# #client-support

**Assaf Dagan** (2026-03-28 09:01)
I have a client support issue and i think we do not understand each other can you tell me what's wrong in this chat ? 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uXb4KtBK6GTKFA1ptZkKR0_yUQ4r2SngI7JVFHtXO5E/edit?usp=sharing
[embed: chat with Cortez — February 22 Hi! I am an AI-powered chatbot for Anthropic. Your use of this chatbot and chat data will be monitored, retained, and used by Anthropic, a]
**Kitt** (2026-03-28 09:02)
Got it. Here's what's happening — there's a fundamental misunderstanding on Cortez's side:

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**The core disconnect:**

**Your request:** *"I'm a US company. My billing address was incorrectly set to Portugal, so I was charged EU VAT. I've fixed the address. Please refund the VAT."*

**What Cortez is hearing:** *"I want a tax exemption."*

These are completely different things.

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**The problem in detail:**

- VAT is an **EU tax** — it only applies when a business is billed to an EU address
**Kitt** (2026-03-28 09:02)
- You're **not claiming to be tax-exempt** — you're saying you're **outside EU VAT jurisdiction entirely**
- A US company billed to a US address simply doesn't owe EU VAT. Full stop. No exemption certificate needed. No VAT ID needed.
- Cortez keeps asking for "tax-free verification documents" and a "VAT ID" — both are **EU/tax-exempt concepts that don't apply to your situation at all**

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**What to write back to Cortez:**

> "To clarify — this is not a tax exemption request. I am not claiming to be tax-exempt. I am requesting a refund of EU VAT that was incorrectly charged because my billing address was set to Portugal. My company, Curious Endeavor LLC, is incorporated in Florida, USA. US companies billed to US addresses are outside EU VAT jurisdiction and should not be charged VAT at all. I have already updated my billing address to the Florida address. I am requesting a refund of the VAT charged on past invoices while my address was incorrectly showing as Portugal. No VAT ID or tax exemption certificate is needed — only confirmation that my address is now correct and that the past VAT was applied in error."

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**Bottom line:** Cortez is stuck in a "tax exemption" script. You need to break that loop by explicitly stating this is a **billing jurisdiction error**, not a tax status issue.