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Same! Did it with Amazon and they forgive a $200 debt (gotta say something for amazing customer service), did it with Google and they would not forgive a much s

Same! Did it with Amazon and they forgive a $200 debt (gotta say something for amazing customer service), did it with Google and they would not forgive a much smaller $40 debt (also gotta say something for terrible customer service I suppose). Will probably turn to AWS and certainly not Google again if I ever need the cloud.

elygre 5y ago
I’m surprised that you expect to not pay for the service you use. I checked into a hotel yesterday, and will check out this morning. I don’t consider it bad customer service that they want to get paid for that room.
- Enhex 5y ago
  these cloud services intentionally try to get you to make such spending mistakes by not providing an option to set a budget or time limit, or auto shutdown on idle. i assume AWS learned to target businesses with this shady strategy, which do waste huge amounts of money this way, instead of burning bridges with hobbyist developers over pennies that later will avoid using AWS at the workplace if given the choice.
- Closi 5y ago
  > I checked into a hotel yesterday, and will check out this morning. I don’t consider it bad customer service that they want to get paid for that room. What if you forgot to check out, and the hotel kept charging you for the room until you got a bill at the end of the month? (ie you got a bill for 20 nights). I know that’s not how hotels work, but it’s how these cloud services work.
  - vladvasiliu 5y ago
    I don't disagree that there should be some kind of scheduling or, at least, some kind of cost limitation. But the hotel is the same thing, right? If you don't check out, and they keep the room empty because they think you're using it, you're still monopolizing the resource. How can they make the difference between someone who will be back but just happened to spend a few nights away (say using the hotel as a base for trips) and someone who won't be back but forgot to check out? But I guess, in the case of hotels, you can usually tell them "I'll be here for X days" upfront. Then again, if you change your mind, they won't always reimburse you the cost you've paid.
    - zimpenfish 5y ago
      > But the hotel is the same thing, right? If you don't check out, and they keep the room empty because they think you're using it, you're still monopolizing the resource. Sure but how easy is it to accidentally book an open-ended hotel room stay? I'd imagine "not very" because there'd certainly be a huge deposit required and/or proof of finances, etc.
- pottertheotter 5y ago
  It’s all about enterprise cloud contracts. AWS et al. aren’t that concerned with these cases.
altacc 5y ago
It's good customer service on one hand, terrible customer service on the other hand, in that there should be ways to prevent this from happening in the first place. Waiving charges for those who beg forgiveness reduces the number of public complaints about the lack of planning capacity for cloud service costs. The better solution would be to implement budgeting & cost limiting tools.

elygre 5y ago

I’m surprised that you expect to not pay for the service you use. I checked into a hotel yesterday, and will check out this morning. I don’t consider it bad customer service that they want to get paid for that room.

Enhex 5y ago
these cloud services intentionally try to get you to make such spending mistakes by not providing an option to set a budget or time limit, or auto shutdown on idle. i assume AWS learned to target businesses with this shady strategy, which do waste huge amounts of money this way, instead of burning bridges with hobbyist developers over pennies that later will avoid using AWS at the workplace if given the choice.
Closi 5y ago
> I checked into a hotel yesterday, and will check out this morning. I don’t consider it bad customer service that they want to get paid for that room. What if you forgot to check out, and the hotel kept charging you for the room until you got a bill at the end of the month? (ie you got a bill for 20 nights). I know that’s not how hotels work, but it’s how these cloud services work.
- vladvasiliu 5y ago
  I don't disagree that there should be some kind of scheduling or, at least, some kind of cost limitation. But the hotel is the same thing, right? If you don't check out, and they keep the room empty because they think you're using it, you're still monopolizing the resource. How can they make the difference between someone who will be back but just happened to spend a few nights away (say using the hotel as a base for trips) and someone who won't be back but forgot to check out? But I guess, in the case of hotels, you can usually tell them "I'll be here for X days" upfront. Then again, if you change your mind, they won't always reimburse you the cost you've paid.
  - zimpenfish 5y ago
    > But the hotel is the same thing, right? If you don't check out, and they keep the room empty because they think you're using it, you're still monopolizing the resource. Sure but how easy is it to accidentally book an open-ended hotel room stay? I'd imagine "not very" because there'd certainly be a huge deposit required and/or proof of finances, etc.
pottertheotter 5y ago
It’s all about enterprise cloud contracts. AWS et al. aren’t that concerned with these cases.

altacc 5y ago

It's good customer service on one hand, terrible customer service on the other hand, in that there should be ways to prevent this from happening in the first place. Waiving charges for those who beg forgiveness reduces the number of public complaints about the lack of planning capacity for cloud service costs. The better solution would be to implement budgeting & cost limiting tools.