NOTE: This suggestion would still require users to re-enter their credit card information to Approve this Change!

Create a form that allows us to enter a change to a recurring billing amount. After that form is filled out either an e-mail is sent to the customer, or an URL is provided to us to give to the user which will have user re-enter credit card information to update the new billing amount.

The present method is to cancel an existing recurring account, and sign up a new one.

Why this would be more helpful:

The recurring cycle would already be set and remain the same.
The process would be more simplified and make more sense to both customers and hosting companies.
We would not have to perform the second step of cancelling the previous order.
The e-mail or page that the user will see would state that they are making a change.
We would not have to manually wait until a customer is near the end of a billing cycle to have them reorder their new plan.
We would not have to figure out how to charge them for prorated amounts.
Would fix the biggest gripe seen about 2checkout.com in these forums.

Note: The way I am proposing is not intended to give 2checkout.com any additional work, other then the setting up of this feature. I would really appreciate this change as it would make it easier for us to use 2checkout.com. We have reasearched many billing processors, and of the few that offer the right service for the right price, 2checkout is the closest to what we need, except for this one problem. Thank you!!

Neofree

I also think this would be very useful as it is currently difficult and time consuming to move someone to a larger package. ;)

Personally, I would rather handle my customers and not have 2Checkout.com have to do this. I have been with 2Checkout for quite some time and I understand how the process works. It takes minutes to send the customer an e-mail and ask them to resubmit a new transaction with the changes.

I also need to look at it if I was the customer, would I want you to have access to changing what I have already agreed to without my input? NO WAY MAN!!

RfHost: please vote, I dont think you did.

sesran: I dont think you understand. It's not having us make a change without their knowledge. It's just consolidation of the two step process. Instead of cancelling the recurring transaction and having the user reorder, we fill out a form which Requires the Customer to Approve.

In effect: The customer does exactly the same thing, except they don't have to go through our order pages to figure out how to put the correct combination of add-ons and plans. We figure out this total, explain it to our user and give them a link to approve the change, by re-entering the credit card information, just as before.

Originally posted by neofree
We figure out this total, explain it to our user and give them a link to approve the change, by re-entering the credit card information, just as before.

This can be done already, I have been doing similar for a while. I even have links setup for this. What I do is send the customer an invoice, explaining the change and that they need to resubmit. There will be a link that they click on that will bring them right to the payment page. Once they have resubmitted their card, I then cancel their previous recurring process. This way 2Checkout does not have to be involved at all.

Example Please note, this is not considered an advertisement.
Dear Customer,
Short explanation of the changes, tell them that once the new payment has been authorized we will cancel their previous recurring process. Then you tell them to click here to Authorize the new payment process.
Upgrade Your Plan Here (https://www.2checkout.com/cgi-bin/crbuyers/recpurchase.2c?sid=14040&product_id=5&quantity=1)
We appreciate your business,
Our Comapany Signature.

I understand what you are saying, and I think it would cover the issue ALMOST.

1. The new recurring cycle restarts from the date they approve it. As we can easily expect, the customer will not always approve the same day, so we can not accurately predict a prorated ammount. The way I suggest will keep the same recurring cycle, so that we don't overbill our customers.

2. This does not give any additional work to 2checkout.com, other then setting this feature up. We would fill out the form, it would give us a link, we would mail our customers the link.

3. You wouldn't have to worry about cancelling the other order.

Less work for us, same work for 2checkout.com.
Same precaution would be in effect by 2checkout.com

It definitely would be a good thing if 2checkout would add this feature. I'm planning on setting up an account with them soon and was wondering about this same thing. Maybe they're already working on this. I hope so, anyway.

Other suggestions for 2checkout.com include:


Ability to change item/product options for re-occuring products
Ability to ask for user input (custom fields) i.e. Domain Name, Desired Username, etc
Have a customer service staff member. They are very hard to get in contact with if you ever run into trouble or need to resolve a billing matter.

Don't they have a telephone number that customers can call?

I like the suggestion for custom fields. What would be even cooler is being able to customize a form completely, and then upload it to 2checkout. Kind of a support nightmare for them though, and would understand why they would probably not want to do that.

Neofree

2checkout refuses to comment further about this issue. Everytime I had brought it up to them they came back with an answer that did not make since to the suggestion I have made. I find it frustrating when a company is unwilling to listen to their customers. I'm not asking for anything that would make their business harder to operate, or make their relationship with their merchant any more difficult. Most people just want the ability to change billing amount Without notifying the user or having the approve it. I am asking quite the opposite, something I haven't seena anyone ask before! But I'm being treated as if I was asking for the to change the billing amount without the customers knowledge!

Maybe we should all e-mail them?

Neofree

Give them time, they may not add specifically the things you want. But I have talked with the owner, and he is pretty dedicated to improving. Things take time though, if you don't do things right, you will end up like some of the other processors who are no longer around.

2checkout are very good.

For a company with cheap rates and prices they still have very good support.


You have to remember you can't expect everything for $50. If you want complete customisation you need a merchant account - be prepared to pay too!

I still don't understand why 2checkout thinks adding this will make their service illegal, or add aditional support work.

Neofree