[RESOLVED] Domain Name Registered and Renewed, even though customer paid once

[WisTex]

I found a weird situation where you can get double charged by your domain registrar because of how WHMCS automates things. I would suggest some sort of checking so that this does not happen.

 

Course of events:

1. Customer orders domain name registration.
   
2. Invoice is created and sent to customer.
   
3. Customer will pay you later (you made arrangements with them)
   
4. You approve the order and send domain to registrar.
   
5. Domain registrar charges you for domain name registration.
   
6. Customer pays invoice.
   
7. WHMCS sends renewal to registrar, even though customer is paying for the registration and not renewing it.
   
8. Registrar charges you for renewal.
   

 

Result:

• Customer pays for 1 year.
  
• You get charged for 2 years.
  

 

There are other similar situations where you can get double billed for the domain because of WHMCS's automation settings, but this is the most obvious one that I figured out.

[Ben-iNetFx]

It can also happen where customer doesnt wait for renewal invoice but goes to renew before the expiry date.

 

They pay and new years are added. (and registrar bills)

 

Then you go and accept the order (not realising it was already sent for renewal) and the years are added on again!

[Chrisw]

I had this problem in 3.6.1 (I think). Many domains were renewed for an extra year out of the blue and I believe invoices were sent . Not much we can do since it was not requested. Wrote it of as a loss. Not sure what the problem was, but hasn't happened since. Although, it's not working at all now so that could be why.

 

Which registrar are you using?

[Ben-iNetFx]

Enom ......

[HostingBegins]

Hi

 

I have had this problem, when a customer renewals a domain name, and it renewed, but the invoice was not marked as paid, once I marked the invoice as paid, it then renewed the domain name again. I know this is not the same as everyone else. but is there away around this ?

 

Thanks for any help.

[newbie]

I found a weird situation where you can get double charged by your domain registrar because of how WHMCS automates things. I would suggest some sort of checking so that this does not happen.

 

Course of events:

1. Customer orders domain name registration.
   
2. Invoice is created and sent to customer.
   
3. Customer will pay you later (you made arrangements with them)
   
4. You approve the order and send domain to registrar.
   
5. Domain registrar charges you for domain name registration.
   
6. Customer pays invoice.
   
7. WHMCS sends renewal to registrar, even though customer is paying for the registration and not renewing it.
   
8. Registrar charges you for renewal.
   

 

Result:

• Customer pays for 1 year.
  
• You get charged for 2 years.
  

 

There are other similar situations where you can get double billed for the domain because of WHMCS's automation settings, but this is the most obvious one that I figured out.

 

This was fixed once before. (3.51)

 

 

You also get this when, accepting the order and and add payment later.

Or ordering the domain directly and add payment later.

[Matt]

@WisTex: The issue here is you have "Auto Renew on Payment" enabled and so if the domain is already activated (because you've done so manually) and then you receive a payment for it, WHMCS performs the action as per your settings and will therefore submit a renewal request for it.

 

If you do choose to submit the order before you are paid for it, to avoid a renewal happening when you are later paid, you need to set the domain status back to Pending inside WHMCS. By doing that, when you receive the payment, it's not a payment for an active domain and so will not be treated as a renewal.

 

@Ben: When accepting an order, if you have auto renew on payment enabled, you always know to not resubmit the renewal request.

 

Matt

[isdoo]

Thanks for tip about setting it back to pending - will give it a try.

[delator]

just so you know - i've read that with registering and renewing a domain, registrars will give you a 5 day return warranty - i.e. if you purchase a domain and you realise you miss-spelt it, or renewed it too many times, the registrar will refund your money.

i haven't tried it myself, only read about it.

[ScrltOTara]

I had this happen to me again today because I transferred a domain in, then when the transfer actually went through, I hit "process payment" from the invoice and it renewed again.

 

My question is this: if I leave the domain as "pending", will it generate another invoice next year when it comes around for renewal again? Then once I process payment, I can change it back to active? That way I'm not losing a year's renewal for the clients this has happened with?

 

These are clients that won't manage their domains anyway, so having that part not "connected" won't be a problem.

[scarson]

just so you know - i've read that with registering and renewing a domain, registrars will give you a 5 day return warranty - i.e. if you purchase a domain and you realise you miss-spelt it, or renewed it too many times, the registrar will refund your money.

i haven't tried it myself, only read about it.

 

This is what enom had to say about the issue:

 

Response (Daniel M.) 09/29/2008 06:29 PM

Hello,

 

Thank you for contacting us about this domain renewal issue. Yes, we can cancel the renewal order and issue a refund; however, please acknowledge the domain will be deleted and go into immediate redemption, regardless of any time left on the original registration.

 

Should you or your client change your mind, there is a $160 fee to recover domains in redemption. This is the only way the Registry will allow a refund on a renewal within the grace period.

 

If you wish to change the whois output information before the domain(s) are deleted, please do so now. After a domain goes into redemption, this cannot be changed.

 

If you are a reseller of this domain, you agree you are acting on behalf of the registrant, and have the authorization to request this domain be deleted and go into immediate redemption.

 

Please reply that you understand the domain will go into redemption and we'll take care of it. NOTHING WILL BE DONE UNTIL WE RECEIVE YOUR REPLY.

 

To save time in the future, if you need us to delete and refund renewals during the grace period, please indicate you understand the domain will go into immediate redemption when submitting your case.

 

To ensure we have time to issue credit, please reply by: 10/2/08