Foundry model charges billed outside startup credits — what is the correct escalation path when Billing Support auto-closes the case?

I'm an independent developer in a start-up running an exam-prep platform on Azure. I'd like to ask for guidance on the correct support path for a billing situation, because my support cases keep getting closed by automated triage with a referral that doesn't apply to my case.

What happened

During August and early September 2026, I used a partner model through Microsoft Foundry. Throughout that period I regularly checked my credit balance in the portal, which showed between roughly $3,700 and $2,300 remaining.

Because that balance stayed substantial, I had no indication that this consumption was accruing separately. I was subsequently invoiced $1,034.55 outside of the credit balance ($338.83 on invoice G183735472 for August, and $695.72 for September).

I now understand that partner model consumption is not covered by free or startup credits. I'm not disputing the metering or the policy. My issue is that the portal presented a healthy credit balance the entire time, with nothing in the flow indicating that charges were accumulating outside of it. Had that been visible, I would have adjusted the workload within days instead of several weeks.

I've since cancelled the subscription and configured a spending limit and budget alerts.

Why I'm posting here

I've opened support cases requesting a one-time goodwill billing adjustment. Each has been closed by automated triage with the same response — that the request falls outside Billing and Subscription Support scope, with links to Marketplace refund policies and Partner Center ISV support.

That routing appears to be incorrect for this offer type. Microsoft's own documentation on Claude consumption unit (CCU) billing in Microsoft Foundry states that Microsoft is the publisher and seller of record, and that the billing relationship remains with Microsoft rather than the model provider. There is no ISV for me to contact through Partner Center, so the referral leaves me with no actionable path.

I've also seen at least one other publicly raised case describing the same confusion — partner models presented alongside native Azure services in Foundry with no distinct indication that credits don't apply — where a Microsoft moderator noted the product group had been engaged about clarifying the documentation.

My questions

1. For partner model consumption in Microsoft Foundry, where Microsoft is the seller of record, which support team owns a billing adjustment request? Billing Support says it's out of scope and refers to Partner Center, but Partner Center is for ISVs, not customers of a Microsoft-sold offer.
2. Is there a way to request that a case be reviewed by a human billing agent rather than closed by automated triage? Reopening under the same category produces the same automated response each time.
3. Has the documentation and portal messaging around credit eligibility for Foundry partner models been updated? If a clarification is still pending, that would be directly relevant to my situation.
4. If a moderator is able to flag this for internal review or point me to the right escalation path, I would be grateful.

I'm happy to provide the subscription ID, invoice details, and portal screenshots of the credit balance during the period through a private channel. Thank you.