InfluxData has closed its InfluxDB cloud service for Belgian customers. They are now at their wit’s end because of the lost data.

InfluxData’s online forum is flooded with complaints from users who no longer have access to their data in the InfluxDB Cloud Services on GCP west-eruope-1, Google Cloud’s Belgium cloud region. InfluxData closed the data platform in Belgium and Australia on June 30th because demand was too low. However, many customers did not seem to be aware of this.

In a blog post, InfluxData defends itself by saying that since February they have been trying to inform customers about the discontinuation of InfluxDB cloud services. Email was sent up to three times and customers also received in-app notifications. Scammed users claim never to have received these emails and feel they are on their own.

Mea culpa

Due to the excitement, CEO Paul Dix manages a blatant mea culpa. He concedes that the company should have taken a more phased approach when exiting Belgium, rather than suddenly pulling the plug on the platform. The company promises to do a “walking test” next time. For example, a provider shuts down its services for an hour to see how customers are responding and to prepare for a permanent shutdown. InfluxData will also be more proactive in contacting customers before, during and after.

That is scant consolation for those customers who are now in need. However, there is still a glimmer of hope for Belgian customers: InfluxData will try to restore their data from the last hundred days. Companies that have lost their data can contact the helpdesk or even the CEO himself. However, the cheated customers in Australia apparently no longer have to hope for their data to be recovered.