This actually sounds so backwards as to have me wondering if it was a bug that they should have addressed rather than straightaway giving the refund ... never ascribe to malice that which etc. etc.
I've been looking into ProtonVPN for a while now (haven't gotten around to evaluating yet because reasons) and one thing I do recall is that they offer more entry/exit points when you're paid up. I wonder could it just have been an issue with one of these "paid" nodes? Now that he's going through the free plan perhaps he's using a node with higher traffic where issues are more readily apparent?
I've been looking into ProtonVPN for a while now (haven't gotten around to evaluating yet because reasons) and one thing I do recall is that they offer more entry/exit points when you're paid up. I wonder could it just have been an issue with one of these "paid" nodes? Now that he's going through the free plan perhaps he's using a node with higher traffic where issues are more readily apparent?