Changing Due Date After Posting Partial Payment

[garybarr]

I have a number of hosting customers that still pay by check and they are used to writing the same amount each month and mailing to me... However, once a year, their payment should be $12 higher for domain renewal... and they miss that.  So, I record the payment, minus the $12 they left off.  Thus, leaving $12 due... and I write them a little reminder letter explaining why this month is more...  They are all great people, they never miss a payment, so I want to extend them an extra month to pay me the extra $12... However, I can't, because I posted a partial payment and that's pretty annoying.  I can see why it won't let me change other things after a partial payment, but I don't understand why giving them extra time to pay the rest is anyone's business but mine?  Or how it would effect ANYTHING else...  Instead, I have to go back in and un-post the payment, or let the system send them nasty letters (or even suspend their service) if they don't pay it immediately.  

 

I try to remember not to post the payment before I change due date, but I'm still finding myself forgetting and having to undo my work.  Can this please be changed?

[Cody]

Moved to feature request.

 

We're open to suggestions, but our stance has always been this:

1. It's generally always a bad idea to modify an invoice that's already been created, especially if it's already been delivered to the client, most especially if there has already been payments applied to the invoice.
2. If we think of invoices as contractual agreements, it's only logical that we don't allow modifications except through amendments. It follows then that the proper solution is to credit the customer for the $12 to pay off the original invoice, then issue a new invoice for the $12 they still owe. Obviously it's easier just to change a due date, but this method follows better accounting practices.

In the long run, however, you might just be better off billing them for the domain on a different date than their regular monthly bill, so it shows up as a separate invoice.

[Paul]

I'm pretty sure we'll be implementing a feature to prevent invoices from being modified at all -- as a setting. Without the setting, I sort of agree. I find myself having to make adjustments to the due date, usually to give the customer more time to pay because we worked out a special arrangement.

 

It's a lot simpler to change the renew date only, than to unapply credits. Especially since you cannot manually reapply those credits yet. (You will be able to in a future release)