Be VERY careful using the domain pricing import function

[123host]

I urge caution if you have used or a planning to use the new domain pricing import function. 

There are so many domain extensions now and prices change reasonably often.  It is pretty hard to stay on top of it and changing prices is tedious to say the least.  So WHMCS has this new thing that will import prices from certain registries. In principle it is a great idea and it works well...but it hasn't been thought through properly by WHMCS.

So you do your import and all your domain prices are updated.  Nice.  You can even quite decide on your margin for domains with quite fine granularity.  Also nice.  You run the import and you notice that there has been a price rise for a domain.  You need to update the price that customers are paying (but only for that domain, so the bulk pricing updater isn't the tool for the job).

In a customer > domain page you would check "Auto Recalculate on Save ". Well guess what, there is no global way to do that.  If you have hundreds of domains with a range of prices, you are in trouble if you want to update them for each of your thousands of customers.  WHMCS seems to have considered the first half of updating prices but have failed to realise the implications for users when it comes to the effect of an automated wholesale price change.

The suggestions from WHMCS? 

• Write my own module - thanks, but why should I do the work to fix a problem created by your software.  And what makes you assume I have the skills to do that?
• Update each domain manually - I am still laughing...
• Use the bulk pricing updater - when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail :P
• Add a feature request - someone did 7 years ago (!) and because it only got 34 votes it was closed and ignored - https://requests.whmcs.com/topic/bulk-auto-recalculate-option.  A feature request system that is based on popularity is flawed and I won't use it.
• Post something here. - well I am doing that so maybe others will realise the implications of this pricing import "feature" that you might not have noticed.

It shouldn't be hard for WHMCS to produce a utility to solve a problem they created, but there is a puzzling resistance to do so.

[brian!]

1 hour ago, 123host said:

So WHMCS has this new thing that will import prices from certain registries.

depending on the registrar, there are existing third-party solutions, often free, than can import TLDs and prices into WHMCS.

1 hour ago, 123host said:

but it hasn't been thought through properly by WHMCS.

that not the first time that's happened and it won't be the last - they have a habit of introducing partial solutions and then adding their usual disclaimer that x, y & z might be added in a future release... even if x, y or z are important to have now and make the feature limited at best without them... there is always jam tomorrow with WHMCS. 🙄

1 hour ago, 123host said:

Write my own module - thanks, but why should I do the work to fix a problem created by your software.  And what makes you assume I have the skills to do that?

I think their assumption is that if you can't DIY, you'll pay someone to do it for you - that's not the way things should be for issues like this, but there you go.

what they should also have suggested in that long list would be to look in Marketplace and see if there are any solutions there.

as you're using this feature, I assume you're either using eNom or a LogicBoxes registrar such as ResellerClub.

• eNom Domain Pricing Manager
• ResellerClub Tools

there would be price calculators there too, but one of the above might be better in your situation.

1 hour ago, 123host said:

Use the bulk pricing updater - when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail 😛

bugged for years when it came to domains - supposedly fixed in v7.10, but haven't dare test that yet.