Surprise, pay $1000 (forestwalk.ai)

Article summary

The author's company tried Blacksmith, a GitHub Actions alternative, on a free trial without providing a credit card. After exceeding the free limit, they received an invoice for over $1000, which was unexpected. The company's support explained that they don't cut off service when the free tier is exceeded, but instead continue to accrue usage at the published rates. The author questions whether this is a fair practice and whether customers should expect to be invoiced in such cases.

Main themes

• SaaS pricing models
• Free trials and billing
• Customer expectations
• Business ethics
• GitHub Actions alternatives

What commenters say

• Some commenters believe that Blacksmith's practice of invoicing for overage on a free trial without a credit card is unfair and unexpected, and may damage their reputation.
• Others argue that as long as the terms and conditions are clear, Blacksmith has the right to invoice for overage, even if it's not a common practice.
• A few commenters suggest that this practice may be a result of Blacksmith trying to innovate and stay competitive, but ultimately may not be worth the potential reputational damage.
• Some argue that customers have a responsibility to read and understand the terms and conditions before signing up for a service, and that Blacksmith's practice is not inherently wrong.
• Others believe that this practice is similar to scams where companies send invoices for unsolicited services, and that it's not a legitimate way to do business.
• A few commenters share their own experiences with similar situations, where companies have tried to charge them for services they didn't agree to pay for, and express frustration with the lack of transparency and accountability.