Hi community,
I am a student who was interested in using the GDELT dataset for a research project. I signed up to Google Cloud with $450 of free credits to test out the service without intending to accrue any charges. I used the platform for less than 3 hours, and several times throughout I checked the dashboard to make sure I was not using up my credits. There was no indication that charges were being accrued or that my credits were exhausted.
The next day, I was charged nearly $2000. Support has issued me a 50% discount, but the remaining charge, more than $900 CAD, is still astronomical for me as a student, and I cannot afford it. I understand that there is fine print in situations like this and that I may have made mistakes, but I also do not think this is a reasonable charge because the information at my disposal via the dashboard made it appear that I was not accruing costs. I did not knowingly agree to charges that have been billed to me.
I do not know what to do now, as I have been stonewalled by support with just a 50% discount. Any advice appreciated.
Thank you,
Andres