FILE 01 / 04
Provider dossier
OpenAI (ChatGPT)
What OpenAI users keep running into, and the evidence that matters when they do. Built from public reports across Reddit, X, Trustpilot and developer communities, alongside OpenAI's own published status history. No outrage score, no pile-on. Just recurring patterns and where the evidence lives.
Billing & credits, the most frequent high-stakes issue
- Credits purchased, then wiped to zero with no recorded usage.
- Double subscriptions, especially Apple/Google Play alongside a direct subscription.
- Support cancelling a different subscription than the one complained about.
- Refund requests triggering partial refunds or unexpected plan cancellations.
- The app-store two-party problem: Google/Apple auto-deny or offer no human path, but OpenAI can sometimes still refund directly with evidence the service was never used.
Model degradation & behavioral drift
- Sudden drops in reasoning depth, instruction-following, and creativity after updates.
- Increased sycophancy ("You're absolutely right") that users find unhelpful or manipulative, some episodes publicly acknowledged and partially rolled back.
- Context loss and unsolicited rewriting of user text.
The support experience
- Starts with a bot on help.openai.com. Human agents exist, but billing responses often take days to weeks.
- Quality complaints frequently get closed or receive policy-style replies.
- The community forum is where users compare notes when official support stalls.
What moves the needle hereOpenAI
Start with the boring stuff. It's usually the strongest stuff.
- Invoice / credit purchase numbers + exact timestamps + screenshots of the zero balance or error.
- Go to OpenAI directly rather than the app store when the purchase allows it.
- Numbered claims instead of narrative anger.
Where your evidence lives
Invoiceschatgpt.com → Settings → Subscription → Manage. Invoices via Stripe; download each PDF.
UsageScreenshot any rate-limit or model-restriction notices with the time visible.
Supporthelp.openai.com chat widget. Ask them to confirm the applicable refund policy in writing.
APIplatform.openai.com → Usage + Billing. Export daily usage breakdowns and invoices for the affected period.