Charging invoices before due date feature.

[mm1250]

Hello,

Currently WHMCS has the ability to generate an invoice x days before the "Next due date". This is great.

The only issue is that the invoice is only generated and isn't charged. To make the system more flexible for invocing. I suggest there also be another field that says charge invoice x days before due date.

So for example. I have a monthly webhosting service that renews on on 1/7/08.

I have the invoice set to generate 7 days prior to the renewal which should be 1/1/08. I would also like the invoice to be charged "7" days prior to the "next due date". This would allow for alot of hosts to manage payments beforehand so if the service by the time the due date has arrived- hasn't been paid. It can be set to cancel "x" days after the due date. Most hosts are going to this model whereby they invocie AND charge "x" days prior to renewal and if by the time the renewal date hits, the service hasn't been paid, it will suspend the account. If creating a field that can have an editable date, how about something like a checkbox that says "charge on invoice generation".

The first options would of course give greater flexability.

[Si]

So you tell the customer your next due date is the 8th July but raise the invoice on the 1st July and charge them on the 1st July as well. ? As a customer I would find it hard to believe the 8th July being the due date and would argue you have double standards.

Is this really a model that webhosts use for charging?

Si

[Si]

To give you some thought.

What we do is raise invoices 30 days prior to due date.

Then on the due date, the system either collects the money from their card if they haven't manually paid.

If on that date the invoice isn't paid, their account is suspended, instantly.

AND we charge them an extra fee for being late at the same time.

We actually get customers contacting us to apologise for being late (no complaints ever of the extra charge). Customers pay on time, mostly, and have little arguement as they have been given a full 30 days notice to pay,

I think you'll find a lot of complaints from customers that 7 days is not enough. We started with 14 days notice 9 years ago and still got complaints about that. We don't have complaints now.

The WHMCS system is very flexible for various models as it is, and I think if you really put your mind to it, there will be a solution to keep your customers happy and to ensure you get paid on time as well.

Hope this helps.

Si

[mm1250]

Yes, there are ALOT of webhosts that charge for an invoice BEFORE the renewal date. (atleast the big ones i've seen)

The reason behind this, is, You have a dedicated server client and nobody likes to wait 7 days after it was due to suspend the customer( essentially giving the client 7 free days after the renewal if they don't intend of renewing). If the client is to renew on 1/7, if the payment isn't secured on or before the 7th than on the 8th the server or web hosting package should be put on hold.

So the answer is to bill the invoice AND CHARGE x(7) days prior to its renewal date. SO if by the time it is at the renewal date, the payment isn't paid. The customer had 7 days ago to take care of either, the declined charge, expired CC etc, and they were notified of such.

So to make this feature work, WHMCS would need to have a box added that is:
Charge invoice x days before renewal, or a checkbox that is "charge on invoice generation".

[mm1250]

To give you some thought.

What we do is raise invoices 30 days prior to due date.

Then on the due date, the system either collects the money from their card if they haven't manually paid.

If on that date the invoice isn't paid, their account is suspended, instantly.

Si

This sounds good, but what from what I see, every month the client would have to manualy go in and pay the invoice or on the renewal date, the charge will attempt. If the client doesn't go in to manual pay or the card attempt fails, than it puts the package on hold. So, don't you think it would be BETTER, to have the system automate the charge for the client lets say (x)days before due date, so they dont' have to worry about going in and paying. The goal is to make this very seemless for the customer. By charing their card xdays before renewal, it gives the custoemrs with failed charges time to go in and try to fix the CC issue without finding out the day of that the charge was denied and account is suspended.

Modernbill does this perfectly, In fact, they have it setup where you can split invoice/charge generation for domains and a different invoice/charge generation for hosting accounts.

I dont' want to be greedy and ask for another box for domain invocing settings but if we can get this going for hosting accounts it would work in and help alot of hosting companies style out how they bill customers. WHMCS is a billing system in hence it should be able to adapt to more than 1 billing method.

[Si]

Well I hope you find Matt can accommodate your needs.

Si

[othellotech]

You can already do exactky this by understanding the various dates, due periods etc that WHMCS provides

[Si]

You can already do exactky this by understanding the various dates, due periods etc that WHMCS provides

Yes, but wouldn't it require manual intervention on each order to adjust the invoice dates. I think mm1250 is after a more automated solution through configuration.

Si

[mm1250]

Matt,

Could you shed some light if you are going to put this in? I think it's essential.

[generic]

just go into their account and change the due date to 7 days earlier than it is now. then your all set. While it does not do exactly what your looking for, in the end its the same result. your still 7 days ahead of what their original payment date was.