OpenAI ad service can bill customers for up to one day after they pause campaigns

OpenAI has been advertising in its ChatGPT service since February, and has been expanding the service to other countries such as the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea. As 50 million out of 900 million weekly ChatGPT users pay for the service, advertising revenue is crucial for OpenAI to cover costs and show investors a path to profitability before an IPO.

However, OpenAI's ad service appears to have issues with billings and timing. Users have reported receiving ads even after they paused their campaigns, leading to unexpected charges. OpenAI acknowledged the issue, stating that their ad-level status did not refresh promptly after a campaign was paused, resulting in ads continuing to run for up to one business day.

Despite this, OpenAI declined to provide any refunds or credits, citing their Advertising Terms which state that ads may be delivered after a campaign is canceled or changed, and the advertiser is still responsible for those ads.