your refund in progress. Reach out to confirm the status of your account. 💬 Need Immediate Help? 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.

💳 Fix Billing Errors, Lockouts & Unauthorized Charges

🔍 Overview Billing issues can prevent you from accessing Search Atlas and may result in unexpected charges. This article walks you through the most common billing problems — including account lockouts, charges to the wrong card, and refund requests — and explains exactly how to resolve each one. 🔒 Why Your Account Gets Locked Out Search Atlas automatically locks accounts when a payment cannot be successfully processed. This can happen even if you have recently updated your payment details. Common causes include: - Card decline by your bank: Your bank may block the charge as suspicious, especially if it is a new or updated card. - Billing information mismatch: The name, address, or ZIP code on file does not match your bank's records. - Temporary card hold or freeze: Your card issuer placed a restriction on the account. - Payment method not saved correctly: The new card was entered but not set as the default payment method. Once the payment issue is resolved, your account access is typically restored within a few minutes. ⚙️ How to Update or Fix Your Payment Method 1. Log in to Search Atlas (if you are locked out, try using a different browser or clearing your cache first). 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner to open the Account Menu. 3. Navigate to Billing (Billing is a separate item in the avatar dropdown, not nested under Settings). 4. Remove the existing card on file and add your correct payment card. 5. Ensure the new card is set as the default payment method before saving. 6. Trigger a payment retry by selecting Pay Now or Retry Payment if that option is available on your billing page. If you cannot log in at all due to the lockout, proceed directly to the support section at the bottom of this article. 💳 Charges Appearing on the Wrong Card If you have been charged on an old or incorrect card despite updating your payment information, this is almost always caused by one of the following: - The new card was saved but not set as the default: Search Atlas charges the card marked as default. Adding a new card does not automatically replace the existing default. - The update did not save successfully: A browser error or timeout may have prevented the change from being recorded. - Multiple payment methods on file: If more than one card exists in your account, the system will always charge the one marked as default. To fix this, go to Billing (from the avatar dropdown, separate from Settings), confirm which card is marked as default, remove any outdated cards, and ensure only your correct card is saved and set as default. 🔄 How to Request a Refund Search Atlas reviews refund requests on a case-by-case basis. If you were charged incorrectly — for example, charged on a card you did not authorise or billed after you believed your account was cancelled — you may be eligible for a refund. To request one: 1. Gather your billing details: the charge date, amount, and the last four digits of the card that was charged. 2. Open the live chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 3. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our billing team. 4. Provide your billing details and a brief explanation of the issue. Refund requests are typically reviewed within 3–5 business days. Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method and may take an additional 5–10 business days to appear on your statement, depending on your bank. 🛡️ How to Prevent This From Happening Again - After updating any payment method, always confirm the new card is marked as default before leaving the Billing settings page. - Keep your billing address and ZIP code up to date so they match your bank records exactly. - If your card is reissued with a new number or expiry date, update it in Search Atlas immediately. - Check that your bank has not blocked recurring international or SaaS charges — you may need to whitelist Search Atlas transactions. 💬 Still Need Help? If you have followed the steps above and are still experiencing a lockout, seeing charges on the wrong card, or need to escalate a refund request, our team is ready to help. 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.

💳 Unintended Growth Plan Charge Refund

🔍 Recognizing the Charge If you see a charge on your bank or credit card statement labeled SA GROUP* SEO SOFTWARE NEW YORK NY, this is a Search Atlas subscription charge. A $199 charge typically corresponds to the Search Atlas Growth plan. This charge may appear unexpected if you did not intentionally complete a subscription sign-up, or if a billing issue caused your account to be enrolled without your direct confirmation. ⚠️ Why This Can Happen Our engineering team has identified and resolved several billing system issues that, in some cases, caused customers to be charged for a Growth plan subscription unintentionally. These issues have been hotfixed. However, if you have been affected, you are entitled to request a cancellation and refund. 🛠️ What To Do Right Away 1. Check your account: Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to Avatar (top-right corner) > Billing to confirm whether a Growth plan subscription is active on your account. 2. Note the charge date: Find the exact date and amount of the charge on your bank or card statement. This information will be needed when you contact support. 3. Act quickly: Refund requests are easiest to process within 72 hours of the charge. If you are outside this window, a refund exception may still be possible — see the section below. 💬 How To Request a Cancellation and Refund Because account cancellations and refund approvals must be handled by our billing team, you cannot complete this process through self-serve settings alone. Follow these steps: 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 2. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. 3. Share the following details with the agent: - The charge amount (e.g., $199) - The charge date (e.g., 5/31/2026) - The statement descriptor you see (e.g., SA GROUP* SEO SOFTWARE NEW YORK NY) - A brief note that you did not intend to subscribe to the Growth plan 4. The agent will cancel the subscription and file a refund request on your behalf. ⏱️ What To Expect After You Request a Refund Here is a realistic timeline of what happens after your request is submitted: - Within 72 hours of the charge: Refund requests are typically approved and processed to your original payment method without escalation. - After 72 hours: A standard refund may be initially declined per our billing policy. If this happens, our team can escalate your case for a refund exception review. Exception approvals have been granted for customers affected by unintended or system-triggered charges. - Account credit offer: In some cases, our team may offer an account credit instead of a cash refund. You are not required to accept this — you may request that your case be escalated for a full refund to your original payment method. - Refund processing time: Once approved, refunds are returned to your original payment method. Depending on your bank or card issuer, funds typically appear within 5–10 business days. 📋 Tips for a Faster Resolution - Contact support as soon as you notice the charge — the sooner you reach out, the smoother the process. - Have your billing statement or a screenshot of the charge ready before starting the chat. - If you are told the refund is outside the standard window, explicitly ask the agent to escalate for a refund exception. This has been approved for customers in similar situations. - Keep a note of the agent name and any case or ticket reference number provided during your conversation. 🙋 Still Need Help? 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.

💳 Unauthorized Charge on a Removed Credit Card

🔍 Understanding the Issue In rare cases, a charge may process against a credit card that you previously removed from your Search Atlas account. This can happen if the card was still flagged as a default payment method in our billing system at the time your subscription renewed, even if it appeared deleted in your account settings. If this has happened to you, this article explains the steps to take to request a refund, permanently remove the old card, and confirm your authorized card is set as the active payment method. 📋 Step 1 — Review Your Current Payment Methods Before contacting support, log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to Avatar (top-right) → Billing to check which cards are currently on file and which is set as the active default. If you notice the old card is still listed, do not attempt to delete it yet — our support team will need to verify and process the refund first before the card can be removed from the billing system. 💬 Step 2 — Contact Support to Request a Refund Refunds for unauthorized charges must be processed by our billing team. To get this resolved quickly, please have the following information ready before you reach out: - The last four digits of the card that was incorrectly charged. - The date and amount of the charge (check your bank or card statement). - The last four digits of your authorized card — the one that should be used going forward. Our team will verify the charge, confirm the refund eligibility, and initiate the process. Refund timing will depend on your card provider. 🗑️ Step 3 — Remove the Old Card Once the refund has been confirmed by our team, they can assist with permanently removing the unauthorized card from the billing system. If the card no longer appears in your account settings but you were still charged on it, our support team can remove it directly on your behalf. ✅ Step 4 — Confirm Your Authorized Card is Set as Default To make sure all future charges go to your correct card, confirm with our support team that your authorized card is set as the active default payment method in the billing system. Our team can verify this on the backend and make any necessary updates. 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.

💳 Shopify Duplicate Charge Refund & Quota Reset

🛑 Cancel Your Shopify Subscription If you were charged twice because you lost access to your original account and re-subscribed directly with Search Atlas, you must cancel the Shopify subscription to prevent future charges. 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. They will guide you to contact Shopify Support to cancel the Shopify plan, as Search Atlas cannot cancel Shopify-managed subscriptions on your behalf. 💰 Request the $199 Refund Once the Shopify subscription is cancelled, our billing team can approve a refund for the duplicate $199 charge. The refund will be processed to your Shopify default payment method and typically appears within 3–5 business days. 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 to initiate the refund request. 🔄 Reset and Restore Your Quota If your quota was consumed overnight while reapplying your account setup, we can perform a full recurring quota reset to 0/1000 and add a one-time compensation of 5,999 quota units. This restores your available quota to a usable level. 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 to request the quota reset and compensation. ⚠️ Prevent Future Issues To avoid duplicate billing, ensure you only maintain one active subscription — either through Shopify or directly with Search Atlas, not both. If you migrate from Shopify to direct billing, cancel the Shopify plan first. For any billing or quota concerns, always reach out via the chat widget for prompt assistance.

💸 Refund and Stop Recurring Indexer Top-Up Charges

📋 Gather Your Invoice Details Locate the invoice reference for the charge you want refunded. You can find this in your billing history or the receipt email. Have the invoice number ready (for example, #62669) before you contact support. 🛠️ Contact Support to Request the Refund 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. Provide the invoice reference and clearly state that you previously canceled the Indexer top-up subscription but the charge has reappeared. ✅ Refund Processing and Confirmation The support agent will file a refund request on your behalf. Once approved, you will receive confirmation with the refund amount, the refund method (original payment method), and the expected timeframe — typically 5–10 business days for the funds to appear. 🔒 Verify the Recurring Charge Is Canceled After the refund is granted, ask the agent to confirm that the recurring top-up has been fully disabled on the backend so no future charges occur. If you notice any new Indexer top-up charges later, repeat the steps above with the new invoice reference.

💰 Understanding Custom Invoice Charges and Refunds

🔍 Identifying the Charge A custom invoice charge like $279.30 may appear due to a billing system error, such as an incorrect charge on a child account or a custom pricing deal not being applied properly. These charges are often linked to subscription overages, migration issues, or duplicate subscriptions. ⚙️ What Causes These Charges Common causes include: custom pricing not applied on self-serve plans, overbilling from un-consolidated recurring topups, duplicate base subscriptions from past due re-checkouts, or Stripe price reversion on Enterprise plans. Engineering tracks these via tickets like double charges, overbilling spikes, and custom deal application failures. 🛠️ How Refunds Are Handled When an incorrect charge is confirmed, the amount is removed from Stripe and a full refund is issued to the original payment method. Refunds typically reflect within 5–10 business days. No action is needed from you once the refund is processed. 📊 Verifying the Refund Check your original payment method after 10 business days. The refund will appear as a credit from Search Atlas. If it does not appear, 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.

💳 Disputed Charges and Missing HyperDrive Credits

🔍 Overview This article explains what to do if you were charged on a date different from what was agreed, or if HyperDrive Credits promised to you have not appeared in your account. Both issues are fully resolvable — this guide walks you through what to check and how to get them fixed quickly. 💳 Why You May See an Unexpected Charge Unexpected charges most commonly occur in the following situations: - Billing date agreements not reflected in the system: If a billing deferral or custom charge date was discussed with a teammate, it must be manually applied to your account. If this step was missed, your default billing cycle runs as scheduled. - Dual account setups: If you have more than one Search Atlas account (for example, a personal account and a team or agency account), charges may process on one account while credits or agreements are tied to the other. - Subscription renewal timing: Renewals process automatically based on the date your plan was originally activated, which may differ from any verbally or informally agreed date. None of these scenarios means you have been permanently overbilled. Charges applied outside of an agreed window are flagged as disputes and can be reviewed and corrected by our billing team. 🎁 Why HyperDrive Credits May Not Have Appeared HyperDrive Credits are applied manually by our team after a qualifying action — such as an upgrade, promotional agreement, or onboarding incentive. Credits can be delayed or missing for the following reasons: - Applied to the wrong account: If you manage two accounts, credits may have been added to a different account than the one you are actively using. - Not yet processed: There may be a short delay between the agreement and the credit application, especially if the request was made close to a weekend or holiday. - Agreement not yet logged: In some cases, a verbal or chat-based agreement may not have been formally recorded in the billing system in time. ✅ What to Check Before Contacting Support Before reaching out, please take a moment to do the following: 1. Confirm which account was charged. Log in to each account you manage and check the Billing section from the top-right avatar (Account Menu). Note that Settings and Billing are separate items in the avatar dropdown. Note the account email address associated with each. 2. Check your HyperDrive Credits balance. From the top-right avatar, go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing) to view your Hyperdrive Credits quota. Check all accounts if you have more than one. 3. Locate any written confirmation. If you received an email, in-app message, or chat transcript confirming a specific billing date or credit amount, have it ready. This speeds up the resolution process significantly. 4. Note the charge date and amount. For billing disputes, having the exact charge date and amount on hand will allow our billing team to locate and review the transaction quickly. 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.

💳 Duplicate Charge Dispute and Refund Guide

💡 What Is a Duplicate Charge? A duplicate charge occurs when your payment method is billed more than once for the same plan or upgrade within a short time window. This can happen due to a temporary payment processing error, a double submission during checkout, or a bank authorization that converted into a second settled charge. A common example is seeing two identical charges — such as two transactions of $3,351.60 on consecutive days — for a single Pro annual account upgrade. If you only received one receipt but see two charges on your bank or card statement, you likely have a duplicate charge. 🔍 How to Confirm You Have a Duplicate Charge 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Navigate to Settings and open the Billing section. 3. Review your invoice history. A legitimate charge will appear as a single invoice matching the amount on your statement. 4. Check your email inbox for receipts. If you only received one receipt but see two identical charges on your bank statement, this confirms a duplicate. 5. Note the dates, amounts, and transaction IDs from both your bank statement and your Search Atlas invoice — you will need these when contacting support. ⚠️ What a Duplicate Charge Is Not Before raising a dispute, confirm the charge is truly a duplicate and not one of the following: - A prorated adjustment: When you upgrade mid-cycle, you may see a credit and a new charge that look like two separate transactions. - A bank authorization hold: Some banks place a temporary authorization hold that appears alongside the final settled charge. Holds typically disappear within 3–7 business days. - A separate add-on or seat charge: Additional users or features may generate a separate line item on the same date. 🛠️ How to Request a Refund for a Duplicate Charge 1. Gather your evidence: your bank or card statement showing both charges, the date(s) and amount(s), and your Search Atlas receipt. 2. Contact our support team through the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 3. Share the transaction details — including dates, amounts, and any transaction or reference IDs — with the agent. 4. Our team will verify the charge on our end and, if confirmed as a duplicate, initiate the refund process. 📊 What to Expect After You Submit a Request - Verification: Our billing team will cross-reference your account activity and payment processor records to confirm the duplicate. - Refund approval: Once confirmed, the refund is approved and processed back to your original payment method. - Timeline: Refunds typically appear on your statement within 5–10 business days depending on your bank or card provider. 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.

💳 Resolve Duplicate Billing Charges and Refunds

🔍 What Are Duplicate Billing Charges? Duplicate billing occurs when your Search Atlas subscription is charged through more than one payment source for the same billing period. This can happen when a subscription is connected to multiple payment processors simultaneously — for example, both a Shopify billing integration and a direct credit or debit card on file. Over time, these duplicate charges can add up significantly. Common scenarios that lead to duplicate billing include: - Migrating your subscription from Shopify to a direct payment method without fully disconnecting the original Shopify billing - Adding a new card to your account while a Shopify-linked subscription remains active - Re-subscribing through a different channel without cancelling the existing active subscription 📋 How to Check if You Have Been Charged Twice Before raising a dispute, confirm the duplicate charges by reviewing both of your payment sources: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and review your billing or invoice history in your account settings. 2. If you connected Search Atlas through Shopify, check your Shopify account for any charges processed through that integration. 3. Review your credit or debit card statements for any Search Atlas or related charges occurring on the same dates as your Shopify charges. 4. Note the dates, amounts, and last four digits of the card or account involved for each charge. If you see matching charge amounts on the same or adjacent dates across two payment sources, you likely have duplicate billing. 💡 What Refund Options Are Available? Once duplicate charges are confirmed by our billing team, resolution options will be determined based on your specific situation and the payment methods involved. Our billing team will work with you to identify the most appropriate remedy — which may include a refund to the original payment method or a credit applied to your account — depending on the current status of the accounts and payment sources in question. 🛠️ How to Submit a Duplicate Charge Dispute To resolve a duplicate billing issue as quickly as possible, follow these steps when contacting our team: 1. Gather your evidence — collect screenshots or statements showing the duplicate charges, including dates, amounts, and the last four digits of all payment methods involved. 2. Note your subscription details — include your account email, the billing period(s) affected, and whether you have active subscriptions through more than one channel (e.g., Shopify and direct card). 3. Contact our support team using the chat widget and provide your collected evidence so the billing team can investigate and process the appropriate resolution. 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.

💳 Manage Billing Disputes, Addon Refunds, and Downgrades

🔍 Overview Billing surprises can happen when plan upgrades, addons, or pricing tiers are not clearly understood before checkout. This article explains how Search Atlas billing works, what to do if you were charged more than expected, how addon refunds are handled, and how to downgrade back to a previous plan. 💡 How Search Atlas Billing Works Your total monthly charge is made up of two parts: - Base subscription plan: The core plan you selected (for example, $99/month). - Addons: Optional features or usage upgrades added on top of your base plan. These are charged separately and increase your total bill. For example, if your base plan is $99/month and you add an addon priced at $251/month, your total charge becomes $350/month — not $250. Addons are always in addition to, not a replacement for, your base plan cost. Before confirming any upgrade or addon, always review the order summary screen which displays your new total charge, not just the addon price. 📊 Why Your Charge May Be Higher Than Expected The most common reason customers see a higher-than-expected charge is confusing the addon price with the new total. Here is a quick breakdown of what to check: - Addon price vs. total price: An addon listed at $250 does not mean your plan costs $250 total. It means $250 is added to your existing plan cost. - Prorated charges: If you upgraded mid-billing cycle, you may have been charged a prorated amount for the remainder of that cycle in addition to your next full cycle. - Multiple addons: If more than one addon is active, each one contributes to the total charge. You can review all active addons and your current total subscription cost at any time by clicking your Avatar (top-right) → Billing inside the platform. 🛠️ How to Request an Addon Refund Search Atlas reviews refund requests on a case-by-case basis. Refunds are most commonly approved when: - The addon was purchased recently and the request is submitted promptly. - The addon has not been actively used or its features have not been accessed. - The charge resulted from a genuine misunderstanding of the pricing structure. To submit a refund request, follow these steps: 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 2. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our support team. 3. Provide your account email, the addon name, the amount charged, and the reason for your refund request. 4. Our team will review your request and respond as quickly as possible, usually within one business day. Please note that refunds are not guaranteed and are subject to our billing policy. The sooner you submit your request after the charge, the better. ⬇️ How to Downgrade to a Previous Plan If you would like to return to your original plan (for example, going back to the $99/month plan), you can request a downgrade at any time. Here is what to expect: - When the downgrade takes effect: Plan downgrades typically take effect at the start of your next billing cycle, not immediately. - Feature access: Once downgraded, you will lose access to any features or limits included in the higher-tier plan or addon. - No partial refund for current cycle: In most cases, you will retain access to the current plan until the cycle ends and will not receive a prorated refund for unused days unless a refund was separately approved. To request a plan downgrade: 1. Go to Avatar (top-right) → Billing and review your current plan details. 2. If a self-serve downgrade option is available, follow the on-screen prompts to select your desired plan. 3. If no self-serve option is shown, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform, type human teammate, and ask our team to process the downgrade for you. ✅ Tips to Avoid Unexpected Charges in the Future - Always check the total due today field on the checkout or upgrade screen before confirming. - Review your active addons regularly under Avatar (top-right) → Billing. - If you are unsure what a plan or addon includes, ask our support team before purchasing. - Set a calendar reminder before your next billing date to review your subscription. 🤝 Need Further Help? 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.

💳 Billing Disputes, Plan Downgrades, and Refunds

🔍 Understanding Your Search Atlas Bill Your monthly or annual invoice reflects the plan tier you are subscribed to, plus any add-ons active on your account. The two most common line items customers have questions about are: - Base plan fee — the recurring charge for your chosen Search Atlas subscription tier. - OTTO SEO slots — each activated OTTO slot carries an additional monthly cost. Slots that are activated but not connected to a live website still count toward your billable total. If you received an unexpected charge, the most likely cause is one or more OTTO slots that were activated during a trial, onboarding, or testing phase and were never deactivated afterward. 📊 How to Check Your Current Plan and Usage 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner and select Billing & Subscription. 3. Review your current plan name, renewal date, and the number of active OTTO slots. 4. Navigate to OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) in the left sidebar and check which sites have an active OTTO slot assigned. Any slot showing a green Active status is billable. Comparing the number of active slots against the websites you are actively optimising will quickly reveal whether you are paying for unused capacity. ⚙️ How to Deactivate Unused OTTO Slots Deactivating a slot removes the recurring charge for that slot on your next billing cycle. It does not delete your site data or previously applied optimisations. 1. Go to OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) in the left sidebar. 2. Locate the site whose slot you want to deactivate. 3. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the site name. 4. Select Deactivate OTTO and confirm when prompted. Repeat this process for every site you no longer need active OTTO optimisation on. Changes take effect on your next billing date. 🔄 How to Downgrade Your Plan If your current plan includes more features or projects than you need, downgrading to a lower tier can reduce your monthly or annual cost significantly. 1. Click your Avatar in the top-right corner and go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing). 2. Click the Change Plan button to view all available tiers. 3. Select the plan that matches your current usage needs and confirm your choice. 4. Review the confirmation screen, which shows your new price and the features that will change, then confirm. Important: Before downgrading, check the project and keyword limits on the target plan to make sure your active projects will not be affected. If your current usage exceeds the lower plan's limits, you will be prompted to reduce projects or keywords first. 💡 Choosing the Right Plan for Your Usage Not sure which plan fits your needs? Use these quick guidelines: - 1–3 websites, light SEO tasks — a Starter or Grow tier plan is usually sufficient. - 4–10 websites or agency use — a Pro tier plan with a matching number of OTTO slots is recommended. - Enterprise or large-scale campaigns — contact our team via the chat widget to discuss a custom plan that avoids paying for unused capacity. You can also use the Plan Comparison page inside Billing & Subscription to see a side-by-side breakdown of features, project limits, and OTTO slot allowances across all tiers. 💰 Requesting a Refund or Billing Review Search Atlas reviews refund requests on a case-by-case basis. Common situations that may qualify include: - OTTO slots that were activated unintentionally and never used. - A renewal charge processed before you had the chance to downgrade or cancel. - A billing error such as being charged twice in the same cycle. To request a review, open the chat widget (see below) and provide the following information to speed up the process: - The invoice number or charge date in question. - A brief description of the issue (e.g., "3 OTTO slots active but no sites connected"). - The outcome you are requesting (refund, credit, or plan adjustment). Our billing team will review your account usage history and respond with a decision, typically within one business day. 🛠️ Need Help Reviewing Your Account? If you would like a member of our team to audit your current plan, identify unused OTTO slots, and recommend the most cost-effective setup for your needs, we are happy to help. 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.

💰 Refund Erroneous Recurring QP Billing Charges

🔍 Identify Unexpected Recurring Charges If you see monthly invoices for Quota Points (QP) top-ups or a Growth Plan that you did not purchase — especially after paying for an annual plan upfront — you may be affected by a known billing misconfiguration. Check your invoice history for charges that appear each month without a corresponding add-on in your account. 🛠️ Understand the Root Cause Our engineering team has identified and fixed several related issues that caused duplicate or erroneous recurring charges, including: - Duplicate base subscriptions from past-due re-checkouts or admin actions - Top-ups incorrectly bundled into Stripe subscriptions - Annual quota payments not recognized, triggering monthly charges - Stripe refund processing errors on invoice retrieval These fixes are now live (tickets SPE-803/QPB-713 and related). 📋 Verify Your Eligibility for a Refund You qualify for a refund if: - You paid for an annual plan in full but continue to see monthly QP charges - Invoices show top-ups or a Growth Plan you never authorized - No active add-on exists under Avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Add-on / Total Quota list) matching the charges 💬 Request a Refund via Support Refunds for erroneous recurring QP billing charges require manual approval and processing by our team. To start the process: 1. Gather the invoice numbers (e.g. #74602, #73085, #73080) and dates of the incorrect charges. 2. 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. 3. Provide the invoice details and state that you were charged monthly for QP top-ups or a Growth Plan you never purchased despite an annual payment. The support agent will verify the charges against the resolved engineering tickets, obtain refund approval, and process the refund to your original payment method. ⏱️ Refund Timeline Once approved, refunds typically reflect in your account within 5–10 business days, depending on your financial institution. ✅ Confirmation & Prevention After the refund is processed, you will receive confirmation with the refund amount and method. The underlying billing misconfigurations have been fixed, so future erroneous charges should not occur. If you notice any new unexpected charges, contact support immediately using the chat widget.

Dispute Unauthorized Recurring Subscription Charges

🔍 Understanding How Search Atlas Subscriptions Work Search Atlas offers monthly subscription plans that renew automatically on your billing date. When you enter payment details and complete a purchase, you may be enrolling in a recurring subscription. It is important to review the checkout page carefully before completing any purchase, as billing terms are disclosed at the point of sale. ⚠️ Common Reasons Customers Are Surprised by Recurring Charges - Recurring billing after initial purchase: Some purchases include ongoing platform access that renews on a recurring basis. - Trial conversions: Free or discounted trials may automatically convert to paid subscriptions if not cancelled before the trial ends. - Missed cancellation confirmation: Submitting a cancellation request does not always guarantee it was processed — always look for a confirmation email. 📋 Steps to Take Before Requesting a Refund 1. Check your billing history. Log in to Search Atlas and review your account's billing section to see past transactions, including the dates and amounts of each charge. 2. Confirm your current subscription status. Verify whether an active subscription is attached to your account and what plan it is. 3. Review your original purchase emails. Locate the receipt or confirmation email from the date of your first payment. This will show the plan type and any recurring billing terms disclosed at checkout. 4. Cancel your subscription if you do not wish to continue. Cancel before your next renewal date to prevent additional charges. Look for the cancellation option within your account's billing settings. 💰 Requesting a Refund for an Unauthorized Recurring Charge If you believe you have been charged for a subscription you did not knowingly authorize, you can request a review of the charge by reaching out to the support team through the chat widget. When you reach out, please have the following ready to help the team review your case efficiently: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - The date(s) and amount(s) of the charge(s) in question - Any relevant purchase or cancellation confirmation emails you received The support team will review your account history and work with you to resolve the dispute. 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.

💳 Unauthorized Charges and Refund Dispute Resolution

🔍 Understanding Why You May See Unexpected Charges If you notice charges from Search Atlas that you do not recognize, there are a few common reasons this can happen: - A team member, colleague, or agency contact signed up on your behalf using your payment details. - A free trial automatically converted to a paid subscription without a clear reminder. - A previous account was reactivated, triggering a new billing cycle. - Your payment details were used to create an account you were not aware of. Regardless of the reason, Search Atlas takes unauthorized charge claims seriously and will work with you to investigate and resolve the issue promptly. 📋 What Information You Will Need Before reaching out to our support team, gather the following details to speed up your case: - Transaction dates and amounts — the specific charges you are disputing. - The email address associated with the Search Atlas account (if known). - The last four digits of the card or the payment method that was charged. - Bank or card statement screenshots showing the charges (optional but helpful). Having this information ready allows our team to locate the account, verify the billing history, and process your request without unnecessary delays. 🛠️ Steps to Dispute an Unauthorized Charge 1. Check your email inbox and spam folder for any Search Atlas welcome emails, trial confirmation messages, or subscription receipts. This helps confirm whether an account was created in your name. 2. Log in to Search Atlas using any email address you think may have been used. If you cannot log in, try the password reset option. 3. Review your billing history inside the platform to see past charges, subscription plan details, and renewal dates. 4. Cancel any active subscription if applicable to prevent further charges while your dispute is being reviewed. Look for subscription or billing management options within your account settings. 5. Contact our support team to formally submit your refund request (see the section below). 💡 Search Atlas Refund Policy — Key Points Search Atlas evaluates refund requests on a case-by-case basis. Understanding our general policy helps set clear expectations: - Unauthorized charge claims are prioritized and reviewed by our billing team as quickly as possible. - Refunds for multiple billing cycles are considered when there is clear evidence the account was not actively used or knowingly authorized. - Refunds are returned to the original payment method and processing times will depend on your bank or card issuer. 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.

💳 Dispute an Incorrect or Duplicate Charge

🔍 Overview Some customers experienced incorrect charges during May and June 2024 due to a billing system migration. Known issues included duplicate charges, top-up fees bundled incorrectly into subscription payments, add-on fees applied after migration, and custom pricing not reflected on self-serve plans. If you believe you were overcharged, this article explains what happened and how to get it resolved quickly. ⚠️ Known Billing Issues (May–June 2024) The following billing errors have been identified and confirmed by our team: - Duplicate charges: Some accounts were charged twice for the same billing period due to a Stripe account duplication issue during migration. - Top-up fees bundled into subscriptions: Top-up charges were incorrectly included inside the main subscription payment instead of being processed separately. - OTTO Google Ads add-on charged after migration: A small number of accounts were billed for the OTTO Google Ads add-on on or around May 24, even though the charge should not have applied post-migration. - Incorrect OTTO site pricing: Legacy billing accounts with custom OTTO site pricing were charged at incorrect rates. - Custom pricing not applied: Accounts with negotiated custom pricing were billed at standard self-serve rates, resulting in overcharges. 🧾 How to Check Your Charges Before submitting a refund request, confirm the discrepancy by reviewing your billing history: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right (Account Menu) and select Billing. 3. Review your invoices for May and June. Look for duplicate line items, unexpected add-on charges, or amounts that do not match your agreed plan pricing. 4. Take a screenshot or note the invoice date, amount, and charge description — you will need this when speaking with our team. 💰 How to Request a Refund If you have identified an incorrect charge, our billing team can investigate and process a refund. Follow these steps: 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 2. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. 3. Provide the following details so we can resolve your case as quickly as possible: - Your account name or customer ID - The charge amount and date - A brief description of why you believe the charge is incorrect - Whether you have submitted a previous refund request (include any reference details if available) Our team will confirm the error, initiate the refund through Stripe, and follow up with a confirmation. Refunds typically appear on your statement within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. 📋 If You Already Submitted a Refund Request If you submitted a refund request for May and did not receive a response, we apologise for the delay. Please reach out again through the chat widget with your original request details. Our team will prioritise any open or unanswered refund cases and ensure they are resolved promptly. 🛡️ What We Have Done to Prevent This Our engineering and billing teams have investigated all known discrepancies and implemented fixes to prevent recurrence. These include correcting Stripe account sync issues, separating top-up processing from subscription billing, and ensuring custom pricing agreements are applied correctly across both legacy and self-serve accounts. 🙋 Still Need Help? 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.

💡 Get Refund for Unwanted Annual Auto-Renewal

🛑 Cancel the Subscription First Open the billing section of your account and locate the active annual subscription. Use the cancel option to stop future charges. This step is required before a refund can be considered. 📋 Request a Refund After canceling, contact support through the chat widget to submit a refund request. Reference the 3-day annual allowance policy and provide the invoice number if available. The support team will file an internal request and escalate it to the billing team for review. ⏱️ Wait for Approval The billing team will evaluate the request based on the timing of the renewal and your eligibility. If approved, the refund will be processed to your original payment method. It may take several business days for the funds to appear in your account. ✅ Confirmation You will receive a notification once the refund has been approved and initiated. No further action is needed on your part. 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.

💰 Stripe Top-Up Seat Charge Refunds

🔍 Why the Charge Appears Your Growth plan may show a sudden increase — for example, from $199/month to $689/month — with a line item labeled Recurring Topups - New Billing. This happens when Stripe records more seats than your team actually uses. In the documented case, 14 seats were showing in Stripe while only one seat was active, creating an overcharge of $490 for 13 extra seats. ✅ Verify Your Seat Count Before requesting a refund, confirm the discrepancy: 1. Log in to the platform and open the billing or team settings area. 2. Count the active seats assigned to your account. 3. Compare that number with the seat quantity shown on your Stripe invoice or receipt. 4. If Stripe shows more seats than you have active, you are being overcharged. 🛠️ Request a Refund and Correction If you confirm an overcharge, contact support to have the billing corrected and the excess amount refunded: 1. 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. 2. Provide your account email, the invoice date, and the seat count you see in Stripe versus the actual active seats. 3. The billing team will process a refund for the extra seats and adjust your subscription so future invoices reflect the correct seat count. ⏱️ Refund Timeline Refunds are typically available in your original payment method within 7–10 business days after the billing team processes the adjustment. 🛡️ Prevent Future Overcharges Engineering has addressed the root causes — including duplicate proration charges, idempotency issues, and bundled top-up subscriptions — through several fixes. Your billing should now stay in sync automatically. If you ever notice a mismatch again, follow the steps above to get it resolved quickly.

💸 Refund Unintentional Top-Up Charge

🛑 Cancel Add-Ons in Billing To stop further charges, remove the unwanted add-ons from your subscription. 1. Sign in to the platform. 2. Open the Billing section. 3. Locate the active add-ons on your current plan. 4. Cancel each add-on you did not intend to purchase. 📝 Request a Refund After cancelling the add-ons, initiate a refund for the unintentional charge. 1. 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. 2. Provide the following details: the charge amount ($511), the date of the charge, and a brief explanation that the top-up was triggered accidentally while resubscribing. 3. The support agent will file a refund request and escalate it to the Billing and Accounts team for approval. ⏱️ Refund Processing Time Once approved, the refund is issued to the original payment method. Refunds typically reflect within 5–10 business days. ⚠️ Known System Issues Our engineering team has identified and resolved several related billing bugs that could cause duplicate or ghost top-up charges, including issues with idempotency keys, legacy billing tasks, and recurring top-up stacking. If you notice any further unexpected charges, please contact support immediately.

💳 Understanding Duplicate Billing Charges and Refunds

🔍 Overview We understand how frustrating it can be to see unexpected or repeated charges on your account. This article explains the most common reasons duplicate billing charges occur on Search Atlas, how our billing team investigates these cases, and what outcomes you can expect — including why some refund requests may be denied. ⚙️ Why Duplicate Charges Can Occur Duplicate or unexpected charges on your Search Atlas account are rare, but they can happen due to a small number of known technical billing scenarios: - Past-due re-checkout: If your subscription lapses and you re-enter your payment details while an existing subscription is still active in our system, two base subscriptions can be created simultaneously. If your subscription enters a past-due state and you complete a new checkout before the original subscription is reactivated, two active subscriptions can be created simultaneously in Stripe. - Stripe account sync issues: In some cases, your Search Atlas account may become out of sync with our payment processor (Stripe), resulting in duplicate subscription records being charged separately. - Multiple subscriptions generated in Stripe: A platform or session error can occasionally trigger the creation of more than one active subscription under the same account, leading to multiple charges. - Top-up bundling errors: One-time top-up purchases have in rare instances been bundled incorrectly into a recurring Stripe subscription charge, creating an apparent double charge. Scheduled top-up credits are sometimes bundled into a renewal invoice rather than billed separately, making the total appear higher than expected. - Subscription upgrade processing errors: In some cases, an upgrade is initiated but not applied correctly, resulting in a charge without a corresponding plan change. Our engineering team has identified and resolved each of these root causes. Hotfixes have been deployed to prevent these scenarios from recurring. If you are seeing an unexpected charge today, it is likely one of the scenarios above. 📋 How Refund Requests Are Evaluated Every billing dispute is reviewed individually by our billing team. When you submit a refund request, we investigate the following: 1. Charge verification: We confirm whether two separate successful payments were processed for the same billing period or service. 2. Subscription audit: We check your Stripe account history to identify whether duplicate subscription records exist or existed. 3. Service usage review: We assess whether the subscription or add-on in question was accessed or used during the charge period. 4. Applicable refund policy: We apply our standard refund policy based on the findings of the investigation. Charges that are typically eligible for a refund review include: - Confirmed duplicate charges for the same subscription period - Charges applied after a cancellation was processed correctly - Fees generated due to a verified system or billing error on our side If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, our team is happy to review your account and explain each line item on your invoice. ❌ Why a Refund Request May Be Denied Not all billing disputes result in a refund. A refund request may be denied in the following situations: - Only one charge was processed: What appears to be a duplicate may reflect two separate, legitimate line items — for example, a base subscription fee and a separate add-on or class fee billed at the same time. - Service was accessed: If the subscription, feature, or session was accessed — even partially — the charge may be considered valid under our terms of service. Partial attendance or incomplete usage does not automatically qualify for a refund. - The charge falls outside the refund window: Refund eligibility is subject to our standard billing terms. Charges disputed after the eligible window has passed may not qualify. - The charge was a one-time add-on: Certain fees, such as workshop or class registration fees, are non-refundable once the session has commenced, regardless of attendance duration. This also applies to add-ons or top-ups that were applied and consumed. - Dissatisfaction with a feature or session: Requests based solely on dissatisfaction with a specific feature or session length are generally not eligible under our standard policy. If your request was denied and you believe this was an error, you have the right to request a secondary review by our billing team with any additional supporting evidence. ✅ Steps to Take If You See an Unexpected Charge 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to Avatar (top-right icon) → Billing (Billing) to review your active subscriptions and recent invoices, and confirm whether multiple subscriptions appear to be active. 2. Take note of the exact charge amounts, dates, the last four digits of the card that was charged, and any invoice or transaction IDs shown in your billing history. You can also find this information in your email receipts from Stripe or in your bank statement. 3. Compare these details against your bank or credit card statement to confirm whether two distinct payments were captured. 4. Contact our support team with this information so we can open a billing investigation on your behalf. Share the charge details and describe what you believe occurred. 5. Allow time for investigation: our billing team will cross-reference your account with our Stripe records, identify any duplicate subscriptions or erroneous charges, and confirm whether a refund or credit applies. ⏱️ Refund Processing Times If a refund is approved, the timeline for funds to appear depends on your payment provider: - Credit and debit cards: Typically 5–10 business days after the refund is issued - Some banks: Up to 15 business days in rare cases Our team will confirm the refund has been processed in Stripe and provide a reference if needed. 💡 Tips to Avoid Duplicate Charges - If your payment fails and your account enters a past-due state, contact support before completing a new checkout to avoid creating a second subscription. - When upgrading your plan, wait for a confirmation email before assuming the upgrade did not go through — do not re-submit the upgrade form. - Review your Stripe receipt emails after any billing event to catch discrepancies early. 🛡️ What We Have Done to Prevent This Search Atlas has taken the following corrective actions to address known billing issues: - Deployed a hotfix to prevent duplicate base subscriptions from being created during re-checkout flows. - Resolved Stripe account sync failures that caused mismatched subscription records. - Fixed the issue where top-up purchases were incorrectly bundled into recurring subscription charges. - Implemented stricter controls to prevent multiple subscriptions from being generated under the same account in Stripe. - Added duplicate-checkout protection to prevent the same purchase from being submitted twice. We continue to monitor our billing infrastructure closely to catch and resolve any new anomalies as quickly as possible. 💬 Still Have Questions? If you believe you have been incorrectly charged or your refund request needs further review, our support team is ready to help. 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.

💳 Dispute an Unauthorized Otto Sites Charge

🔍 Why Did I Get Charged for Otto Sites Top Off? Otto Sites Top Off is an add-on that activates additional OTTO-managed sites beyond your plan's included limit. Unexpected charges for this add-on are most commonly caused by one of the following: - Auto-renewal after self-service removal: In some cases, a known platform issue caused a deactivated Otto Sites Top Off to remain active in the billing system and continue charging even after removal. - Legacy billing migration: Customers moved from older pricing plans may have been charged at incorrect rates or received duplicate billing events during the transition. - Quota top-up accounting errors: A billing system issue affected quota top-up, upgrade, and seat accounting, leading to repeated or inflated charges for some accounts. - UNLIMITEDQUOTASOFEB promotion removal: When a limited-time unlimited quota promotion ended, some accounts were automatically switched to paid top-up plans without sufficient notice. ⚠️ Common Charge Scenarios You may have experienced one of the following situations: - A $199 or $200 charge appearing for Otto Sites Top Off that you did not knowingly activate. - The same erroneous charge repeating every month even after a refund was issued for a previous month. - A lump-sum balance reflecting multiple months of incorrect billing that has accumulated over time. - Charges continuing after you removed the add-on through the self-service settings. ✅ Steps to Take Right Now 1. Check your active add-ons: Go to the top-right corner (avatar) → Billing and confirm whether Otto Sites Top Off is listed as active. If it is and you did not intentionally enable it, do not wait — contact support immediately using the chat widget below. 2. Gather your charge details: Note the exact dates, amounts, and any invoice or transaction IDs for every charge you believe is unauthorized. This speeds up the review process significantly. 3. Do not attempt to cancel and re-subscribe to resolve the issue, as this can create additional billing complications. Let the support team handle corrections directly. 4. Contact support via live chat: 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. Share your charge dates and amounts so the team can locate your billing records and begin a refund review. 💰 Refunds: What to Expect Our billing team is authorized to review and issue refunds for charges that are confirmed to be erroneous. Here is what typically happens after you contact support: - The team will verify your billing history and cross-reference it against your plan settings and add-on activity. - If unauthorized charges are confirmed, a refund will be initiated. Refunds generally appear on your original payment method within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card provider. - If the issue involved recurring incorrect charges, the team will also ensure the add-on is fully deactivated in the billing system — not just the front-end settings — to prevent future charges. 🛡️ How to Prevent This in the Future - Review your invoice each billing cycle. Log in to your account and check the billing section for any line items you do not recognize. - Confirm add-on removal is reflected in billing. After removing any add-on through self-service, check the next invoice to verify the charge no longer appears. - Monitor plan-change communications. If Search Atlas sends a notification about promotional pricing ending or plan changes, review it carefully to understand any impact on your billing. 💬 Still Need Help? 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 billing dates and charge amounts ready so we can resolve your case as quickly as possible.

💳 Dispute a Duplicate or Mistaken Subscription Charge

🔍 Why You May Have Been Charged Unexpectedly Unexpected charges on your Search Atlas account can happen for a few reasons. Understanding the cause helps us resolve it faster for you: - Duplicate account creation: If you signed up more than once (for example, to resolve a purchase issue), a second subscription may have been activated unintentionally. - Duplicate billing events: In rare cases, a billing system error can trigger the same charge more than once during a subscription cycle or plan change. - Top-up stacking: Add-on credits or top-ups are sometimes bundled incorrectly with your base subscription, resulting in a higher charge than expected. - Proration errors: When upgrading or changing your plan, a proration calculation error can produce an extra charge alongside your normal invoice. All of these scenarios are recognized issues our engineering team actively works to prevent. If any of them apply to you, you are entitled to a review and, where confirmed, a full refund of the erroneous amount. ✅ What to Do Before Contacting Support Gathering a few details in advance speeds up your refund request significantly. Please check the following: 1. Locate the charge amount and date — find this in your email inbox (look for a receipt from Stripe or Search Atlas) or inside the platform under Top-right avatar > Billing (Billing). 2. Note your account email address — if you created a second account by mistake, have both email addresses ready. 3. Identify the subscription or plan name — for example, a specific tier name or an OTTO site add-on. 4. Confirm whether you want a refund only, or a refund plus full cancellation — knowing this in advance helps our team act immediately. 💡 How the Refund Process Works Once you contact our support team, here is what happens: 1. A teammate reviews your billing history and verifies the duplicate or erroneous charge. 2. If confirmed, the refund is initiated through Stripe, our payment processor. 3. Refunds typically appear on your original payment method within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. 4. If a duplicate account or unintended subscription is involved, our team cancels it at the same time so no further charges occur. You will receive confirmation once the refund has been processed. No action is required on your end after the request is submitted. 🛠️ How to Submit Your Refund Request To get your issue resolved as quickly as possible, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 3. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our support team. 4. Share the charge amount, date, and your account email. Let the teammate know whether you also need the subscription cancelled. Our team can access your billing records directly and will handle the refund and any cancellation in the same conversation. ⚠️ Important: Avoid Creating Additional Accounts If you experienced a problem purchasing a plan or accessing a feature, please contact support before creating a new account. A second account often triggers a second subscription charge automatically. Our team can fix access or purchase issues on your existing account without the need for a new sign-up. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions - Will I lose my data if my duplicate account is cancelled? No. Only the unintended duplicate account is closed. Your primary account and all its data remain fully intact. - Can I get a refund if several weeks have passed? Yes. While we encourage you to report unexpected charges promptly, our team reviews each case individually. Contact support and provide the charge details regardless of when it occurred. - What if I was charged for a summit or one-time purchase, not a subscription? The same process applies. Share the charge details with our team and we will investigate the billing record. - How do I know the cancellation was completed? Our teammate will confirm cancellation in the chat. You will also stop receiving subscription invoices for that account. 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. Additional Notes Do not cancel your primary plan yourself — cancelling could affect your active plan features. Also covers charges across multiple payment methods (e.g. Shopify + credit card simultaneously) and re-checkout after past-due status creating a second subscription instead of reactivating.

💳 Resolve Subscription Charges and Refund Disputes

💡 Overview If you believe you've been charged incorrectly — whether due to duplicate charges, stacked top-ups, or an inability to cancel — this article explains why these issues can occur and the exact steps to get them resolved quickly. Our billing and support teams take overcharging seriously and will work to make it right. 🔍 Why Unexpected Charges Can Occur Billing errors across multiple periods are rare but can happen in a few specific situations: - Duplicate subscriptions: In some cases, a migration or account change may generate more than one active subscription in the same account, resulting in being billed twice. - Stacked recurring top-ups: Automatic top-ups (used to replenish credits) may stack on top of your base subscription instead of being consolidated, leading to higher-than-expected charges. - Incorrect plan pricing: A legacy plan or a custom deal may not have been applied correctly at the billing level, causing you to be charged at a higher rate. - Cancellation not processed: If a cancellation request was submitted but not confirmed by the system, charges may continue into subsequent billing periods. ⚙️ What Information to Have Ready Before reaching out, gathering the following details will help our team investigate and resolve your case as fast as possible: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - The approximate dates of each charge you believe is incorrect - The amounts charged in each billing period - Any confirmation emails or screenshots related to cancellation attempts - Your expected plan type and agreed pricing, if applicable 🛠️ Steps to Request a Refund or Dispute a Charge 1. Log in to Search Atlas. Access your account so our team can verify your identity and pull up your billing history directly. 2. Open the live chat widget. Click the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 3. Request a human agent. Type human teammate in the chat to be connected with a member of our support team. 4. Describe the issue clearly. Share the billing dates, amounts charged, and any cancellation attempts you made. The more detail you provide, the faster our team can act. 5. Allow time for investigation. Our billing team will audit your Stripe account, identify the root cause (such as duplicate subscriptions or stacked top-ups), and confirm which charges qualify for a refund. 6. Refund confirmation. Once approved, refunds are processed back to your original payment method. Processing time depends on your bank or card provider, but typically takes 5–10 business days to appear. 📊 What Happens During the Investigation When you report a multi-period billing dispute, our team will: - Review all active and past subscriptions linked to your account in our billing system - Identify any duplicate subscriptions, incorrectly applied plans, or stacked top-up charges - Cross-reference your cancellation requests against system logs to confirm whether a cancellation was processed - Calculate the total overcharged amount across all affected billing periods - Process a full or partial refund based on the findings 🚨 If You Could Not Cancel Your Subscription If you attempted to cancel but continued to be charged, please mention this explicitly when you contact our team. Include any dates you tried to cancel and the method you used (e.g., in-app settings, a previous chat). Our team will verify the cancellation status and ensure your subscription is fully terminated alongside processing any eligible refunds. 🙋 Still Have Questions? 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.

💳 Change Your Card and Refund Renewals

💳 Update your default card Open your account by clicking your Avatar, then go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups and use the Add Payment Method button. Add the new card first, then select the option to make it the default payment method. Save the change and confirm that the new card is marked as default before your next renewal. 🔄 If the old card cannot be deleted Some accounts cannot remove an old card while it is linked to an active subscription, an unpaid balance, or a billing migration. Keep the old card saved, add the replacement card, and set the replacement as default. Do not repeatedly add or remove cards, as this can create duplicate payment methods without changing the renewal card. If the new card is marked as default but a renewal still uses the old card, the subscription may require a billing record update. Capture the last four digits of both cards, the renewal date, and the related invoice or charge details before contacting support. 💰 Request a renewal refund Renewal refunds are reviewed individually. Check the charge date, amount, subscription, and invoice details. If the renewal was unexpected or the payment method change did not apply, request a review as soon as possible. Avoid disputing the payment with your bank while the review is in progress, because a bank dispute can delay account and refund processing. 📝 What to include in your request - Account or workspace name - Charge date and amount - Invoice or transaction identifier - Last four digits of the card charged - Last four digits of the intended default card - The date you added or selected the new card - A screenshot showing the current default payment method, if available 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.

💳 Duplicate Billing Charges and Refund Resolution

🔍 Overview Some customers have experienced unexpected duplicate charges — for example, being billed on a monthly basis for a subaccount while already holding an active annual subscription. These situations are taken seriously and are fully investigated by our billing team. This article explains the most common causes, how to identify a duplicate charge, and the steps to request a refund. ⚠️ Common Causes of Duplicate Charges Duplicate billing can occur for several reasons, all of which have been identified and addressed in our billing system: - Subaccount sync issues: In some cases, a subaccount was not properly linked to an existing subscription in Stripe, causing it to generate a separate billing record. - Re-checkout after a past-due status: If a payment failed and you re-entered payment details, a second base subscription could be created alongside the original one. - Multiple subscriptions in Stripe: A technical issue caused some accounts to have more than one active subscription entry in Stripe, resulting in repeated charges. - Cross-platform billing: Accounts connected to both Shopify and a credit card occasionally triggered charges through both channels simultaneously. All of the above issues have been resolved at the platform level. If you believe you were affected, follow the steps below to request a review. 📋 How to Identify a Duplicate Charge Before reaching out, gather the following information to speed up your refund review: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and go to your billing or account settings page. 2. Note the dates and amounts of all charges you believe are duplicates. 3. Check whether the charges came from a subaccount or a separate subscription entry. 4. Collect any receipts or transaction IDs from your bank statement or email confirmations. Having this information ready will allow our team to locate your Stripe records quickly and confirm whether a duplicate occurred. 💰 How to Request a Refund If you have identified one or more duplicate charges, here is what to do: 1. Contact our support team immediately using the live chat widget described at the bottom of this article. 2. Provide your account email address and the specific charge dates and amounts in question. 3. Share any supporting documentation such as bank statements, email receipts, or screenshots showing both the annual subscription charge and the additional monthly charges. 4. Allow time for investigation. Our billing team will review your Stripe account history, confirm the duplicate entries, and process any approved refunds. Refunds for confirmed duplicate charges are issued back to the original payment method. Processing time depends on your bank or card provider but typically takes 5–10 business days to appear on your statement after our team initiates the refund. ⏱️ What to Expect After You Submit a Request Once you have contacted our team, here is a general timeline of what happens: - Initial confirmation: Our team will acknowledge your request and begin reviewing your billing records in Stripe. - Investigation: We verify whether a duplicate subscription existed and cross-reference it with your original annual or primary subscription. - Refund processing: If duplicate charges are confirmed, refunds are initiated promptly. You will receive confirmation once processed. - Account correction: Any duplicate subscription entries are removed so that no further incorrect charges occur. If your request has been open for more than a few business days without an update, please follow up via the chat widget so we can escalate it on your behalf. 🛡️ How We've Prevented This From Happening Again Our engineering team has investigated all known duplicate billing scenarios and applied the following fixes: - Stripe account synchronisation has been corrected to prevent subaccounts from generating independent billing records. - The re-checkout flow for past-due accounts now checks for existing active subscriptions before creating a new one. - Safeguards have been added to prevent multiple base subscriptions from being created for a single account in Stripe. - Cross-platform billing conflicts between Shopify and credit card integrations have been resolved. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these issues and are committed to making sure your billing experience is accurate and transparent going forward. 🆘 Need Further Help? 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.

💳 Fix a Duplicate Account Charge and Refund

🔍 Why Duplicate Accounts Happen A duplicate account is most often created when you sign in with a different method than the one used to set up your original subscription. The most common trigger is clicking Sign in with Google when your active account was registered with an email and password — or vice versa. Search Atlas treats each login method as a separate identity, which can cause a second account to be created and a new subscription charge to be applied. Common scenarios include: - Your original account is tied to an email/password login, but you later clicked Sign in with Google using the same email address. - A team member or you accidentally registered a brand-new account instead of logging into the existing one. - A browser autofill or SSO prompt completed a new sign-up without a clear confirmation step. ⚠️ What Happens When a Duplicate Account Is Created When a second account is created, Stripe — the payment processor Search Atlas uses — may generate a new subscription and charge your card immediately. This results in two active subscriptions running in parallel, even though you only intended to have one. You remain fully charged for both until one is cancelled and a refund is issued. ✅ How to Resolve a Duplicate Account Charge Search Atlas support can cancel the duplicate subscription and process a refund for the unwanted charge. To get this resolved as quickly as possible, please have the following information ready before contacting support: - The email address of your active (correct) account — the one you want to keep. - The email address of the duplicate account — the one that was charged in error. - The charge amount and approximate date of the unwanted transaction (for example, $399 charged on a specific date). - The last four digits of the card that was charged, if known. Once our team confirms your identity and locates both accounts in Stripe, they will: 1. Cancel the subscription on the duplicate account immediately. 2. Issue a full refund for the erroneous charge to your original payment method. 3. Confirm that your active subscription remains untouched and in good standing. Refunds typically appear on your statement within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. 🔒 How to Prevent This from Happening Again Once your accounts are merged and the duplicate is cancelled, follow these steps to avoid the issue recurring: - Always use the same login method — if you signed up with email and password, always log in that way. Do not switch to Google Sign-In unless instructed by support. - Bookmark your login page and go directly to it rather than clicking external links or social login prompts. - Add team members the correct way — instead of creating separate accounts for colleagues, go to your avatar (top-right corner) → Team Members (URL: /settings) and invite them from within your existing account. - If you ever see an unexpected charge from Search Atlas, contact support immediately before attempting to log in again, to avoid creating further duplicate sessions. 👥 Managing Your Team Under One Account You do not need multiple accounts to give colleagues access to Search Atlas. Your subscription includes team seat management built into the platform. To add or remove team members: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Team Members from the dropdown menu. 3. Enter your colleague's email address and assign their role. This keeps everyone under a single billing account and prevents accidental duplicate subscriptions. 💬 Still Need Help? 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.

🚫 Block a Card and Refund Test Account Charges

Overview If a credit card has been used on test accounts and you want to prevent future charges, our billing team can block the card in our payment systems and refund recent transactions. This article explains what the process involves and how to get it done quickly. Important: This Requires Billing Team Action Blocking a card and issuing refunds for test accounts is a backend operation — it cannot be completed through self-service settings in the platform. A member of our billing team must perform these steps on your behalf. However, knowing exactly what to request will help our team resolve your case faster. How to Get This Resolved To initiate the process, contact our support team directly through the chat or support channel available in your account. When you reach out, provide the following details so the billing team can act on your request promptly: - The last four digits of the card you want blocked - The email addresses associated with any test accounts - The approximate dates and amounts of the charges you want reviewed - Confirmation of which subscriptions or accounts should be reviewed for cancellation Once our billing team receives your request with these details, they will: 1. Block your card so that no future charges from Search Atlas can be processed against it. 2. Review and refund the recent charges associated with your test account(s). 3. Review active subscriptions linked to the identified test accounts and take the appropriate action to stop recurring billing. Steps You Can Take Right Now While waiting for billing team confirmation, take the following steps immediately to limit further exposure: 1. Cancel active subscriptions on any test account you can still access. Log in to each test account and look for subscription or billing management options within your account settings. Cancelling directly stops future renewal charges even before the billing team completes the backend block. 2. Contact your card issuer to place a temporary hold or dispute any unrecognized charges. Most banks allow you to do this through their mobile app or by calling the number on the back of your card. This is the fastest way to stop new charges independently of our team's action. 3. Remove the card on file from any test account where you still have login access. Go to your avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab and open the payment methods section, then click Remove on the card and confirm "Yes, remove card". Note that the Remove button only appears when the account has more than one saved card — if it's the only card on file, add a new card first (Add Payment Method) and set it as primary, then remove the old one, or contact support to remove the only card. This prevents that account from processing new charges even if a subscription renewal is attempted. 4. Send our support team a chat message through your account with the four details listed above (last four digits, email addresses, charge dates/amounts, and subscription list). Once our billing team has these details, they will confirm the card block and process eligible refunds — typically within one business day. If you do not receive a confirmation within 24 hours, reply to the same chat thread to follow up. What to Expect After You Submit Your Request After contacting our billing team with all required details, here is the typical sequence of events: 1. Our billing team will confirm receipt of your request and verify the card and account details you provided. 2. The card block will be applied in our payment system so no further Search Atlas charges can be initiated against it. 3. Eligible refunds for recent test account charges will be processed and returned to your original payment method. Refund timing depends on your card issuer but is generally 3–10 business days. 4. Any active subscriptions tied to the identified test accounts will be cancelled to stop recurring billing. 5. You will receive a confirmation message once all actions have been completed. If you have not heard back within one business day of submitting your request, please reply to your existing support chat thread to follow up. If you need immediate assistance, you can also reach us through the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform — type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Understanding Your VIP Subscription Charge and Refund

🔍 What Is the VIP Experience Charge? The VIP Experience is a premium add-on available during select Search Atlas challenge events (such as the May Challenge or February VIP Challenge). When you sign up through the checkout page, a charge of $199 is processed immediately via our billing partner, Spiffy Checkout, and an invoice is sent to your registered email address. This charge grants access to exclusive VIP features, resources, and support tied to the specific challenge event period. It is a separate subscription from your standard Search Atlas plan. ⚙️ Why Your Account May Appear Inactive In some cases, customers have reported that their VIP account appears inactive or unresponsive after purchase. This can happen for the following reasons: - Provisioning delay: After checkout, it can take up to 24 hours for your VIP access to be fully activated inside the platform. - Account mismatch: If you signed up using a different email address than your existing Search Atlas account, your VIP access may not be linked correctly. - Known billing edge cases: During high-traffic challenge events, isolated billing bugs have occasionally caused subscriptions to be recorded in our payment system but not fully reflected in your Search Atlas account. Our team has released fixes for these issues, but some accounts may still require a manual review. ✅ Steps to Take Before Requesting a Refund Please complete these steps first — they resolve the majority of VIP access issues without requiring a cancellation: 1. Wait 24 hours after purchase and then log in to Search Atlas to check whether VIP access has been activated. 2. Check your email for a confirmation message from Spiffy Checkout. If you received an invoice but no confirmation, note the invoice number — you will need it. 3. Verify your account email: Click your avatar in the top-right corner, go to Settings → Profile, and confirm the email address on file matches the one used during checkout. 4. Refresh your session: Log out of Search Atlas completely, clear your browser cache, and log back in. This can resolve display issues that make an active account appear inactive. 5. If access is still not available after 24 hours, contact our support team immediately (see below) so we can manually verify and activate your account before processing any cancellation. 🔄 How to Request a Cancellation and Refund If you have completed the steps above and still wish to cancel your VIP subscription and request a refund, our support team can process this on your behalf. Please have the following information ready when you reach out: - The email address used during checkout - Your invoice number or the date of the charge - A brief description of the issue you experienced (e.g., account inactive, access not provisioned) Refund eligibility: Refund requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Requests submitted promptly — typically within a short window of the original purchase — have the best chance of approval. Our team will confirm eligibility when you contact us. 🛡️ Preventing Billing Issues in the Future To avoid similar issues with future purchases, we recommend the following best practices: - Always use the same email address for checkout as your existing Search Atlas account. - Save your invoice or confirmation email immediately after purchase. - If you see a charge but receive no confirmation within one hour, contact support before the challenge event ends so our team can investigate while the event is active. - Avoid clicking the checkout link more than once — duplicate submissions can occasionally trigger double-subscription edge cases during high-traffic events. 💬 Need Further Help? 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.

💳 Duplicate Billing, Refunds, and Add-On Charges Explained

🔍 Overview Some customers have found themselves billed twice — either because they had two separate Search Atlas accounts, or because add-ons such as Otto Sites top-ups stacked unexpectedly. This article explains how to spot these issues, what to do about unused add-ons, and how to request a refund if you believe you were overcharged. 🧾 Common Causes of Duplicate or Unexpected Charges - Two active accounts: If you signed up more than once (for example, with a different email address), you may be paying for two separate subscriptions without realising it. - Stacking Otto Sites top-ups: Otto Sites top-ups are purchased as add-ons. If multiple top-ups were added in error, they can stack and generate repeated monthly charges. - Discounted add-ons showing a cost: Some add-ons (such as the Otto Google Ads add-on) display a monthly price in your account but are fully discounted to $0 during a promotional period. A charge appearing on your invoice does not always mean you were billed for it. - Annual plan renewal dates: Annual plans renew on a fixed date each year. Charges appearing near that date are expected and are not duplicates. ✅ Step 1 — Check Whether You Have More Than One Account Log in to Search Atlas and check the email address associated with your current account. If you think you may have signed up with a different email in the past, contact support (see below) so an agent can search for additional accounts linked to your name or payment method. Having two active accounts means you are paying two separate subscription fees. 📋 Step 2 — Review Your Active Add-Ons Inside your account, navigate to your billing or subscription settings and review the list of active add-ons. Look specifically for any Otto Sites top-ups. If you see more top-up entries than you intentionally purchased, or if you are not using Otto Sites at all, cancel the extra top-ups to stop future charges. Cancelling unused add-ons does not affect your core plan. 💡 Step 3 — Understand What You Are Actually Being Charged Before raising a refund request, clarify the following: - Annual plan cost: Your annual plan fee is charged once per year on your renewal date. Confirm your renewal date via the top-right avatar → Billing (Billing page) so you are not caught off-guard. - Add-on monthly vs. discounted cost: Some add-ons show a standard monthly price in the platform but carry a 100% discount, meaning no money is taken. Check your actual invoices (not just the displayed price) to confirm what was charged. - Invoice numbers: Note the invoice number(s) related to any charge you are disputing. Agents need this to process a refund quickly. 🛠️ Step 4 — Request a Refund Search Atlas does operate a standard refund window. However, if you were charged for something you did not knowingly activate — such as a duplicate subscription or a stacked add-on you never used — a refund may still be approved as a manager exception, even outside the standard window. This is exactly what happened in confirmed cases of overbilling related to duplicate accounts and Otto Sites top-up stacking. 1. Gather your invoice number(s) and the dates of the disputed charges. 2. Note whether the charge relates to a duplicate account, an unused add-on, or an unexpected renewal. 3. 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. 4. Share the invoice number(s) and a brief explanation. The agent will review the charges, escalate to a billing manager if a refund exception is needed, and confirm the outcome in the same conversation. ⚠️ Known Billing Issues Under Active Investigation Search Atlas engineering teams are actively working on several billing reliability improvements, including preventing duplicate proration charges on add-on purchases and resolving cases where recurring top-ups stacked incorrectly after a billing system migration. If your situation matches these patterns — charges you did not expect, add-ons duplicated on your account, or discrepancies between what is displayed and what was invoiced — your case is taken seriously and refunds can be processed with manager approval. 🙋 Still Need Help? 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.

💳 Unauthorized Annual Subscription Charge Refund Guide

🔍 Overview If you were unexpectedly charged for an annual Search Atlas subscription, this article explains the most common reasons this happens, what information you will need, and how to get the issue resolved quickly. Acting promptly gives our team the best chance of processing a refund on your behalf. ⚠️ Common Reasons for an Unexpected Annual Charge Understanding why the charge occurred helps our team resolve it faster. The most frequent causes include: - Promotional offer accepted unintentionally: A limited-time annual plan offer (such as a seasonal special promotion) may have been checked out without realising it locked in an annual billing cycle. - Automatic renewal: Annual plans renew automatically at the end of each billing period. If you did not cancel before the renewal date, the next annual payment is processed automatically. - Plan upgrade or change: Switching plans mid-cycle can sometimes trigger a prorated or full annual charge, depending on how the change was processed. - Duplicate subscription: In rare cases, a technical issue may cause a second subscription to be created alongside an existing one, resulting in an unexpected charge. 📋 What to Prepare Before Contacting Support Having the following details ready will significantly speed up your refund review: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account. - The exact charge amount and the date it appeared on your statement. - Your payment method (credit card last four digits or PayPal). - A brief description of what you were doing in the platform before the charge occurred — for example, viewing a promotional offer, changing your plan, or taking no action at all. - Whether you would like a refund only, or a refund plus cancellation of the subscription. 🛠️ Known Billing Issues We Are Actively Fixing Our engineering team is aware of several edge-case billing bugs that may have affected a small number of customers. These include: - An issue where switching from a monthly add-on to an annual plan could trigger a duplicate full-year charge at the old monthly billing boundary. - A promotional checkout flow where the protection against creating a duplicate annual subscription was not always applied correctly. If your charge matches either of these scenarios, please contact support immediately. Our team can identify affected accounts and prioritise your refund. 💡 Refund Eligibility — What You Should Know Refund eligibility is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. While we cannot guarantee a refund in every situation, our team considers the following factors: - Time since charge: Refund requests made promptly (ideally within 7 days of the charge) are much easier to process. - Intent: If you can demonstrate that the annual plan was not deliberately selected, this will be taken into account. - Account activity: Significant usage of annual-plan features after the charge date may affect eligibility. - Technical errors: Charges confirmed to be caused by a platform bug are prioritised for full refunds. Please note: Some charge types — particularly those processed as one-time payments rather than recurring subscription charges — may require additional manual handling by our billing team. This means the resolution timeline could be slightly longer than a standard refund, but our team will keep you updated throughout the process. 🚀 How to Request a Refund 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 3. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. 4. Share the details listed in the What to Prepare section above. 5. Our team will review your account, confirm the charge details, and advise you on next steps — including cancellation if requested. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Will my account be cancelled immediately if I request a refund? Not automatically. Cancellation is a separate action. You can request a refund only, or a refund plus cancellation — let our team know your preference when you get in touch. How long does a refund take to appear? Once approved, refunds typically appear on your statement within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card provider. What if I was charged twice for the same plan? This is a known issue affecting a very small number of accounts. Contact support right away and our team will verify and refund the duplicate charge. Can I switch back to a monthly plan after a refund? Yes. If your annual subscription is cancelled as part of the refund, our team can help you re-subscribe on a monthly plan that suits your needs. 💬 Still Need Help? 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.

💳 Refund for Billing Overcharge After Plan Change

🔍 Overview When you upgrade your plan or cancel add-ons mid-cycle, the billing system recalculates your charges automatically. In some cases, a timing issue between your subscription change and the next billing event can result in a charge higher than expected. This article explains why overcharges happen and what to do if you believe you have been overcharged. ⚙️ Why Overcharges Happen Overcharges during a plan upgrade or add-on cancellation can occur when changes to your subscription are not fully reflected before the next billing event is processed. This may result in a charge that does not match what you expected to pay based on your new plan or canceled add-on. 📋 How to Verify the Overcharge Before contacting support, review your billing history to confirm the discrepancy. Check the charges on your account and compare them against the plan price you expected to pay after your upgrade or cancellation. Note the invoice date, amount charged, and expected amount before reaching out — this speeds up the resolution process. 🛠️ How to Request a Refund Our billing team reviews all overcharge refund requests and processes eligible refunds. Because resolving a billing overcharge requires a backend review of your account, you will need to contact our support team directly. When you do, please have the following information ready: - The amount you were charged - The amount you expected to be charged - The date(s) of the charge(s) - The plan you upgraded to and any add-ons you canceled - Any relevant invoice or transaction references visible in your billing history Having these details ready will allow our team to locate the discrepancy quickly and issue a refund if one is owed. 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.

💳 Dispute an Unintended Subscription Renewal Charge

🔍 Understanding Your Renewal Charge Search Atlas subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing cycle. If you were charged for a renewal you did not intend to continue, you may be eligible for a refund or cancellation. Our billing team reviews these requests on a case-by-case basis. This article explains what to have ready when you contact our team so your case can be reviewed as quickly as possible. ✅ Step 1 — Cancel Your Subscription to Stop Future Charges To prevent any additional future renewals, cancel your subscription from your account settings as soon as possible. If you are unsure where to find the cancellation option in your account, our team can guide you through the process when you reach out. 📄 Step 2 — Locate Your Billing Records Before contacting our team, gather the following information so your case can be reviewed promptly: - The exact charge amount and date as shown on your invoice or bank/card statement. - A copy or screenshot of the invoice for the renewal charge in question — check your registered email address for a billing receipt, or look in your account's billing or invoice history. - Your account email address and the name of the plan you were charged for (monthly or annual). ⚙️ What to Expect When You Escalate Once you contact our team with the above information, our billing team will review your specific situation. Having your invoice, charge date, and account details ready will help us process your request as efficiently as possible. Our team will advise you on the options available, which may include a refund, cancellation, or other resolution depending on your circumstances. 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.

⚡ Unauthorized Charge Refund and Card Removal

🔍 Overview If you've been charged on a card you did not authorize or believed had been removed, we understand how urgent and frustrating this is. This article explains what to do to get your refund processed and ensure the correct card is on file going forward. ⚠️ Why Unauthorized Charges Can Happen In some cases, a card that you intended to remove from your account may still be associated with an active subscription in our billing system, resulting in unexpected charges. If this has happened to you, our billing team can resolve it directly. 💬 How to Request a Refund and Card Removal Refunds and card removal in these situations must be handled by our billing team — they cannot be fully self-served through the platform. To get your request started right away, please have the following information ready: - The last four digits of the card that was charged. - The charge amount and date. - Your account email address. - A brief description of which card you would like removed. Our team will verify the charge, confirm it was unauthorized, initiate the refund, and ensure the card is properly removed from your account. 📋 Important Notes About Refunds and Chargebacks - Please contact us before filing a chargeback. Chargebacks can delay your refund and may affect your account standing. Our team is committed to resolving billing issues quickly and fairly. - All refund requests are reviewed and processed by our billing team. 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.

🛠️ OTTO Site Overcharge Refund: What to Expect

🔍 Overview If you were billed at an incorrect rate for OTTO sites, or received a duplicate charge on your account, you may be entitled to a refund. This article explains how the reconciliation process works, what information is reviewed, and how long refunds typically take — based on a real case where a customer was refunded $2,054 after being overcharged across multiple billing cycles. ⚙️ What Causes OTTO Site Overcharges Overcharges on OTTO sites can occur for a few known reasons: - Incorrect pricing applied: OTTO sites may be billed at a higher rate than the rate agreed upon at the time of purchase (for example, $179 per site instead of the correct $69 rate). - Duplicate billing events: In some cases, a charge may be processed twice in the same billing period — for example, a double charge in a given month. - Legacy billing configuration issues: Accounts migrated from older billing structures may carry over incorrect pricing settings that are not immediately visible to the customer. If you believe any of these apply to your account, the steps below explain how to get it resolved. 📊 How the Billing Team Reconciles Overcharges When a potential overcharge is reported, the billing team follows a structured reconciliation process: 1. Review your billing history — The team audits all charges related to OTTO sites on your account, identifying any incorrect rates or duplicate events. 2. Calculate the total overcharge — Each affected charge is compared against the correct rate, and the difference is summed across all billing periods involved. 3. Adjust your account settings — If your OTTO site count or pricing configuration was incorrect, this is corrected so future charges reflect the right amount. 4. Obtain finance approval — Refunds above a certain threshold require internal finance approval before they can be processed. This step follows a standard internal procedure and may add a short delay. 5. Process the refund — Once approved, the refund is issued back to the original payment method on file. 💡 How Long Does a Refund Take After a refund is processed, funds are typically returned to your account within 5 to 10 business days, depending on your payment provider and bank. The timeline begins from the date the refund is confirmed — not from the date you first submitted your request. If a partial refund was issued previously (for example, an initial $400 refund while the full reconciliation was still in progress), the remaining balance will be processed as a separate transaction once the full review is complete. 🚀 How to Report a Suspected Overcharge If you notice a charge that does not match your expected rate or see a duplicate transaction on your account, take the following steps: 1. Gather your billing details — note the specific months affected, the number of OTTO sites on your account, and the amounts you were charged. 2. Compare the amounts against your original agreement or plan pricing to estimate the discrepancy. 3. Contact the support team as soon as possible so the billing team can begin the reconciliation process promptly. The sooner an overcharge is reported, the faster it can be resolved. You do not need to calculate the exact refund amount yourself — the billing team will audit the full history and confirm the total. ✅ What to Check on Your Account While your refund is being processed, it is worth reviewing your current OTTO site setup to confirm that future billing will be correct. You can view your active OTTO sites by going to Left sidebar → OTTO SEO (OTTO SEO Projects) (OTTO SEO Projects) in the platform. If the number of sites shown does not match what you expect, mention this when you contact support so it can be corrected alongside the refund. 🛟 Need Help With Your Specific Case Billing reconciliations involving multiple charge periods or large amounts require direct review by the billing team. If you have already received a partial refund and are waiting on the remainder, or if you believe you have been overcharged and have not yet reported it, please reach out directly. 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.

💳 OTTO Sites Quota Billing, Overcharges & Refunds

🔍 Overview Each Search Atlas plan includes a set number of OTTO sites. If you need more sites than your plan allows, you can purchase additional quota at a fixed rate per site. However, a known billing issue has caused some customers — particularly on Agency and legacy plans — to be charged incorrectly when upgrading their OTTO site quota. This article explains how pricing should work, how to identify an overcharge, and what steps to take to get a refund. 📊 How OTTO Site Quota Pricing Works Your plan includes a base number of OTTO sites at no extra cost. Additional sites beyond that base are available as paid add-ons, billed at a flat rate per site per month. - Agency Plan ($999/month): Includes 10 OTTO sites. - Extra OTTO sites: Each additional site should be charged at approximately $60/month per site. - Example: If you are on the Agency plan and activate 19 OTTO sites, you should pay $999 (plan) + $540 (9 extra sites × $60) = ~$1,539/month total — not $2,200 or more. If your invoice shows a significantly higher amount than this calculation, you may have been affected by a billing error. ⚠️ Known Billing Issues Search Atlas has identified and resolved several billing bugs that affected OTTO site quota charges. These include: - Incorrect OTTO site pricing: Some accounts were charged a higher per-site rate than the correct $60/site add-on price. - Duplicate billing events: A bug caused some quota upgrades to trigger more than one charge for the same sites. - Quota lost on plan changes: Customers who changed plans sometimes had their previously purchased top-up quota removed, then were charged again to restore it. - Deactivated sites still billing: In some cases, OTTO sites that were removed continued to generate charges. These issues have been resolved in recent platform updates, but if your billing occurred before the fixes were deployed, you may be owed a refund. 🛠️ How to Check Your OTTO Site Charges 1. Log in to Search Atlas and go to your Billing section from the top-right corner (avatar). 2. Review your most recent invoice and look for line items related to OTTO sites or OTTO SEO quota. 3. Count the number of OTTO sites currently active on your account. You can view these by navigating to OTTO SEO (OTTO SEO Projects) in the left sidebar. 4. Use the formula: (Active sites − Plan base) × $60 = Expected extra charge. Add this to your base plan cost to get the expected total. 5. If the amount on your invoice is higher than your calculation, you have likely been overcharged. 💡 Why You May Not Be Able to Upgrade Your Site Quota Some customers have reported that the self-service quota upgrade flow in the platform does not complete correctly — the system appears to accept the upgrade but does not apply it, or it fails silently. This is a known issue tied to the same quota and billing bugs listed above. Do not attempt the upgrade multiple times, as repeated attempts may trigger duplicate charges. Instead, contact support directly so the team can apply the quota change manually and verify your billing is correct. 💰 How to Request a Refund If you believe you have been overcharged for OTTO site quota, our support team can investigate your billing history and issue a refund for any confirmed errors. To get this resolved as quickly as possible: 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 2. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. 3. Share the following information: your account email, the billing period(s) affected, the number of OTTO sites you had active, and the charges you believe are incorrect. 4. Our team will review your invoices, confirm any overcharge, and process a refund to your original payment method. Refund timelines vary depending on your payment provider, but our team will keep you updated throughout the process. ✅ Summary - Agency plan includes 10 OTTO sites; extra sites cost ~$60/month each. - Known billing bugs caused overcharges, duplicate billing, and quota loss on plan changes — these have been patched. - If your charges look higher than expected, do not retry the upgrade flow — contact support instead. - Our team can manually apply quota changes and issue refunds for confirmed billing errors. 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.

⚡ VIP Summit Access, Charges, and Refunds

🔍 Overview Some customers who purchased a VIP Summit package have reported not receiving access to recordings, as well as unexpected charges appearing on their account. This article explains how VIP Summit access works, what to do if your access is missing, and how to request a refund for unauthorized charges. 🎟️ How VIP Summit Access Works When you purchase a VIP Summit package, your access is tied to the specific email address used at checkout. After a successful purchase, you should receive: - A confirmation email with your access instructions and recording links - VIP benefits applied to your Search Atlas account If your VIP access was purchased under a different email than your Search Atlas login, your benefits may not appear automatically. This is a known issue — benefits must be manually transferred to your active account. ⚠️ Common Issues and What Causes Them - Missing access or recordings: Your VIP benefits may be attached to a different email address (for example, a sales inbox or a previous account). - Unexpected subscription charge: In some cases, a VIP Summit purchase may be followed by a subscription charge that was not clearly communicated to the customer. - Plan price change: Some users have reported their plan price changing after activating VIP benefits. If you notice an unexpected change to your billing amount, contact support so it can be reviewed. ✅ Steps to Recover Your VIP Access 1. Check your purchase confirmation email. Look in the inbox associated with your original purchase. Search for "VIP Summit" or "Search Atlas" to locate the confirmation. 2. Confirm which email was used at checkout. If it differs from your Search Atlas login email, your benefits need to be transferred manually. 3. Contact support to transfer your benefits. Our team can move your VIP access from one email to another and ensure your account is correctly configured. 💳 How to Request a Refund for Unauthorized Charges If you were charged an amount without knowingly authorizing a subscription upgrade, you may be eligible for a refund. To start the process: 1. Gather the following information before contacting support: - The email address used at purchase - The date and amount of the charge - A screenshot of the charge from your bank or billing statement 2. Reach out to our support team with this information so your case can be reviewed and escalated to the appropriate team. 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.

💳 Refund an Unintended Subscription Auto-Renewal Charge

🔍 What Happened? Some customers have been charged for a full subscription auto-renewal after temporarily reactivating their account — for example, to download a file — without intending to renew their plan. If this happened to you, you may be eligible for a refund. 📋 Before You Request a Refund To help our team process your request as quickly as possible, gather the following information: - The exact charge amount and the date it appeared on your statement - The reason your account was reactivated (e.g., temporary access to download a file) - Confirmation that you did not intend to renew or continue your subscription at that time 🧾 How to Check Your Billing Activity You can review your recent charges before reaching out to confirm the details: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your account billing or subscription settings. 2. Locate your recent charge history or invoice records to identify the auto-renewal charge. 3. Note the charge amount and the date it was applied. If you see an unexpected auto-renewal charge, proceed to request a refund using the steps below. 📩 How to Request Your Refund Refunds for unintended auto-renewal charges cannot be self-processed through the platform. You need to contact our support team directly so the request can be submitted to the billing team and approved. Once you reach out, here is what will happen: 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to connect with a support agent. 2. Provide the agent with: your account email address, the charge amount, the date of the charge, and a brief explanation of why the renewal was unintentional (e.g., you only reactivated to download a file). 3. The agent will review your case and submit a refund request to the billing team on your behalf. 4. You will receive confirmation once the refund request has been approved by the billing team. To give yourself the best chance of a quick approval, include all the details listed in the Before You Request a Refund section above when you first message the agent — this avoids back-and-forth and allows the billing team to process your case without delays. ⏱️ Refund Timeline Once a refund is approved by the billing team, the amount is returned to your original payment method. Please allow 5–10 business days for the funds to appear, depending on your bank or card provider. 💡 How to Avoid Unintended Renewals If you only need temporary access to your account — for example, to download a file or retrieve data — consider the following precautions: - Before reactivating, confirm with support whether a short-term reactivation will trigger an auto-renewal charge. - After completing your task, ask the support team to confirm your subscription status so you are not left on an active plan you do not need. - If you no longer need an active subscription, you can cancel it yourself from your dashboard: click your profile avatar → Billing → Services, then open the ⋮ (three-dot) menu on your plan and choose Cancel. Access continues until the end of your current billing period, and you can reverse a pending cancellation from the same place with Activate. 🛠️ Still Need Help? 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 support team.

💰 Refund Unauthorized Subscription Charge

🔍 Identify the Charge Check your billing history to confirm the unauthorized $199 Growth plan charge. Note the date and payment method used. ⚙️ Cancel the Subscription You can cancel the subscription yourself from the dashboard: click your profile avatar → Billing → Services, then open the ⋮ (three-dot) menu on the plan and choose Cancel. A confirmation/retention step will appear before the final confirmation. After cancelling, access continues until the end of the current billing period, and a pending cancellation can be reversed from the same place using Activate. Contacting support is optional, not required. 📋 Request a Refund Once the subscription is cancelled, we will initiate a refund using our standard Refund Request Template. The refund will be issued to your original payment method. ⏱️ Refund Timeline Refunds typically reflect in your account within 5–10 business days after processing. You will receive a confirmation with the refund amount and method. 🛡️ Prevent Future Issues Review your subscription settings regularly. Upcoming improvements include a 48-hour cooling-off period and clearer cancellation confirmation to avoid accidental charges. 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.

💳 OTTO Sites Top-Up Billing Disputes and Refunds

🔍 Overview OTTO sites are activated workspaces where OTTO SEO automates on-page optimizations for a connected domain. Your base plan includes a set number of active OTTO sites. If you need more, you can purchase OTTO site top-ups — additional slots billed on top of your monthly plan fee. In some cases, customers have reported being charged for top-up slots even after deactivating or removing extra OTTO sites. This article explains why this happens, what to expect, and how to get a resolution. 💡 How OTTO Site Top-Up Billing Works Each OTTO site top-up adds one extra active site slot to your account and is billed monthly as an add-on charge separate from your base plan. - Starter plan ($99/mo): Includes 1 active OTTO site. - Top-up cost: Each additional OTTO site slot is charged at the published add-on rate (e.g., $85 per extra site). - Billing cycle: Top-up charges are applied at the start of each billing period based on the number of active add-on slots on your account at that time. For example, if your account had 2 extra OTTO site top-ups active, you would see an additional $170 added to your base $99 plan — resulting in a $269 total rather than the expected $99. ⚠️ Known Issue: Top-Up Charges Persisting After Cancellation By design, deleting or removing an OTTO site does not cancel the associated top-up charge. Removing a site releases the OTTO slot, but the top-up is a customer-level billing subscription that continues to bill until it is cancelled separately. Deep Freeze also does not cancel the top-up. To cancel a top-up, go to your Profile avatar → Billing → Services, find the top-up, click the ⋮ menu, and choose Cancel. Alternatively, cancelling your main plan will automatically cancel its top-ups at the end of the billing period. If you removed OTTO sites but did not cancel the top-up subscription separately, charges will continue. If you believe you were billed in error after cancelling the top-up itself, you are entitled to a review and potential refund. 🛠️ How to Check Your Active OTTO Sites 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. In the left sidebar, navigate to OTTO SEO → SEO Automation (URL: /seo-automation-v3). 3. Review the list of connected sites. Only sites showing as Active should be incurring a top-up charge beyond your plan's included slot. 4. If you see sites listed as inactive or removed but are still being billed for top-up slots, this confirms the billing discrepancy. 📊 What You Should Expect to Be Charged Use the table below as a quick reference to verify your expected bill: - 1 active OTTO site on Starter plan: $99/mo total — no top-up charge. - 2 active OTTO sites on Starter plan: $99 + $85 = $184/mo. - 3 active OTTO sites on Starter plan: $99 + $170 = $269/mo. If you have deactivated extra sites and are still being billed at a higher rate, the difference qualifies for a refund review. 🔄 How to Request a Refund or Billing Correction Our support team can investigate your billing history, confirm which top-up charges should not have been applied, and process a refund for any overcharges. To get this resolved quickly, follow these steps: 1. Gather the following information before reaching out: your account email, the domain(s) you removed from OTTO, and the approximate date(s) you deactivated those sites. 2. Note the charge amounts you believe are incorrect and which billing period(s) they cover. 3. Open the live chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. Our team will audit your billing records against your OTTO site activity and issue a correction or refund where applicable. Refunds are typically processed within 5–10 business days depending on your payment provider. ✅ How to Prevent This Issue Going Forward - After removing an OTTO site from the OTTO SEO dashboard, also cancel the top-up subscription separately via Profile avatar → Billing → Services → ⋮ menu on the top-up → Cancel, since removing the site does not stop the recurring top-up charge. - Check your monthly invoice in your account billing settings to verify the number of top-up add-ons matches the number of active OTTO sites you intend to keep. - If you plan to scale down your OTTO sites, do so a few days before your billing renewal date to allow time for the system to register the change. 🆘 Still Need Help? 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.

💳 Disputed OTTO Sites Top-Up Billing Charges

🔍 Overview Your Growth plan includes a set number of OTTO sites as part of your base subscription. However, some customers have reported unexpected charges for additional OTTO site top-ups that they did not knowingly approve. This article explains the most common causes of these charges and the steps you can take to resolve them. 📋 What Is an OTTO Site Top-Up? An OTTO site top-up is an add-on that becomes available when you reach your plan's OTTO site limit. At the limit, adding a new OTTO site is blocked and you are prompted to purchase additional OTTO site slots. The top-up must be explicitly purchased by the customer at checkout (or provisioned by an admin); once purchased, it is a recurring monthly add-on that renews automatically each billing cycle until you cancel it or cancel the main plan. ⚠️ Common Reasons for Unexpected Charges - Duplicate billing events: A known issue caused some accounts to be charged twice for the same OTTO top-up in a single billing cycle. - Legacy billing migration errors: Customers moved from older pricing tiers occasionally had incorrect per-site rates applied or extra top-up units added to their account. - Top-up not cancelled after site removal: Deleting an OTTO site project releases its slot but does not cancel the recurring OTTO top-up charge. The top-up is a customer-level billing subscription that keeps billing until it is cancelled separately (Profile avatar → Billing → Services → ⋮ menu on the top-up → Cancel), or until the main plan's cancellation takes effect at the end of the billing period, which cancels its top-ups automatically. Deep Freeze also does not cancel the top-up. - Incorrect quota count: The system may have counted additional OTTO site slots beyond what was actually in use, resulting in top-up charges that did not reflect real usage. - Recurring erroneous charges: A small number of accounts experienced a repeating top-up charge each month even after a refund was issued for the previous cycle. 🛠️ How to Check Your OTTO Sites Usage 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. In the left sidebar, click OTTO SEO → SEO Automation to open the OTTO dashboard (/seo-automation-v3). 3. Review the list of active OTTO sites and confirm whether each site listed is one you intentionally activated. 4. If you see sites listed as active that you have already removed or never set up, note their names and the dates they appear to have been activated — you will need this information when contacting support. 💡 What to Do If You Were Charged Incorrectly 1. Check your billing history: Go to your account's billing section and identify the charge dates, amounts, and descriptions for the top-up fees in question. 2. Compare against your plan: Confirm how many OTTO sites are included in your current plan (Growth plan customers typically receive 2 OTTO sites at no extra cost). 3. Document the discrepancy: Note the number of extra sites you were charged for, the per-site rate applied, and whether the same charge repeated across multiple billing cycles. 4. Contact support via live chat: Open the chat widget and share your findings with our team. The more detail you provide upfront, the faster we can investigate and process a refund if one is owed. 💰 Refund Eligibility If our team confirms that you were charged for OTTO site top-ups that were not approved, triggered by a system error, or caused by a deactivated site still being counted as active, you are eligible for a full refund of those charges. Refunds for verified billing errors are processed promptly. If the same erroneous charge recurred over multiple months, each affected billing cycle will be reviewed individually. 🔒 Preventing Future Unexpected Charges - Regularly review your active OTTO sites in the OTTO SEO → SEO Automation dashboard to ensure only intended sites are listed as active. - When removing an OTTO site, remember that deletion releases the slot but does not cancel the recurring top-up — cancel the top-up separately via Profile avatar → Billing → Services → ⋮ menu on the top-up → Cancel. - After any plan change or billing cycle, check your invoice to verify that the OTTO site count and per-site rate match your expectations. - If you notice a charge you do not recognise, contact support immediately rather than waiting for the next billing cycle, as this reduces the chance of the charge repeating. 🆘 Need Help? 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.

💳 Understanding OTTO Site Top-Up Charges and Refunds

🔍 Overview Some customers have noticed unexpected top-up charges for OTTO seats on their invoices — even when their seat usage appears to be within their plan limits. This article explains the most common causes of these charges and what steps to take to resolve them. ⚙️ What Is an OTTO Seat Top-Up Charge? OTTO seats represent the number of websites you can actively manage with OTTO SEO automation. When the number of active OTTO sites on your account reaches your plan's included seat count, adding another site is blocked and you'll be prompted to purchase additional OTTO site slots. Once you explicitly purchase a top-up (or an admin provisions it), it becomes a recurring monthly add-on that renews automatically each billing cycle until you cancel it or cancel your main plan. However, in some cases these charges can appear incorrectly due to known billing issues, including: - Deactivated sites still counted as active: A site you removed through self-service may not have been properly deregistered in the billing system, causing it to continue consuming a seat. - Duplicate proration charges: A known technical issue can cause a single upgrade or top-up event to generate more than one charge on the same billing cycle. - Legacy billing discrepancies: Accounts previously enrolled in promotional pricing (such as the UNLIMITEDQUOTASOFEB promotion) may have experienced seat and quota accounting errors when that promotion ended. 📊 How to Check Your Current OTTO Seat Usage 1. In the left sidebar, click OTTO SEO → SEO Automation (URL: /seo-automation-v3). 2. Review the list of sites shown as active under OTTO SEO management. 3. Compare this number against the seat count displayed on your plan (for example, 5/8 seats used). 4. If you see sites listed as active that you have already removed, or if your active site count does not match what is being billed, you are likely affected by one of the issues described above. 🛠️ What to Do If You Were Incorrectly Charged If your invoice includes top-up charges that do not match your actual OTTO seat usage, please follow these steps: 1. Take a screenshot of your current OTTO site list inside OTTO SEO → SEO Automation (/seo-automation-v3). 2. Note the charge amount and date from your invoice or billing history. 3. Contact our support team using the live chat widget (see below) so we can review your account, confirm the discrepancy, and process a refund for any charges you were not responsible for. Our team can investigate duplicate billing events, remove incorrectly active sites from your seat count, and issue reimbursements for verified overcharges. 💡 Preventing Unexpected Top-Up Charges - After removing an OTTO site, allow up to 24 hours and then verify it no longer appears in your active site list inside OTTO SEO → SEO Automation. - Review your seat usage regularly by visiting OTTO SEO → SEO Automation in the left sidebar. - If you are approaching your plan's seat limit and do not intend to add more sites, avoid activating OTTO on additional domains until you have capacity available. - If you received communication about the end of the UNLIMITEDQUOTASOFEB promotion, review your plan to confirm your seat allotment reflects your current subscription. 🙋 Need Further Help? 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.

💳 Refund Process for OTTO Top-Up and Subscription Overcharges

🔍 Verify Unexpected Charges Review your recent invoices in the billing section of your account. Look for OTTO site top-ups you did not order and any monthly subscription fees that appear after you intended to cancel. Note the invoice dates, amounts, and the number of OTTO sites listed. 📌 Gather Supporting Details Collect the following before contacting support: - Invoice numbers for the disputed months (for example, May and June). - Screenshots of the invoices showing the extra OTTO site charges and subscription fees. - A brief timeline of when you noticed the overcharges and any previous refund requests. 🚀 Open a Refund Request 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. Provide the invoice numbers, screenshots, and timeline you prepared. The support agent will verify the charges, confirm any duplicate OTTO sites or subscription fees, and escalate the case to the billing team for approval. ✅ Refund Processing and Confirmation Once the billing team approves the refund, the agent will process the full amount (for example, $650) and confirm the expected timeline: the refund typically appears in your account within 5–10 business days. You will also receive confirmation that your subscription has been canceled so no further charges will occur. 🔄 Confirm Cancellation and Monitor Future Invoices After the refund is processed, check your next billing cycle to ensure no new OTTO top-up or subscription charges appear. If any unexpected charge shows up, open the chat widget again and type human teammate for immediate assistance. 💰 Prevent Future Overcharges Regularly review your OTTO site count in the OTTO SEO section. Go to Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites to confirm only the sites you actively manage are listed. Remove any sites you no longer use to avoid unwanted OTTO top-up charges, since OTTO site top-ups are only added when you purchase them. Keep a record of your subscription plan and renewal date so you can cancel in advance if needed.

💳 Unexpected Charges, Refunds, and Duplicate Accounts

🔍 Why You May See an Unexpected Charge If you notice a charge that does not appear in your billing history, or a charge from a subscription you do not recognise, it is commonly caused by one of the following: - A duplicate checkout — the same purchase was submitted twice (for example, clicking Pay again while checkout was processing, a browser timeout, or a retry after a network error). Search Atlas now guards against this with duplicate-checkout protection. - A second Search Atlas account was created under a different email address — sometimes accidentally during a free trial sign-up or a referral link click — each with its own subscription. - A charge was processed on the correct account but has not yet refreshed in your billing view. - A payment method is shared across two accounts, making the charge appear on the wrong account's statement. The steps below will help you confirm which account was charged, locate the invoice, and take the right action. 📋 Step 1: Check Your Billing History Start by reviewing the invoices tied to your current account. 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Billing from the dropdown menu. 3. Open the Invoices tab. 4. Look for the invoice number mentioned on your bank or card statement (for example, JHHZVCHV-0003). If the invoice number does not appear here, the charge most likely belongs to a second account registered under a different email address. 📊 Step 2: Check the Activity Log The Activity Log can help you confirm whether any recent subscription changes or payments were made on your account. 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner. 2. Select Billing, then open the Activity Log tab. 3. Filter by Type to narrow results to payment or subscription events. 4. Check the Performed By column to see which user or email triggered the action. If you see an email address you do not recognise in the Performed By column, this confirms activity on a separate account. ⚙️ Step 3: Check Your Current Subscription Plan Verify that your active plan matches what you expect to be paying. 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner. 2. Select Billing, then open the Plans & Top-ups tab. 3. Review the plan name, billing frequency, and next renewal date. 4. If anything looks unfamiliar, note the details before contacting support. 🛠️ Step 4: Request a Refund or Cancel the Unwanted Account Search Atlas does not currently provide a self-service option to cancel a second account or process a refund directly from the platform. You will need to contact our support team, who can: - Locate the duplicate or unwanted account using your invoice number or payment details. - Cancel the active subscription on that account. - Assess your eligibility for a refund in line with our refund policy. To get help as quickly as possible, have the following information ready before you open the chat: - The invoice number from your statement (e.g. JHHZVCHV-0003). - The email address(es) you may have used to sign up for Search Atlas. - The charge amount and date as shown on your bank or card statement. 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. 💡 How to Prevent Duplicate Accounts To avoid being charged for an account you do not intend to keep active: - Always sign in using the same email address you used when you first created your account. - If you start a free trial, check your inbox for the confirmation email and use that address for all future logins. - Do not create a new account if you have forgotten your password — use the Forgot Password link on the login page instead. - If a colleague or team member needs access, add them via avatar → Team Members rather than creating a separate account.

💳 Wrong Card Charged? How to Get a Refund

🔍 Understanding the Issue In some cases, a subscription or one-time charge may be processed against a previously removed credit card rather than your active default payment method. This is a known billing issue that our engineering team has investigated and resolved for affected accounts. If this has happened to you, our support team can process a refund and confirm your correct card is set for all future charges. ⚙️ How to Verify Your Current Payment Method Before contacting support, check which card is currently on file as your default by navigating to your Avatar (top-right) → Billing. Review the payment methods listed and confirm your intended card is set as the default. If you need to add or update a card, look for the option to add a new payment method within your billing settings. Even if your card appears correct here, a billing error may have already occurred on a previous charge. Continue reading to learn how to report it. 📋 What Information to Prepare To help our team resolve your case as quickly as possible, have the following ready before reaching out: - The last four digits of the card that was incorrectly charged. - The last four digits of the card that should have been charged. - The charge amount and the approximate date it appeared. - Your account email address. 🛠️ What Our Support Team Will Do This issue cannot be fully self-resolved because refunds and backend payment method corrections must be processed by our billing and technical teams. Here is exactly what happens once you contact us: 1. Refund processing: Our team will coordinate with the specialized billing team to issue a refund for the incorrect charge back to the card that was billed in error. 2. Payment method correction: Our backend team will verify and confirm that your correct card is set as the default payment method so all future charges go to the right card. 3. Exchange rate compensation (if applicable): If the erroneous charge caused exchange rate losses, our team may add non-recurring credits to your account to offset the difference. 4. Ticket filing: A support ticket will be filed to track your case and ensure it is fully resolved. Refund timelines vary depending on your bank or card issuer, but our team will confirm once the refund has been initiated on our end. 🚨 Important Notes - This issue has been linked to a known bug affecting some migrated accounts where recurring subscriptions continued charging a removed card after a default payment method change. Our engineering team has addressed this, but if you are still affected, please contact support immediately.