You have two options for how you wish to handle this transaction. The
way Emerald handles prorating, it generates a pro-rate charge for the
current month, which resides in the MBR's history as a Charge until it
is rolled into an invoice. When you invoice the customer (either
through batching or by selecting "Master > Invoice Next Term" from the
menu in the MBR edit screen), the first invoice will be for the prorated
amount (in your case, 10/18 through 11/1) plus the first full month
(11/1 through 12/1).
For your first option: In Emerald's current operation, if you pay $19.95
against this invoice whose coverage dates in the system are 11/1 through
12/1, the customer will carry a balance and receive a bill next month
for a previous balance (the prorate amount) plus one month's service.
However, they will be marked paid through 12/1.
The problem with handling it this way is that the second invoice
containing the previous balance does not contain any detail on what the
previous balance is for (whereas the first invoice does contain that
detail in the line item for the Charge).
Second option: For customers who wish to use prorating, the best way to
do it currently is to charge new signups the full amount of the first
invoice by using Master > Invoice Next Term to bill them when you create
the account and services.
If you switch from anniversary billing to monthly billing, the first
month's fees are no longer a flat $19.95. In my experience, many cable
and telephone companies bill this way and charge you for the time to get
on their billing cycle with your first invoice.
David Routh wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> We started out doing Anniversary/Renewal billing and that worked fine as we
> didn't have to do and pro-rates. However now we're wanting to switch to
> Monthly/Renewal and I'm not quite sure how to make things work out right...
>
> If a customer signs up (sends us an application) and includes the first
> months payment $19.95... We put the customer in Emerald as Monthly/Renewal
> and Emerald creates a pro-rated charge... Emerald also sets the Expire date
> as the 1st of the next month...
>
> OK, if it is the 18th (October) then basically the above customer is paid
> through Nov. 18th... While I realize the pro-rate charge will still be
> there for invoicing, how do I invoice the customer prior to the 18th (say a
> week ahead)... and how do I set the dates in Emerald... Emerald shows
> 11/1/99 as the Expire Date so even though the customer is paid to the 18th
> they will expire based on our extends (15) that are set in Emerald...
>
> I guess I'm asking how to pro-rate customers on their second invoice
> instead of when Emerald initially creates the MBR, and have the Expire
> dates, etc. set correctly... or is there no way to automatically set this
> up...
>
> Hope this all makes some sense...
> Thanks, David
>
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