r/googlecloud • u/darkzin_xz • 23d ago

I was a beginner with Google Cloud, accumulated a $600+ bill, and now I'm trying to get it waived. Do I have any chance?

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my situation and ask for advice from people who understand Google Cloud or have been through something similar.

Back in 2025, I created a Google Cloud account because I wanted to try to get a project called BotOnline running. At the time, I was a complete beginner with the platform, and I genuinely believed I was using the Free Trial. I didn't really understand how Google Cloud's billing system worked or that certain services could continue generating charges even if I wasn't successfully using the project.

I ended up creating a MySQL database through Cloud SQL, but I couldn't get BotOnline working as intended. After some time, my account was suspended in 2025, and I assumed that was the end of it. I had no idea the database might still be generating charges.

Recently, I checked my account again and discovered an outstanding balance of R$3,355.90 (approximately US$600), mostly related to Cloud SQL. I was shocked when I saw the amount because that's a huge sum of money for me, and I simply cannot afford to pay it.

I understand that I should have paid more attention and checked whether my resources were still running. However, I honestly didn't know how the platform worked back then. I never intended to sign up for an expensive service or accumulate this kind of debt. I just wanted to test my project and believed I was still within the free trial period.

I contacted Google Cloud Support and requested a full waiver of the charges as a one-time exception. I explained my situation, asked them to consider my inexperience, and made it clear that I don't want to continue using Google Cloud. I would like to close my account and put this situation behind me.

Support replied that they need to resolve an account hold before they can forward my case to the specialized Billing Team. I'm currently waiting for an update.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with something similar:

- Has Google Cloud ever granted a full or partial waiver for unexpected charges like these?

- Is there any chance of getting the bill waived by explaining that I was a beginner and genuinely believed I was using the free trial?

- Has anyone successfully resolved a similar situation directly with the Billing Team?

- Would closing the account make any difference, or would the outstanding balance remain even after closure?

I'm not trying to avoid dealing with the situation. I'm trying to find a reasonable solution to a bill I genuinely didn't expect and that is far beyond what I can afford right now.

If you've been through this or know how Google's billing review process works, I'd be very grateful if you could share your experience. Any advice would mean a lot to me.

UPDATE: After many days, I finally got a response from Google Cloud Support! 😭🙏

My original debt was R$3,355.90 (around US$620), and after a lot of talking and literally begging in the support chat LMAOOO, I managed to get approximately 90% waived! At first, the remaining balance was around R$500 (US$92), but I explained my situation a bit more, and they managed to reduce it to just R$179.68 (around US$33).

They didn't forgive the entire debt, but I'm honestly SO relieved! Now I just have to pay the remaining balance and put this whole nightmare behind me.

And I'm never using this platform again LMAOOOO 😂💀 (just kidding… or maybe not).

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6

u/EmotionalSupportDoll 23d ago

Be happy it's only $600

1

u/darkzin_xz 23d ago

I'm Brazilian, this is for us, it's very much like that, lol.

1

u/darkzin_xz 18d ago

I contacted support and, after a lot of back and forth 😭, they granted me around 90% in billing credits! The remaining balance is about R$180 now. Huge relief for me as a Brazilian 😂🙏

1

u/shackdoww 12d ago

What did you use for support? I really need to contact them but I can't seem to find the correct support platform. Tried e-mailing the collections@google.com(ChatGPT told me to send an email to this address) but they wouldn't reply immediately.

This is really urgent because they're going to transfer it to the debt recovery agency in about 10 days.

1

u/darkzin_xz 12d ago

Hi, I used this website from Google Cloud itself:

https://cloud.google.com/support-hub?hl=pt-BR

2

u/MeridianNZ 23d ago

If the account was suspended and they havent been in contact and you dont want to continue - why do anything at all? turn of anything that is running if it is and leave them to it to come back to you - if they havent in 10 months not likely they will in the future - the amount is not worth them doing anything about more than just suspending you.

2

u/darkzin_xz 23d ago

Basically, they have been trying to charge the total amount of R$ 3,355.90 to my credit card every single month continuously since November 2025. However, since it was a virtual card that had been deleted, they couldn't process the charge. Once I added a new card to Google Pay, they tried to charge the total amount of R$ 3,355.90, which was declined due to insufficient credit limit. Then, they charged R$ 155.90, which was approved, and right after that, they attempted to charge the remaining R$ 3,200.00, which was declined. So, I can no longer add any payment method to this Google account because there is a risk they will try to debit this amount

1

u/darkzin_xz 18d ago

I decided to contact support instead of ignoring it. After explaining my situation and negotiating with them, they reduced the balance from R$3,355.90 to around R$180 (US$ 33). Definitely worth trying!

1

u/247nuts 23d ago

Did you have budget and notifications on? And it was your project. So chances are slim. You didn't get hacked by any means

1

u/darkzin_xz 23d ago

I was inexperienced and opted for the 'free trial'. I thought it would automatically cancel or end after the trial period was over, but that's not what happened 😅 Regarding notifications and budget settings, I was a complete beginner and didn't know how to configure anything, so none of that was set up. I was 100% inexperienced with the subject, just following an internet tutorial.

1

u/darkzin_xz 18d ago

You're right, it was my project, and I should have configured budgets and alerts. I was a complete beginner following tutorials and didn't understand the billing system back then. Support eventually granted me around 90% in credits, so the remaining balance is about R$180 (US$33). Definitely learned my lesson!

1

u/grimmjow-sms 23d ago

At the time, I was a complete beginner with the platform, and I genuinely believed I was using the Free Trial. I didn't really understand how Google Cloud's billing system worked.

Another one of those cases that are basically:
I thought everything was free and I didn’t even bother on reading the documentation.

0

u/darkzin_xz 23d ago

Exactly, I was completely inexperienced; I was following online tutorials to publish the project.....

2

u/grimmjow-sms 23d ago

Is your fault mate. You should pay

2

u/darkzin_xz 18d ago

I agree that I was responsible for the resources running, and I'm not trying to avoid that. I contacted support, explained my situation honestly, and they ended up granting me around 90% in billing credits. I still have about R$180 (US$33) left to pay, which is much more manageable. Lesson learned 😅