We have all the recurring billing set up, for the 1st of the month.
There is not an option for pro-rating using Hostcharge.com (please don't tell me to switch or slam me for using them, thanks ;) )

How do you do pro-rating if you have recurring billing on a certain day of the month? Do you do it manually and set it up for the client/customer. Or have you just given them a free how-ever-many days to try out your hosting services until the 1st of the month?

I'm asking as we are going to be figuring the rate out and manually entering it for the first payment. Then, sending them to the link for their plan on the 1st of the month, so they can enter their info. and be billed every month.

I guess we could give them the option of every 30-days, no matter what day they signed up. I wanted to have everything on the first though.

Good? Bad? Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

:) Sara

Why not just offer the start of the month free of charge - so if they sign up on the a5th they get free hosting until the 1st of the month when they get billed for the first time.

There was another thread on this a month or two ago, perhaps a search may locate it for you.

Yeah, I'd go with the easy approach of giving them the rest of the month free. The client will LOVE that! :)



Steve

Thanks for your replies! I did do a search, Dave, before I posted this thread, force of habit.

I went and made everything just 30 days recurring. It's easier for us, me especially and I will keep in mind about the first month free idea, thanks!

Hopefully we'll be opening our doors for business tomorrow. I'm so excited! :D

Sara

Good luck with your business :)

Good Luck Sara!

Thanks Dave and Steven!! :)

There is not an option for pro-rating using Hostcharge.com I went and made everything just 30 days recurring. Be sure to check the software to ensure it handles the 29th, 30th, and 31st correctly during months that do not have those days.

Prior to writing our own billing software, we looked at quite a few pieces of billing software and were simply amazed at how many do not handle these days correctly if they are not in that month.

Some would change the billing date completely for the client.

Example: Client orders on the 31st of the month.
The following month ends on the 30th so the software bills them on the 30th and resets their bill day to the 30th.
Then Feb rolls around and the software bills them on the 28th and continues to bill them on the 28th every month from then on.
(Would you believe even QuickBooks Pro had this problem? e.g. even the 'big boys' that have been in the business of accounting software for a while have known issues with what we call the 'end of month bug'.)

Example 2: Client orders on the 31st of the month
A month without 31 days in it rolls around and since there is no 31st day the software simply does not bill them that month!! *GASP* the clients that order on the 31st get a lot of free months!

Example 3: Client orders on the 31st day of the month
30 day month rolls around so the software bills them on them on the 1st of the following month and then again on the 31st of the same month...

The above are just some example problems we found with various billing solutions... there were others. Some programs totally choked over bill days that didn't exist in a given month. The vendor's solution? "Just don't bill on those days" *sigh*

Some of the above examples may sound like not a big deal but trust me, as you grow they can become very big deals.

Realizing it's not easy to just change software, I do feel it is very important that IF your billing software does not handle these final days of the month correctly, and if you are billing on anniversary days, that you pro-rate (or whatever) to ensure no clients end up with a bill day of the 29th, 30th, or 31st.

I'll refrain from yet another rant about poor software at premium prices :mad:

I'll refrain from yet another rant about poor software at premium prices

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! :D

... as she jerks her head quickly around to see who said that...

Her glaring eyes settle on the noise maker prepared to burn a hole right through UmbillyCord for speaking.

Did you say something?!?!?!

I didn't think so!

:D

Originally posted by Deb
... as she jerks her head quickly around to see who said that...

Her glaring eyes settle on the noise maker prepared to burn a hole right through UmbillyCord for speaking.

Did you say something?!?!?!

I didn't think so!

:D

Whoa. Thats not funny. I had a serious flashback to last night. I can't remember what I did, but my girlfriend didn't like it. :)