Introduction

As AI tools begin to “discriminate,” user trust quietly crumbles. This article reveals controversies surrounding Claude’s membership services, account bans, and regional restrictions through real user experiences, reflecting on how AI products can balance technological innovation with user respect in global operations.

I consider myself quite moderate when it comes to paying for AI tools. I believe that if an AI has its merits and I happen to need it, paying to unlock more features is reasonable.

For example, I was impressed with Kimi’s computer use and Kimi Researcher, so I decisively purchased their membership. I found GPT’s long-term memory very useful, and I was satisfied with its responses during conversations, so I subscribed to their Plus membership. When I was doing my daily reports, I noticed that Gemini 2.5 Pro had a sufficiently long context, and GDR (Gemini DeepResearch) was quite good, so I subscribed to their Pro version.

I don’t think I’m a stingy person… At one point, I spent over 400 RMB a month on AI subscriptions. The reason I subscribed was that I believed my money was well spent; even if I didn’t use the membership much, I didn’t mind, as I trusted that spending would yield returns. Paying a bit for better tools and solutions is perfectly fine.

A Curious Attempt

Being someone who dislikes hassle, I tend to stick to a fixed set of AIs. I use ChatGPT for creating public account covers and handling tasks that require long-term memory. I use Gemini for writing tasks and occasionally generating prompts. Kimi is my go-to for factual inquiries; I usually ask it any small questions I have.

This covers almost all my usage scenarios.

One day, while scrolling through Twitter out of boredom, I saw a post from someone who claimed they had been chatting with Claude during the National Day holiday, and that Claude could accurately point out their mistakes, leaving them feeling refreshed afterward. This piqued my curiosity.

For various reasons, I had never tried Claude before, thinking my current tools were sufficient. However, after reading that blog post, I couldn’t shake the thought. “Is it really that good?” I kept pondering it as I lay in bed that night.

So, I decided to give it a try. I started with the free version and asked a few questions. I found the responses quite satisfactory, so I decided to use the money I had set aside for GPT’s renewal to subscribe to Claude’s membership.

At first, everything was pleasant. I even shared my conversations with Claude in my group chat, finding it quite entertaining.

I asked Claude to critique itself and the experiences with the other two (Gemini and ChatGPT), and I felt it provided insights I could relate to. Looking back, I surely should have slapped myself.

Because I was quickly proven wrong.

Reality Hits Hard

I subscribed to the membership this morning, thinking that since I had paid, I should chat with Claude more… However, when I opened the app on my phone in the afternoon, Claude threw an error at me.

Initially, I thought it was a network issue and tried switching IPs several times, but to no avail. When I logged in on my computer, a message confirmed my worst fears.

It meant my account was banned.

What? I just bought the membership, and now it’s banned??? I didn’t get banned while using the free version for half a day, but now that I have a membership, I get banned? What does that mean?

I was very confused and ran to ask GPT, and its response really made me laugh in frustration.

This reminded me of a line from “Let the Bullets Fly”: “Should good people be held at gunpoint?”

Because I subscribed, does that mean I get stricter scrutiny?

The novelty of having just subscribed quickly faded into frustration. Moreover, this ban didn’t just prevent me from using the model; I couldn’t even access the chat, getting stuck right at login.

This meant that if I had important tasks to complete with Claude, I would no longer be able to access them.

Alright, Claude, you really are something.

A Decision to Move On

After filling out the appeal form, a glimmer of hope crossed my mind: “What if they restore my account?” But then I couldn’t help but slap myself again.

There are so many AIs out there; why should I pin my hopes on Claude? Why should I keep putting myself in a position to be let down?

Then I realized I just wanted my money back and to have no further dealings with Claude. At that moment, I remembered why I had never subscribed to Claude before.

Because Claude, or rather Anthropic, whether as a company or through its CEO, harbors a certain level of animosity towards our country and its citizens. The CEO of Anthropic has called for a ban on U.S. chip exports to China to limit China’s AI development. On September 5, the company announced an update to its sales restrictions, immediately banning companies or subsidiaries with majority ownership by Chinese capital from using its Claude series AI services, including Claude Code.

Moreover, they have massively banned accounts of Chinese users, and even if you use special methods to change your IP, it doesn’t help.

Honestly, customers spend money expecting commensurate service, not facing discrimination through colored glasses.

I believe that AI technology should be inclusive, and products should not set boundaries or be influenced by other factors that exclude certain users.

Such behavior is undoubtedly low-end and unwise.

In summary, I will not engage with Claude again; I refuse to be a fool anymore.