Just so I'm clear on the situation here you have a client register a bunch of domains over a period of time (presumably short period).
You locked these domains until they're paid for. (Which by the way is probably not as desirable as not registering them until they pay you but the same thing could happen here too...)
This client provides you with a payment LESS than the total amount outstanding and states that you were supposed to know that this payment wasn't for the oldest invoice(s) but for a more current one that he is now trying to move?
In many businesses they practice open item invoicing which provides for paying more recent invoices while contention over older ones is resolved. When you speak of "standard accounting practices" you're implying that you would like to use a balance forward style of ledger in which payments are just applied to the amount outstanding from a client making it more difficult to flag unpaid invoices (to get to the bottom of issues) because in your system it would appear that they are paid by virtue of just receiving sufficient monies to cover them.
I think you'll find that non-payment is not grounds for withholding a domain unfortunately. The onus is on the RSP to secure sufficient protection from risk either from a deposit from which registration requests are drawn from (in the case of bigger clients), legal purchase order system or in the case of smaller clients good old credit cards (with all their inherent problems).
Tucows and most other registrars do not allow for registrations without them being paid in advance and if you want to differentiate yourself from them by allowing clients to be invoiced then unfortunately you are also assuming the risks of such an approach. Best to protect yourself and only allow for invoicing of clients you feel comfortable with their credit status and business ethics.
Probably not what you wanted to hear but I think you'll find it is the case here.
Cheers.
Jack
D. Clarke wrote:
Hi;
I have a small situation here with a client who owes us a fair amount of money and is trying to transfer his domain away (run and hide, basically)
I had locked his domain to prevent him from moving out completely but now that seems to be going against me.
He claims a payment made the other day has "paid" for his domain, although standard FIFO accounting procedures places his invoiced domain somewhere near the end of the list and thus has not paid.
OpenSRS compliancy is after me (courtesy of him complaining) and I'm stuck; If we cannot protect our company from rogue clients such as this by using the only asset available what is to stop others from doing the same thing? If there is nothing to seize or do in a situation like this, we're stuck hoping he pays or send him to collections and lose a lot of what he owes (if he even pays them)
Anybody have any ideas of situations similar to this?
Please reply to the list (unless this is considered off topic...)
~ Darryl
