[FEATURE] Compensation policy when Claude's cost estimates cause unexpected billing
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
- [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)
Problem Statement
Claude Code estimated that a Google Places API import script would cost $0 (within the free tier), but the actual bill
was ¥70,540 (~$470 USD). Claude proposed the plan, wrote the script, provided the "$0" cost estimate, and I approved
based on that estimate. The root cause was Claude failing to account for Nearby Search pagination (nextPageToken)
multiplying request counts from ~11,000 to 36,883. When an AI's cost estimate directly causes significant unexpected
charges, there is currently no compensation or recourse from Anthropic.
Proposed Solution
Introduce a goodwill credit policy (e.g., Claude Pro/Max subscription credits) for cases where Claude's incorrect
guidance directly leads to significant unexpected financial costs. AI-generated cost estimates carry implicit
authority, and users reasonably rely on them to make decisions.
Alternative Solutions
- Claude should refuse to provide specific cost estimates for usage-based APIs, and instead recommend users verify
costs themselves before execution.
- Claude should automatically suggest setting up budget alerts and API quota limits before executing any billable API
scripts.
- A dedicated support channel for reporting AI-caused financial incidents, separate from general feature requests.
Priority
High - Significant impact on productivity
Feature Category
Other
Use Case Example
_No response_
Additional Context
_No response_
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