Fraudulent HITBTC - Hidden Fee Deductions

I am writing to report what I consider fraudulent and unfair behaviour by HitBTC regarding so‑called inactivity fees that were deducted from my account without any clear notification or consent, and to inform you that I have escalated this matter to the relevant consumer authority. I am based in India and had a BTC balance on HitBTC. Starting around 4 August 2021, HitBTC deducted 50 USD per month as “inactivity fees” from my BTC balance for a period of years, with the total loss coming to approximately 2,500 USD. During this time, my account was not freely accessible to me, as HitBTC had locked me out under the pretext of additional verification. I was therefore unable to regularly monitor my account or respond to any supposed inactivity warnings. Eventually, I managed to complete your verification again, regain access, and withdraw the remaining balance, which is when I discovered the extent of the deductions. At no point did I receive a single email, notification, pop‑up, or any clear communication on your website informing me that such inactivity fees would be charged, let alone at a rate of 50 USD per month. When I contacted HitBTC support under ticket number 1649495, I only received automated responses pointing me to a clause buried deep in your terms of service. I consider this practice to be non‑transparent and misleading, especially given that I was locked out of my account and could not reasonably be expected to discover or respond to such hidden clauses. Because this issue has not been resolved and the explanations provided have been unsatisfactory, I have now officially filed a complaint with the Hong Kong Consumer Council regarding these inactive fee deductions based on hidden clauses and the lack of any email notification or clear prior warning. The complaint was filed on 1 July 2025 under reference number CC250701C97916. Given that these inactivity fees were deducted over the years without any proper, proactive notification or opportunity for me to avoid them, I am requesting at a minimum a full refund of the 2,500 USD that has been taken from my account in this way. I expect HitBTC to review this case urgently, reverse these unfair charges, and confirm the refund to my account or to a wallet of my choosing.