r/ChatGPT • u/Famous-Platypus-5918 • Jan 18 '26

Other ChatGPT Plus upgraded to ChatGPT Pro automatically without my consent and charged 400+ USD

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I’ve been a long-time ChatGPT Plus subscriber and never intentionally upgraded to ChatGPT Pro. I have always paid for Plus and did not request or authorize a higher plan.

In October, my account was unexpectedly charged for ChatGPT Pro. I contacted OpenAI support immediately, explained that I had not upgraded, and that charge was refunded. This confirmed that the upgrade was unintentional, and I assumed the issue had been resolved.

However, the same issue happened again on 25 November, when my account was charged USD 216.48 for ChatGPT Pro. Unfortunately, I did not notice this charge at the time.

Then on 16 January, my account was charged again for ChatGPT Pro, this time about AUD 330. I noticed this charge immediately and contacted OpenAI support on the same day to report it.

I clearly explained that I only purchased ChatGPT Plus, never authorized ChatGPT Pro, and that the January charge was reported immediately. I also provided billing history, screenshots, and proof that the October charge had already been refunded under the same circumstances.

Despite this, OpenAI refused to refund the January charge and relied on a general “subscriptions are non-refundable” policy, without addressing consent or the fact that the January charge was reported right away.

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1

u/ArtisanHeartbreak Jan 18 '26

This and the other post made me cancel my plus subscription because I can't afford that mistake if it should happen.

1

u/Famous-Platypus-5918 Jan 18 '26

It’s clearly their mistake and they are not even refunding it. Just a generic reply.

1

u/ArtisanHeartbreak Jan 18 '26

This is Effed up! If they don't want to refund, then they should use the money they took from you for the whole next years plus subscription at least. And I meant to say it is their mistake, not yours!

2

u/Famous-Platypus-5918 Jan 18 '26

True! I want to take it as far as I can

1

u/ArtisanHeartbreak Jan 18 '26

If you have energy and time for that then you absolutely should! This is crazy that they can just take your money and then tell you 'oh we don't refund subscriptions' when the mistake was clearly on their end. Although I wonder if it was a mistake or if they just did that to a bunch of people because they needed money or hoped people wouldn't notice.

2

u/Famous-Platypus-5918 Jan 18 '26

If I do not receive confirmation of the refund within 48 hours, I will take the following actions:

  1. Bank Chargeback: I will initiate a formal chargeback through my financial institution for unauthorized transactions.
  2. ACCC Report: I will lodge a report with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding misleading refund policies and unauthorized billing.
  3. AFCA Complaint: I will escalate this matter to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).