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Prepaid hosting and deposits that can't be refunded

135

Comments

  • @gbzret4d said:

    @layer7 said:
    Hi,

    this is actually not handled like money that you have on an account ( even it might look like this ).

    This is actually handled like a coupon.

    By transferring money to them you essentially bought a coupon ( valid for up to 3 years -- please read their TOS that might state otherwise ). And coupons again are of course not refundable, most people will naturally assume that its not refundable.

    Aside of the question if this is good behavior of the company or nice or what ever, a big problem nowadays are money laundry laws that getting, thanks to the crypto stuff, more and more heavy an a bureaucratic nightmare.

    Imagine someone pays through what ever to you ( creditcard, bank, crypto, what ever ) and then 1 year later ask you to pay it out, or even a portion of it.

    You would be automatically like a bank. But you are no bank, you dont have a bank license and you dont want to be a bank actually. Thats one problem.

    Another problem will come up because the customer creditcard/bank/crypto/what ever might have changed already. So you wont pay back to the original funding source but paying somewhere else. Doing like this you are fully in classic money laundry.

    I can fully understand that most providers will like to avoid this whole evil topic and simply define: What ever comes to us, stay with us. The only question is to proper communicate it.

    The validity of the credit balance must not be limited to a certain period of time. The same applies to vouchers for which money has been paid. If the company is registered in the EU or if it serves customers within the EU, this company must also comply with applicable law. Refunds must be made in the same manner as payment was made. If payment was made by credit card, the refund must be made to the credit card. Other options may be available for a fee.

    Wrong. Validity of added credit to the account is determined by the accounting year. If customer has older then 1 year credit in his account - how this would reflect in accounting? Provider basically transforms into a bank. This should be challenged in court and precedent created. I bet 100% that credit system would disapear instantly as soon as litigation start.

    @24fire reputation credits spent. Now you are running dry. Be sure to get ready for black friday to top up those credits…

  • layer7layer7 Member, Host Rep, LIR

    @gbzret4d said:
    The validity of the credit balance must not be limited to a certain period of time. The same applies to vouchers for which money has been paid. If the company is registered in the EU or if it serves customers within the EU, this company must also comply with applicable law. Refunds must be made in the same manner as payment was made. If payment was made by credit card, the refund must be made to the credit card. Other options may be available for a fee.

    Hi,

    unfortunately that is not the case.

    https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__195.html

    In general in b2b or b2c your right will in general outdate after 3 years ( that includes vouchers/coupons/what ever "right" you could claim but did not claim ).

    Aside of this, i do not really understand why a company should refuse paying back unused money to the original source. If this is connected with fee's the customer would have to pay them.

    @vitobotta already agreed to take over reasonable fee's so this:

    @24fire said:
    Well, we have made one or two exceptions in the past and waived our claims. Unfortunately, in 95% of cases, this resulted in us incurring exorbitantly higher costs than the transaction itself, or similar.

    Should not be an issue.

    Just like already outlined, there are reasons why refunds might not be possible. But it seems this reasons are not valid in this specific case.

    So whats the issue actually? Things are just not looking good this way... i think thats not of benefit for the provider... to remain here like "customer agreed to the TOS -- end of story"...

    Thanked by 2hyperblast OhJohn
  • gbzret4dgbzret4d Member
    edited November 2025

    I assume we are talking about end customer transactions here. In B2B, the legal situation may be different. Under EU law, prepaid credit is generally considered an advance payment by the customer.
    This means that the provider may only retain the corresponding portion of the credit if they have actually provided a service. Anything that has not yet been used up by the service remains the property of the customer. Providers can exclude this in their terms and conditions, as the credit would still be usable, but I very much doubt that this is permissible in individual cases. Otherwise, one option under the GDPR would be to request complete data deletion, in which case the provider must delete all data, thereby terminating the contractual relationship and making any further retention of the credit balance an inadmissible enrichment of the company at the expense of the customer. Submit a request for deletion in accordance with Article 17 of the GDPR (there are plenty of templates available on the internet). And having credit in your account does not prevent you from requesting deletion under Article 17 of the GDPR.

  • xvpsxvps Member
    edited November 2025

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said:
    What should I do then? The provider is 24fire.de. I think their handle here is @24fire

    Hi,

    I received a message about this today. If you like, I'll be happy to take a look at it. However, my colleagues are quite right in saying that we do not issue refunds. This is stated in our terms and conditions, and must be accepted via a checkbox for every transaction.

    Your terms are not legal when the client is a consumer.

    See https://lowendtalk.com/discussion/comment/4567629/#Comment_4567629

    (@angstrom, this provider is making up funny terms to steal money. LET should reward him with Super Legit Patron Provider tag for free.)


    The funniest part is they’re publicly scamming a pentester right in front of other pentesters ... and they have vulnerabilities that most likely could be exploited to achieve RCE. :D

    Thanked by 1gbzret4d
  • @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    Thanked by 1oloke
  • @mans_xd said:
    welcome to German company with strict Policies to anything relate to money / cancel /auto charge

    however not everyone is like this even when it get to exception

    Since I see @layer7 comment, i have already in some situation when i don't forget to cancel my server with layer7 and it's get auto renew since i don't remove my debit card and that's not his fault and he explain that and refund money to my debit card not even to my credit (credit website) i don't even expect that

    and another situation with layer7 with refund he refund me wrong amount money (More than server cost) and he say it's a gift

    just some situation with provider make the flexibility in deal chat is easy to communicate

    i have seen new or old company that require top up not to pay you bill and min is above 10€ = avoid them directly

    Let this experience be a lesson for you so that you don't make the same mistake again in the future.

    layer7 is a very good guy.

    Thanked by 1mans_xd
  • @gbzret4d said:
    @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    Yep, Finland.

  • hyperblasthyperblast Member
    edited November 2025

    @gbzret4d said:
    @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    vinland is still europe my friend! eh finland.

  • 24fire24fire Member, Patron Provider

    @vitobotta said:

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said: I know your terms say you don’t give refunds for unused balances. I get that. But I’d really appreciate my money back because this just isn't fair to me as an individual consumer. And I’m not the only one who feels this way-others have said the same thing.

    It's perfectly fine if you hold any fees for the refund, provided they are reasonable and understandable.

    I cannot publicly discuss transactions from your presumed customer account here. If you wish, please contact us via ticket and I will explain the issues to you.

    My ticket has been closed. Should I open a new one?

    Yes please. But please be patient, thank you.

    @layer7 said: Should not be an issue.

    Just like already outlined, there are reasons why refunds might not be possible. But it seems this reasons are not valid in this specific case.

    So, purely theoretically, there could be several transactions which, when added together, do not equal the credit balance. Theoretically, there would still be credit “left over” because we offer customers the option of deleting servers immediately and getting their credit back.
    Invoices and transactions are also posted promptly by our system (usually within a week). Once the invoice has been finalized, it takes a considerable amount of manual effort to reverse it. I am sure that if this is to be done properly by the appropriate personnel, it will ultimately cost more than the transaction is actually worth.
    But if you like, we can talk about how you solved this for yourself—you're German, right? In any case, I would like to thank you for your respectful manner :)

    Be that as it may, I would like to thank all the “lawyers” here for their advice. We continue to trust our law firm, which advised us on the drafting of our terms and conditions.

  • @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said: I know your terms say you don’t give refunds for unused balances. I get that. But I’d really appreciate my money back because this just isn't fair to me as an individual consumer. And I’m not the only one who feels this way-others have said the same thing.

    It's perfectly fine if you hold any fees for the refund, provided they are reasonable and understandable.

    I cannot publicly discuss transactions from your presumed customer account here. If you wish, please contact us via ticket and I will explain the issues to you.

    My ticket has been closed. Should I open a new one?

    Yes please. But please be patient, thank you.

    I opened a new ticket, # 7620.

    @layer7 said: Should not be an issue.

    Just like already outlined, there are reasons why refunds might not be possible. But it seems this reasons are not valid in this specific case.

    So, purely theoretically, there could be several transactions which, when added together, do not equal the credit balance. Theoretically, there would still be credit “left over” because we offer customers the option of deleting servers immediately and getting their credit back.
    Invoices and transactions are also posted promptly by our system (usually within a week). Once the invoice has been finalized, it takes a considerable amount of manual effort to reverse it. I am sure that if this is to be done properly by the appropriate personnel, it will ultimately cost more than the transaction is actually worth.
    But if you like, we can talk about how you solved this for yourself—you're German, right? In any case, I would like to thank you for your respectful manner :)

    Be that as it may, I would like to thank all the “lawyers” here for their advice. We continue to trust our law firm, which advised us on the drafting of our terms and conditions.

  • @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said: I know your terms say you don’t give refunds for unused balances. I get that. But I’d really appreciate my money back because this just isn't fair to me as an individual consumer. And I’m not the only one who feels this way-others have said the same thing.

    It's perfectly fine if you hold any fees for the refund, provided they are reasonable and understandable.

    I cannot publicly discuss transactions from your presumed customer account here. If you wish, please contact us via ticket and I will explain the issues to you.

    My ticket has been closed. Should I open a new one?

    Yes please. But please be patient, thank you.

    @layer7 said: Should not be an issue.

    Just like already outlined, there are reasons why refunds might not be possible. But it seems this reasons are not valid in this specific case.

    So, purely theoretically, there could be several transactions which, when added together, do not equal the credit balance. Theoretically, there would still be credit “left over” because we offer customers the option of deleting servers immediately and getting their credit back.
    Invoices and transactions are also posted promptly by our system (usually within a week). Once the invoice has been finalized, it takes a considerable amount of manual effort to reverse it. I am sure that if this is to be done properly by the appropriate personnel, it will ultimately cost more than the transaction is actually worth.
    But if you like, we can talk about how you solved this for yourself—you're German, right? In any case, I would like to thank you for your respectful manner :)

    Be that as it may, I would like to thank all the “lawyers” here for their advice. We continue to trust our law firm, which advised us on the drafting of our terms and conditions.

    low end lawyers are brutal. beware!

    Thanked by 224fire mans_xd
  • gbzret4dgbzret4d Member
    edited November 2025

    @vitobotta said:

    @gbzret4d said:
    @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    Yep, Finland.

    If the contract is still valid, cancel it. Then send a letter to 24fire.

    Dear 24fire team,

    I am writing to request a refund of my remaining prepaid credit in the amount of XXXXXXX€ after canceling my contract with your company on [date].

    As a Finnish citizen and consumer in the EU, I am legally entitled to a refund of all prepaid amounts for services not used or not provided. According to EU consumer protection regulations and confirmed by relevant court rulings in Germany (including decisions by the Federal Court of Justice), any unused prepaid credit must be refunded to the consumer at the end of the contract.

    Your terms and conditions, according to which prepaid credit is non-refundable, do not take precedence over consumer rights under EU and national law. Such clauses may be considered invalid as they would lead to unjust enrichment of the provider without the provision of a service.

    Regarding your mention of anti-money laundering regulations, we would like to point out that refunds to the original payment method (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.) are standard practice and fully comply with these regulations.

    I therefore kindly ask you to refund the unused prepaid credit to the original payment method within 14 days of receiving this message.

    If you do not comply with this request, I will be forced to forward this complaint to the Finnish Consumer Agency and consider legal action to enforce my rights.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your confirmation.

    Sincerely,
    vitobotta

    I would then request GDPR-compliant disclosure of the data in order to have proof of the credit balance. This would be followed by a request under Article 17 of the GDPR for the deletion of all data if the first letter regarding reimbursement does not result in 24fire complying. After that, 24fire would no longer have any legal basis for retaining the credit balance and would have to refund it immediately.

  • @hyperblast said:

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said: I know your terms say you don’t give refunds for unused balances. I get that. But I’d really appreciate my money back because this just isn't fair to me as an individual consumer. And I’m not the only one who feels this way-others have said the same thing.

    It's perfectly fine if you hold any fees for the refund, provided they are reasonable and understandable.

    I cannot publicly discuss transactions from your presumed customer account here. If you wish, please contact us via ticket and I will explain the issues to you.

    My ticket has been closed. Should I open a new one?

    Yes please. But please be patient, thank you.

    @layer7 said: Should not be an issue.

    Just like already outlined, there are reasons why refunds might not be possible. But it seems this reasons are not valid in this specific case.

    So, purely theoretically, there could be several transactions which, when added together, do not equal the credit balance. Theoretically, there would still be credit “left over” because we offer customers the option of deleting servers immediately and getting their credit back.
    Invoices and transactions are also posted promptly by our system (usually within a week). Once the invoice has been finalized, it takes a considerable amount of manual effort to reverse it. I am sure that if this is to be done properly by the appropriate personnel, it will ultimately cost more than the transaction is actually worth.
    But if you like, we can talk about how you solved this for yourself—you're German, right? In any case, I would like to thank you for your respectful manner :)

    Be that as it may, I would like to thank all the “lawyers” here for their advice. We continue to trust our law firm, which advised us on the drafting of our terms and conditions.

    low end lawyers are brutal. beware!

    Thank you for your respectful manner

    Then he just describe anyone talk in a "community" as lawyer

    It's very "LoL

  • @gbzret4d said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @gbzret4d said:
    @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    Yep, Finland.

    If the contract is still valid, cancel it. Then send a letter to 24fire.

    Dear 24fire team,

    I am writing to request a refund of my remaining prepaid credit in the amount of XXXXXXX€ after canceling my contract with your company on [date].

    As a Finnish citizen and consumer in the EU, I am legally entitled to a refund of all prepaid amounts for services not used or not provided. According to EU consumer protection regulations and confirmed by relevant court rulings in Germany (including decisions by the Federal Court of Justice), any unused prepaid credit must be refunded to the consumer at the end of the contract.

    Your terms and conditions, according to which prepaid credit is non-refundable, do not take precedence over consumer rights under EU and national law. Such clauses may be considered invalid as they would lead to unjust enrichment of the provider without the provision of a service.

    Regarding your mention of anti-money laundering regulations, we would like to point out that refunds to the original payment method (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.) are standard practice and fully comply with these regulations.

    I therefore kindly ask you to refund the unused prepaid credit to the original payment method within 14 days of receiving this message.

    If you do not comply with this request, I will be forced to forward this complaint to the Finnish Consumer Agency and consider legal action to enforce my rights.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your confirmation.

    Sincerely,
    vitobotta

    I would then request GDPR-compliant disclosure of the data in order to have proof of the credit balance. This would be followed by a request under Article 17 of the GDPR for the deletion of all data if the first letter regarding reimbursement does not result in 24fire complying. After that, 24fire would no longer have any legal basis for retaining the credit balance and would have to refund it immediately.

    I'll keep this in mind, thanks! I hope we can reach a simpler solution.

    Thanked by 1hyperblast
  • @gbzret4d said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @gbzret4d said:
    @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    Yep, Finland.

    If the contract is still valid, cancel it. Then send a letter to 24fire.

    Dear 24fire team,

    I am writing to request a refund of my remaining prepaid credit in the amount of XXXXXXX€ after canceling my contract with your company on [date].

    As a Finnish citizen and consumer in the EU, I am legally entitled to a refund of all prepaid amounts for services not used or not provided. According to EU consumer protection regulations and confirmed by relevant court rulings in Germany (including decisions by the Federal Court of Justice), any unused prepaid credit must be refunded to the consumer at the end of the contract.

    Your terms and conditions, according to which prepaid credit is non-refundable, do not take precedence over consumer rights under EU and national law. Such clauses may be considered invalid as they would lead to unjust enrichment of the provider without the provision of a service.

    Regarding your mention of anti-money laundering regulations, we would like to point out that refunds to the original payment method (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.) are standard practice and fully comply with these regulations.

    I therefore kindly ask you to refund the unused prepaid credit to the original payment method within 14 days of receiving this message.

    If you do not comply with this request, I will be forced to forward this complaint to the Finnish Consumer Agency and consider legal action to enforce my rights.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your confirmation.

    Sincerely,
    vitobotta

    I would then request GDPR-compliant disclosure of the data in order to have proof of the credit balance. This would be followed by a request under Article 17 of the GDPR for the deletion of all data if the first letter regarding reimbursement does not result in 24fire complying. After that, 24fire would no longer have any legal basis for retaining the credit balance and would have to refund it immediately.

    hi mate you just get lawyer certificate By 24fire because you just talk and help

    low end support appreciate your hard working

    Thanked by 1gbzret4d
  • gbzret4dgbzret4d Member
    edited November 2025

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said: I know your terms say you don’t give refunds for unused balances. I get that. But I’d really appreciate my money back because this just isn't fair to me as an individual consumer. And I’m not the only one who feels this way-others have said the same thing.

    It's perfectly fine if you hold any fees for the refund, provided they are reasonable and understandable.

    I cannot publicly discuss transactions from your presumed customer account here. If you wish, please contact us via ticket and I will explain the issues to you.

    My ticket has been closed. Should I open a new one?

    Yes please. But please be patient, thank you.

    @layer7 said: Should not be an issue.

    Just like already outlined, there are reasons why refunds might not be possible. But it seems this reasons are not valid in this specific case.

    So, purely theoretically, there could be several transactions which, when added together, do not equal the credit balance. Theoretically, there would still be credit “left over” because we offer customers the option of deleting servers immediately and getting their credit back.
    Invoices and transactions are also posted promptly by our system (usually within a week). Once the invoice has been finalized, it takes a considerable amount of manual effort to reverse it. I am sure that if this is to be done properly by the appropriate personnel, it will ultimately cost more than the transaction is actually worth.
    But if you like, we can talk about how you solved this for yourself—you're German, right? In any case, I would like to thank you for your respectful manner :)

    Be that as it may, I would like to thank all the “lawyers” here for their advice. We continue to trust our law firm, which advised us on the drafting of our terms and conditions.

    The wording of your terms and conditions may have been legally acceptable at the time, but it is no longer so. There are also relevant court rulings on this matter, including some from Germany. It would take too much time to list the rulings and cite German laws and EU regulations, but you have your law firm, which will surely be happy to do so. This was intended as a tip for you as a company and @vitobotta What you do with this information is your decision. As a data protection officer and consumer advocate, I am certainly not replacing legal advice; I can only give you my assessment based on my many years of practice and experience, which I believe is also quite “valuable.”

  • @gbzret4d said:

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @24fire said:

    @vitobotta said: I know your terms say you don’t give refunds for unused balances. I get that. But I’d really appreciate my money back because this just isn't fair to me as an individual consumer. And I’m not the only one who feels this way-others have said the same thing.

    It's perfectly fine if you hold any fees for the refund, provided they are reasonable and understandable.

    I cannot publicly discuss transactions from your presumed customer account here. If you wish, please contact us via ticket and I will explain the issues to you.

    My ticket has been closed. Should I open a new one?

    Yes please. But please be patient, thank you.

    @layer7 said: Should not be an issue.

    Just like already outlined, there are reasons why refunds might not be possible. But it seems this reasons are not valid in this specific case.

    So, purely theoretically, there could be several transactions which, when added together, do not equal the credit balance. Theoretically, there would still be credit “left over” because we offer customers the option of deleting servers immediately and getting their credit back.
    Invoices and transactions are also posted promptly by our system (usually within a week). Once the invoice has been finalized, it takes a considerable amount of manual effort to reverse it. I am sure that if this is to be done properly by the appropriate personnel, it will ultimately cost more than the transaction is actually worth.
    But if you like, we can talk about how you solved this for yourself—you're German, right? In any case, I would like to thank you for your respectful manner :)

    Be that as it may, I would like to thank all the “lawyers” here for their advice. We continue to trust our law firm, which advised us on the drafting of our terms and conditions.

    The wording of your terms and conditions may have been legally acceptable at the time, but it is no longer so. There are also relevant court rulings on this matter, including some from Germany. It would take too much time to list the rulings and cite German laws and EU regulations, but you have your law firm, which will surely be happy to do so. This was intended as a tip for you as a company and @vitobotta What you do with this information is your decision. As a data protection officer and consumer advocate, I am certainly not replacing legal advice; I can only give you my assessment based on my many years of practice and experience, which I believe is also quite “valuable.”

    good boy!

    Thanked by 2mans_xd gbzret4d
  • gbzret4dgbzret4d Member
    edited November 2025

    @mans_xd said:

    @gbzret4d said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @gbzret4d said:
    @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    Yep, Finland.

    If the contract is still valid, cancel it. Then send a letter to 24fire.

    Dear 24fire team,

    I am writing to request a refund of my remaining prepaid credit in the amount of XXXXXXX€ after canceling my contract with your company on [date].

    As a Finnish citizen and consumer in the EU, I am legally entitled to a refund of all prepaid amounts for services not used or not provided. According to EU consumer protection regulations and confirmed by relevant court rulings in Germany (including decisions by the Federal Court of Justice), any unused prepaid credit must be refunded to the consumer at the end of the contract.

    Your terms and conditions, according to which prepaid credit is non-refundable, do not take precedence over consumer rights under EU and national law. Such clauses may be considered invalid as they would lead to unjust enrichment of the provider without the provision of a service.

    Regarding your mention of anti-money laundering regulations, we would like to point out that refunds to the original payment method (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.) are standard practice and fully comply with these regulations.

    I therefore kindly ask you to refund the unused prepaid credit to the original payment method within 14 days of receiving this message.

    If you do not comply with this request, I will be forced to forward this complaint to the Finnish Consumer Agency and consider legal action to enforce my rights.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your confirmation.

    Sincerely,
    vitobotta

    I would then request GDPR-compliant disclosure of the data in order to have proof of the credit balance. This would be followed by a request under Article 17 of the GDPR for the deletion of all data if the first letter regarding reimbursement does not result in 24fire complying. After that, 24fire would no longer have any legal basis for retaining the credit balance and would have to refund it immediately.

    hi mate you just get lawyer certificate By 24fire because you just talk and help

    low end support appreciate your hard working

    Probably has the same value as my “Certified by Microsoft Support GOLD” certification :P

    THIS EYES CANT LIE:

    Thanked by 2mans_xd oloke
  • @gbzret4d said:

    @mans_xd said:

    @gbzret4d said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @gbzret4d said:
    @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    Yep, Finland.

    If the contract is still valid, cancel it. Then send a letter to 24fire.

    Dear 24fire team,

    I am writing to request a refund of my remaining prepaid credit in the amount of XXXXXXX€ after canceling my contract with your company on [date].

    As a Finnish citizen and consumer in the EU, I am legally entitled to a refund of all prepaid amounts for services not used or not provided. According to EU consumer protection regulations and confirmed by relevant court rulings in Germany (including decisions by the Federal Court of Justice), any unused prepaid credit must be refunded to the consumer at the end of the contract.

    Your terms and conditions, according to which prepaid credit is non-refundable, do not take precedence over consumer rights under EU and national law. Such clauses may be considered invalid as they would lead to unjust enrichment of the provider without the provision of a service.

    Regarding your mention of anti-money laundering regulations, we would like to point out that refunds to the original payment method (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.) are standard practice and fully comply with these regulations.

    I therefore kindly ask you to refund the unused prepaid credit to the original payment method within 14 days of receiving this message.

    If you do not comply with this request, I will be forced to forward this complaint to the Finnish Consumer Agency and consider legal action to enforce my rights.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your confirmation.

    Sincerely,
    vitobotta

    I would then request GDPR-compliant disclosure of the data in order to have proof of the credit balance. This would be followed by a request under Article 17 of the GDPR for the deletion of all data if the first letter regarding reimbursement does not result in 24fire complying. After that, 24fire would no longer have any legal basis for retaining the credit balance and would have to refund it immediately.

    hi mate you just get lawyer certificate By 24fire because you just talk and help

    low end support appreciate your hard working

    Probably has the same value as my “Certified by Microsoft Support GOLD” certification :P

    THIS EYES CANT LIE:

    ❤🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍💕💓💗💖💘💝

    Thanked by 2mans_xd gbzret4d
  • @gbzret4d said:

    @mans_xd said:

    @gbzret4d said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @gbzret4d said:
    @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    Yep, Finland.

    If the contract is still valid, cancel it. Then send a letter to 24fire.

    Dear 24fire team,

    I am writing to request a refund of my remaining prepaid credit in the amount of XXXXXXX€ after canceling my contract with your company on [date].

    As a Finnish citizen and consumer in the EU, I am legally entitled to a refund of all prepaid amounts for services not used or not provided. According to EU consumer protection regulations and confirmed by relevant court rulings in Germany (including decisions by the Federal Court of Justice), any unused prepaid credit must be refunded to the consumer at the end of the contract.

    Your terms and conditions, according to which prepaid credit is non-refundable, do not take precedence over consumer rights under EU and national law. Such clauses may be considered invalid as they would lead to unjust enrichment of the provider without the provision of a service.

    Regarding your mention of anti-money laundering regulations, we would like to point out that refunds to the original payment method (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.) are standard practice and fully comply with these regulations.

    I therefore kindly ask you to refund the unused prepaid credit to the original payment method within 14 days of receiving this message.

    If you do not comply with this request, I will be forced to forward this complaint to the Finnish Consumer Agency and consider legal action to enforce my rights.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your confirmation.

    Sincerely,
    vitobotta

    I would then request GDPR-compliant disclosure of the data in order to have proof of the credit balance. This would be followed by a request under Article 17 of the GDPR for the deletion of all data if the first letter regarding reimbursement does not result in 24fire complying. After that, 24fire would no longer have any legal basis for retaining the credit balance and would have to refund it immediately.

    hi mate you just get lawyer certificate By 24fire because you just talk and help

    low end support appreciate your hard working

    Probably has the same value as my “Certified by Microsoft Support GOLD” certification :P

    THIS EYES CANT LIE:

    are you calling from microsoft security department or technical support?

  • layer7layer7 Member, Host Rep, LIR
    edited November 2025

    @24fire said:
    So, purely theoretically, there could be several transactions which, when added together, do not equal the credit balance. Theoretically, there would still be credit “left over” because we offer customers the option of deleting servers immediately and getting their credit back.
    Invoices and transactions are also posted promptly by our system (usually within a week). Once the invoice has been finalized, it takes a considerable amount of manual effort to reverse it. I am sure that if this is to be done properly by the appropriate personnel, it will ultimately cost more than the transaction is actually worth.
    But if you like, we can talk about how you solved this for yourself—you're German, right? In any case, I would like to thank you for your respectful manner :)

    Hi,

    ok so the issues you see here are the side line cost for proper bookkeeping.

    I can more than fully understand this. In fact the organization costs are what make things truly ugly and i fully agree with this. Its not only about someone of the company has to handle this back and forth of money, the accountant has also to handle such cases individually and check if things went correctly. Even worst if its an EU customer as the OSS might kick in ( thats the VAT distributing system inside of EU that if we as german company will charge a spanish customer, the spanish government will receive the VAT ( and not the german one )). So that would have to be rewind too. Tons of manual, ugly work at least for small providers from whom its not worth to automate this too.

    And thats exactly the point where i want to answer your question. Yes, this whole is total f*** up for the provider. But at least with us, it does not happen often. Luckily quiet rarely.

    And for this seldom events, we just take the bullet for the team. Which means at the very end that we accept a "virtual" money loss in rare situations for the benefit of doing the morally "right" thing and remain with a good standing with the customers.

    That said, we talk here about situation where things happen "accidently" or "unwillingly" by the customer. ( Automate payment kicked in while the customer forgot to cancel it, customer prepaid without order but changed his mind paid accidently and similar stuff ).

    Other situation, where the customer ordered and got a service and then changed his mind ( realize that he actually needs knowledge to administrate self managed servers is classic here ) wont receive refunds. They can have credits, change the product or just take the opportunity learn howto use what they just bought.


    I dont know how big / small / young / old the business is and whats the situation of the business you run there, but please allow me a little advice:

    Either you have so many refunds that its somehow worth automating it ( booking software will usually be able to handle .csv imports of booking data -- we just did that last week after the manual work just got too heavy to book every country manually )
    OR its just a small amount of it and you can go this "extra" mile for your reputation.

    Having this kind of posts here, the manual handling of them and the tickets and bla bla ( also organizational work actually ) , the loss of reputation and what so ever is usually not worth saving "virtual" loss in handling the cases.

    I dont know how much profit you calculated and did not check your pricings, but i assume that even if you are on tour in the low end pricing range.... already 5 customers who did not become customer with you because of this thread are enough to make the whole story not worth it for you.

    So aside of the question if you would get through with this at a court or not, morally and from the perspective of reputation you are loosing more than you gain/saved on the other hand, i am pretty sure.

    Because right now, some people might think that you are doing this all because you need to (cross) finance your business like this with some "donations" that you force your customers to accept. And this do much more harm to your business success than accepting some loss in organizational work.

  • @mans_xd said:

    @gbzret4d said:

    @mans_xd said:

    @gbzret4d said:

    @vitobotta said:

    @gbzret4d said:
    @vitobotta i guess you are an european citizen?

    Yep, Finland.

    If the contract is still valid, cancel it. Then send a letter to 24fire.

    Dear 24fire team,

    I am writing to request a refund of my remaining prepaid credit in the amount of XXXXXXX€ after canceling my contract with your company on [date].

    As a Finnish citizen and consumer in the EU, I am legally entitled to a refund of all prepaid amounts for services not used or not provided. According to EU consumer protection regulations and confirmed by relevant court rulings in Germany (including decisions by the Federal Court of Justice), any unused prepaid credit must be refunded to the consumer at the end of the contract.

    Your terms and conditions, according to which prepaid credit is non-refundable, do not take precedence over consumer rights under EU and national law. Such clauses may be considered invalid as they would lead to unjust enrichment of the provider without the provision of a service.

    Regarding your mention of anti-money laundering regulations, we would like to point out that refunds to the original payment method (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.) are standard practice and fully comply with these regulations.

    I therefore kindly ask you to refund the unused prepaid credit to the original payment method within 14 days of receiving this message.

    If you do not comply with this request, I will be forced to forward this complaint to the Finnish Consumer Agency and consider legal action to enforce my rights.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your confirmation.

    Sincerely,
    vitobotta

    I would then request GDPR-compliant disclosure of the data in order to have proof of the credit balance. This would be followed by a request under Article 17 of the GDPR for the deletion of all data if the first letter regarding reimbursement does not result in 24fire complying. After that, 24fire would no longer have any legal basis for retaining the credit balance and would have to refund it immediately.

    hi mate you just get lawyer certificate By 24fire because you just talk and help

    low end support appreciate your hard working

    Probably has the same value as my “Certified by Microsoft Support GOLD” certification :P

    THIS EYES CANT LIE:

    are you calling from microsoft security department or technical support?

    Yes

    Thanked by 1mans_xd
  • 24fire24fire Member, Patron Provider

    @layer7 said: Hi,

    ok so the issues you see here are the side line cost for proper bookkeeping.

    I can more than fully understand this. In fact the organization costs are what make things truly ugly and i fully agree with this. Its not only about someone of the company has to handle this back and forth of money, the accountant has also to handle such cases individually and check if things went correctly. Even worst if its an EU customer as the OSS might kick in ( thats the VAT distributing system inside of EU that if we as german company will charge a spanish customer, the spanish government will receive the VAT ( and not the german one )). So that would have to be rewind too. Tons of manual, ugly work at least for small providers from whom its not worth to automate this too.

    And thats exactly the point where i want to answer your question. Yes, this whole is total f*** up for the provider. But at least with us, it does not happen often. Luckily quiet rarely.

    And for this seldom events, we just take the bullet for the team. Which means at the very end that we accept a "virtual" money loss in rare situations for the benefit of doing the morally "right" thing and remain with a good standing with the customers.

    That said, we talk here about situation where things happen "accidently" or "unwillingly" by the customer. ( Automate payment kicked in while the customer forgot to cancel it, customer prepaid without order but changed his mind paid accidently and similar stuff ).

    Other situation, where the customer ordered and got a service and then changed his mind ( realize that he actually needs knowledge to administrate self managed servers is classic here ) wont receive refunds. They can have credits, change the product or just take the opportunity learn howto use what they just bought.

    I dont know how big / small / young / old the business is and whats the situation of the business you run there, but please allow me a little advice:

    Either you have so many refunds that its somehow worth automating it ( booking software will usually be able to handle .csv imports of booking data -- we just did that last week after the manual work just got too heavy to book every country manually )

    OR its just a small amount of it and you can go this "extra" mile for your reputation.

    Having this kind of posts here, the manual handling of them and the tickets and bla bla ( also organizational work actually ) , the loss of reputation and what so ever is usually not worth saving "virtual" loss in handling the cases.

    I dont know how much profit you calculated and did not check your pricings, but i assume that even if you are on tour in the low end pricing range.... already 5 customers who did not become customer with you because of this thread are enough to make the whole story not worth it for you.

    So aside of the question if you would get through with this at a court or not, morally and from the perspective of reputation you are loosing more than you gain/saved on the other hand, i am pretty sure.

    Because right now, some people might think that you are doing this all because you need to (cross) finance your business like this with some "donations" that you force your customers to accept. And this do much more harm to your business success than accepting some loss in organizational work.

    Actually, we didn't want to comment on anything anymore.
    We actually only have one case every 5-6 weeks where a customer wants a refund. I also find your way of thinking remarkable, for example, when you issue a refund and when you don't. But as you said, it's not worth automating this process because it's so rare.

    In any case, thank you for your thoughts, @layer7 — I will bring this up in our meeting.

  • hyperblasthyperblast Member
    edited November 2025

    @layer7 said: the loss of reputation and what so ever is usually not worth saving "virtual" loss in handling the cases.

    @layer7 said: So aside of the question if you would get through with this at a court or not, morally and from the perspective of reputation you are loosing more than you gain/saved on the other hand, i am pretty sure.

    sic!

    Thanked by 2oloke itoshikimonset
  • @vitobotta said: Your account is restricted You can no longer make transactions in the shop or top up your balance. Your active services will expire.

    wait they won't give you the existing balance back and now blocked you from using it?

    Thanked by 1gbzret4d
  • @zed said:

    @vitobotta said: Your account is restricted You can no longer make transactions in the shop or top up your balance. Your active services will expire.

    wait they won't give you the existing balance back and now blocked you from using it?

    I am not sure of what "restricted" account means to be honest.

  • @24fire said: We actually only have one case every 5-6 weeks where a customer wants a refund.

    This is identified problem and no solution? Charge 10% "refund fee". This would avoid bad publicity (at the moment you are already on "shit list" providers to avoid due to questionable billing practices) and customer satisfaction would be guaranteed. Also you would receive 10% of refund amount. You know, for "processing fees".

    Thanked by 1layer7
  • @24fire said:
    ... I will bring this up in our meeting.

    It's a two year old company with six /24 and one upstream (Tube-Hosting) run by two students.

    Their business address is a Hookah-bar. (Google Maps)

    Their business meeting:


    https://24fire.de/impressum/
    https://friends-schwetzingen.de/kontakt-anfahrt

    :D

    Thanked by 3layer7 mans_xd barbaros
  • @xvps said:

    @24fire said:
    ... I will bring this up in our meeting.

    It's a two year old company with six /24 and one upstream (Tube-Hosting) run by two students.

    Their business address is a Hookah-bar. (Google Maps)

    Their business meeting:


    https://24fire.de/impressum/
    https://friends-schwetzingen.de/kontakt-anfahrt

    :D

    Did i see wrong in google maps? Shisha?

  • @mans_xd said:

    @xvps said:

    @24fire said:
    ... I will bring this up in our meeting.

    It's a two year old company with six /24 and one upstream (Tube-Hosting) run by two students.

    Their business address is a Hookah-bar. (Google Maps)

    Their business meeting:


    https://24fire.de/impressum/
    https://friends-schwetzingen.de/kontakt-anfahrt

    :D

    Did i see wrong in google maps? Shisha?

    No.

    Thanked by 1mans_xd
This discussion has been closed.