zach H.
Posted
Charged After Cancellation – Then Threatened with Fraud Reporting
*Updating to fall within Trustpilot guidelines* I canceled my VPS service with GoodLeaf Hosting using their official cancellation form. On June 9th, 2025, I received a written confirmation email stating that services would be canceled at the end of the current billing period on June 11th. At the time, I actually had two VPS servers with GL and was only canceling one of them. I followed their TOS exactly for the specific service I was canceling. Despite that, I was charged after for a new billing cycle on the server I had canceled. The same one they had already confirmed would be terminated. Before I even contacted them, I received a ticket reply saying my cancellation had been denied(see below for reason). I used their required cancellation form with the reason clearly stated as “I no longer need the service.” Again, they had already confirmed the cancellation. I responded, referencing their own confirmation. Instead of admitting any error, they told me I could "rely on the email if I wanted," but provided no real explanation. It became obvious they had no intention of resolving it, so I filed a chargeback with my bank. After that, they retaliated by saying my account had been reported to FraudLabs/FraudRecord. Not for fraud, but because I challenged a charge that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. They engage in dishonest billing, responds to legitimate cancellations at their own discretion, and retaliates against customers who dispute charges. If this is how they treat a paying customer who followed the rules, I strongly recommend avoiding them entirely. Below is a factual timeline of every msg sent between myself and GL. June 9, 2025 – Submitted official cancellation via their required form – Received both an email and Discord DM stating: "The service will be cancelled at the end of your current billing period on Wednesday, June 11th, 2025." June 11, 2025 – Received an email that I had been charged again for the same service (Invoice 8389), after cancellation and confirmation of termination. June 12, 2025 – Received a message from GL stating: "Your cancellation request has been denied for one of the following reasons: – It was vague. – It was not valid. – It may not have been submitted by the account owner." This was the first time they claimed the cancellation was “denied,” after the next billing period had already started. June 12, 2025 (me): I quoted their confirmation email back to them and said: "I am not requesting to cancel it at your discretion, days after the request. I was canceling the product as I no longer need it. I was still billed for the next month (after cancellation), even after your automated email said I would not be." GL: "What's your reason for cancellation? The automated invoice email also doesn't say you won't be billed." GL: "I just don't need the server anymore. The email clearly states that your service will be cancelled at the end of your current billing period. If the service is ended at the current billing period, there is no future billing cycle." GL: "You're welcome to rely on the email you received last week, or consider the information I'm providing now. I'm simply clarifying things as best I can." At this point, it was clear they had no intention of honoring the cancellation confirmation they themselves had sent. I gave them the chance to correct the issue. They refused, so I rightfully disputed the charge with my bank and provided evidence. June 18, 2025 – GL: "hello your services have been terminated and your account has been reported to fraudlabs and fraudrecord." Me (paraphrased as i was banned from their platform): I asked what would happen to the other two services I had already paid for in advance, unrelated to the canceled one. GL: "Correct invoices were refunded, and you’re banned from using our services in the future, as well as other providers that use FraudLabs and FraudRecord." Me (paraphrased): "That's fine, I’ll submit a full report to those platforms with the actual facts and request removal." Them: "Please do, thanks :)" They charged me for a terminated service, I contacted them telling them. Instead of taking blame, they instead insisted the charge was legit. I disputed the charge as it was not approved. They then updated their payment policy page to reflect payment disputes and dm'd me acting as if it was there before. Historical site data shows it was not. Included in another DM was my fathers name, a name never provided. Only related as the owner of the house I live in, in what looked to be an intimidation factor. A police report has been filed for other actions believed to have been started from this company as well. ----- Their lies continue. Their denial message came June 12th 5:37 PM CST (After they billed me), verified by discord dm (their bot) AND gmail.
Response from GoodLeaf Hosting· Jun 30, 2025
This review is inaccurate and misleading. You can view the full ticket history here for transparency: https://goodleafdev.com/tickets/ticket-printout-zach.html According to our records, you were informed on 6/10/25 that a new cancellation request was required if you wished to cancel your service. On 6/13/25, a new invoice was automatically generated and charged to your account. At no point in that ticket did you request a refund, either before or after the charge, although we would have provided one if asked. You referenced a prior email stating your service would be canceled, but as explained, our fraud detection system flagged the original request because it was submitted from an unfamiliar IP address and contained vague information. For security and compliance, we asked you to confirm the cancellation by submitting a new request. You were clearly advised you could either rely on the outdated email or simply resubmit the cancellation to resolve the issue immediately. Regarding the claim that your account was reported to FraudLabs and FraudRecord as retaliation, this is not accurate. Disputing a charge without first attempting resolution is considered chargeback abuse under industry guidelines. FraudLabs and FraudRecord are not solely for fraud but also track chargebacks, policy violations, and abusive behavior to help providers identify high-risk activity. At no point did you ask for a refund or receive any statement that the charge was definitively “legitimate.” You instead chose to file a dispute without further communication. Below is an excerpt of the ticket exchange demonstrating this sequence of events. For brevity, the complete record can be viewed at the link above. 6/10/25 Us: Hello Zach, Your cancellation request has been denied for one of the following reasons: It was vague. It was not valid. It may not have been submitted by the account owner. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further assistance. You: Per your email from the cancellation request: "The service will be cancelled at the end of your current billing period on Wednesday, June 11th, 2025." Us: What’s your reason for cancellation? The automated invoice email does not state you won’t be billed. You: I just don’t need the server anymore. The email clearly states that the service will be cancelled at the end of the current billing period. Us: You’re welcome to rely on the email you received last week, or consider the information I’m providing now. I’m simply clarifying as best I can. 6/19/25 (after chargeback was filed) Us: Hello, your services have been terminated and your account has been reported to FraudLabs and FraudRecord. You: Just to be clear, you are terminating services that were paid for under invoice numbers #8259 and #8689. Us: Correct, those invoices were refunded, and your account is now closed. At no point did you request a refund for the most recent invoice, and no refusal of resolution occurred. The claims in your review that we engaged in dishonest billing, ignored legitimate cancellation, and retaliated are unsupported by any evidence in the documented communication. We take transparency seriously and provide clear processes to avoid misunderstandings.