Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
Thanks for the feedback everyone. Not only will I stick to pre billing... it is time to start charging late fees. It's hard to imagine I used to do all the billing manually. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 3:03 PM, Lewis Bergmanwrote: > I'll bet I may have credited a dozen account late fees in all the time we > charged it. > > On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 1:34 PM Seth Mattinen wrote: > >> On 6/28/16 11:18, Ken Hohhof wrote: >> > I found a high proportion of people would pay the bill, ignore the late >> > fee. Then you would have to decide whether to void it or enforce it. >> > Paperwork hassle either way. >> >> >> I treat it as a partial payment and it'll be auto disconnected for >> nonpayment like normal. If someone asks nicely we'll usually give them >> one "out" per year if they don't have a history. But if they think >> they're special or don't reach out beforehand or are an argumentative >> a-hole then they are handled strictly by what's in writing regarding >> their account. >> >> ~Seth >> >
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
I'll bet I may have credited a dozen account late fees in all the time we charged it. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 1:34 PM Seth Mattinenwrote: > On 6/28/16 11:18, Ken Hohhof wrote: > > I found a high proportion of people would pay the bill, ignore the late > > fee. Then you would have to decide whether to void it or enforce it. > > Paperwork hassle either way. > > > I treat it as a partial payment and it'll be auto disconnected for > nonpayment like normal. If someone asks nicely we'll usually give them > one "out" per year if they don't have a history. But if they think > they're special or don't reach out beforehand or are an argumentative > a-hole then they are handled strictly by what's in writing regarding > their account. > > ~Seth >
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
On 6/28/16 11:18, Ken Hohhof wrote: I found a high proportion of people would pay the bill, ignore the late fee. Then you would have to decide whether to void it or enforce it. Paperwork hassle either way. I treat it as a partial payment and it'll be auto disconnected for nonpayment like normal. If someone asks nicely we'll usually give them one "out" per year if they don't have a history. But if they think they're special or don't reach out beforehand or are an argumentative a-hole then they are handled strictly by what's in writing regarding their account. ~Seth
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
Enforce it. "Aw gee sir, it looks like you have a balance of $7 that's more than 30 days past due so the system shut you off automaticallyI really wish I could help you, but the computer just won't let me reactivate until that little balance is clear. Sorry, I sure wish there was something more I could do for you. I guess you might just have to start trying to pay on time to make this dumb billing computer happy. I'm sooo sorry." *rubs nipples* -- Original Message -- From: "Ken Hohhof" <af...@kwisp.com> To: af@afmug.com Sent: 6/28/2016 2:18:54 PM Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? I found a high proportion of people would pay the bill, ignore the late fee. Then you would have to decide whether to void it or enforce it. Paperwork hassle either way. From:Jeremy Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 1:05 PM To:af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? Our late fee is $10I thought that was low. I really would prefer the people who pay late and constantly need special attention for billing issues go elsewhere. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 9:25 AM, Lewis Bergman <lewis.berg...@gmail.com> wrote: Very good point Ken. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 8:40 AM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: If you bill for the previous month, count on not getting the last month for at least half the customers who leave. I’m talking about renters who move every 12 months, people who sell their house, etc. That does affect your bottom line. Also, if you turn someone off for nonpayment, and now they already owe you for last month plus part of this month, it can become tempting to just stiff you and find a new provider. I know one ex customer that has gone through us plus 2 other local WISPs plus Rise Broadband twice. I compare it to people who are under water on their mortgage, they are actually money ahead to walk away or get foreclosed. You don’t want your customer to owe you so much money that it is in their economic best interest to switch providers and not pay you what they owe. From:Jim Bouse [Brazos WiFi] Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 7:23 AM To:af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is pre or post billing. It may give you heartburn to see non-pays getting something for nothing for a month but in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference because we have fixed monthly costs. If they pay or not doesn’t affect our OPEX. Jim Bouse Owner Mobile IT Pro - Brazos WiFi 979-985-5912 j...@brazoswifi.com From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Lewis Bergman Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 6:15 AM To:af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday someone got for nothing. On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: Exactly. And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. -Original Message- From: Larry Smith Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend cash, check customers on the 10th. Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). -- Larry Smith lesm...@ecsis.net On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with collections > and it seemed fair. > > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. > > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend not > to do it? > > -Chris
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
Ours is $10 also. Still same people late and pay it most months…. From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Jeremy Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 11:06 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? Our late fee is $10I thought that was low. I really would prefer the people who pay late and constantly need special attention for billing issues go elsewhere. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 9:25 AM, Lewis Bergman <lewis.berg...@gmail.com> wrote: Very good point Ken. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 8:40 AM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: If you bill for the previous month, count on not getting the last month for at least half the customers who leave. I’m talking about renters who move every 12 months, people who sell their house, etc. That does affect your bottom line. Also, if you turn someone off for nonpayment, and now they already owe you for last month plus part of this month, it can become tempting to just stiff you and find a new provider. I know one ex customer that has gone through us plus 2 other local WISPs plus Rise Broadband twice. I compare it to people who are under water on their mortgage, they are actually money ahead to walk away or get foreclosed. You don’t want your customer to owe you so much money that it is in their economic best interest to switch providers and not pay you what they owe. From: Jim Bouse [Brazos WiFi] <mailto:j...@brazoswifi.com> Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 7:23 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is pre or post billing. It may give you heartburn to see non-pays getting something for nothing for a month but in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference because we have fixed monthly costs. If they pay or not doesn’t affect our OPEX. Jim Bouse Owner Mobile IT Pro - Brazos WiFi 979-985-5912 j...@brazoswifi.com From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Lewis Bergman Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 6:15 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday someone got for nothing. On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: Exactly. And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. -Original Message- From: Larry Smith Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend cash, check customers on the 10th. Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). -- Larry Smith lesm...@ecsis.net On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with collections > and it seemed fair. > > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. > > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend not > to do it? > > -Chris
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
I found a high proportion of people would pay the bill, ignore the late fee. Then you would have to decide whether to void it or enforce it. Paperwork hassle either way. From: Jeremy Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 1:05 PM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? Our late fee is $10I thought that was low. I really would prefer the people who pay late and constantly need special attention for billing issues go elsewhere. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 9:25 AM, Lewis Bergman <lewis.berg...@gmail.com> wrote: Very good point Ken. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 8:40 AM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: If you bill for the previous month, count on not getting the last month for at least half the customers who leave. I’m talking about renters who move every 12 months, people who sell their house, etc. That does affect your bottom line. Also, if you turn someone off for nonpayment, and now they already owe you for last month plus part of this month, it can become tempting to just stiff you and find a new provider. I know one ex customer that has gone through us plus 2 other local WISPs plus Rise Broadband twice. I compare it to people who are under water on their mortgage, they are actually money ahead to walk away or get foreclosed. You don’t want your customer to owe you so much money that it is in their economic best interest to switch providers and not pay you what they owe. From: Jim Bouse [Brazos WiFi] Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 7:23 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is pre or post billing. It may give you heartburn to see non-pays getting something for nothing for a month but in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference because we have fixed monthly costs. If they pay or not doesn’t affect our OPEX. Jim Bouse Owner Mobile IT Pro - Brazos WiFi 979-985-5912 j...@brazoswifi.com From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Lewis Bergman Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 6:15 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday someone got for nothing. On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: Exactly. And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. -Original Message- From: Larry Smith Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend cash, check customers on the 10th. Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). -- Larry Smith lesm...@ecsis.net On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with collections > and it seemed fair. > > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. > > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend not > to do it? > > -Chris
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
Our late fee is $10I thought that was low. I really would prefer the people who pay late and constantly need special attention for billing issues go elsewhere. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 9:25 AM, Lewis Bergman <lewis.berg...@gmail.com> wrote: > Very good point Ken. > > On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 8:40 AM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: > >> If you bill for the previous month, count on not getting the last month >> for at least half the customers who leave. I’m talking about renters who >> move every 12 months, people who sell their house, etc. >> >> That does affect your bottom line. >> >> Also, if you turn someone off for nonpayment, and now they already owe >> you for last month plus part of this month, it can become tempting to just >> stiff you and find a new provider. I know one ex customer that has gone >> through us plus 2 other local WISPs plus Rise Broadband twice. I compare >> it to people who are under water on their mortgage, they are actually money >> ahead to walk away or get foreclosed. You don’t want your customer to owe >> you so much money that it is in their economic best interest to switch >> providers and not pay you what they owe. >> >> >> *From:* Jim Bouse [Brazos WiFi] <j...@brazoswifi.com> >> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 28, 2016 7:23 AM >> *To:* af@afmug.com >> *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? >> >> >> In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is pre or post billing. It may give >> you heartburn to see non-pays getting something for nothing for a month but >> in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference because we have fixed >> monthly costs. If they pay or not doesn’t affect our OPEX. >> >> >> >> Jim Bouse >> >> Owner >> >> Mobile IT Pro - Brazos WiFi >> >> 979-985-5912 >> >> j...@brazoswifi.com >> >> >> >> *From:* Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] *On Behalf Of *Lewis Bergman >> >> >> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 28, 2016 6:15 AM >> >> *To:* af@afmug.com >> *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? >> >> >> >> Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the >> first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug >> difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday >> someone got for nothing. >> >> >> >> On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: >> >> Exactly. >> >> And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for >> monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. >> >> >> -Original Message- >> From: Larry Smith >> Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM >> To: af@afmug.com >> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? >> >> If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, >> there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if >> they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month >> on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th >> for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend >> cash, check customers on the 10th. >> >> Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). >> >> -- >> Larry Smith >> lesm...@ecsis.net >> >> On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: >> > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before >> service >> > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and >> > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I >> convinced >> > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with >> collections >> > and it seemed fair. >> > >> > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not >> > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a >> > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service >> > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and >> > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. >> > >> > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend >> not >> > to do it? >> > >> > -Chris >> >>
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
Very good point Ken. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 8:40 AM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: > If you bill for the previous month, count on not getting the last month > for at least half the customers who leave. I’m talking about renters who > move every 12 months, people who sell their house, etc. > > That does affect your bottom line. > > Also, if you turn someone off for nonpayment, and now they already owe you > for last month plus part of this month, it can become tempting to just > stiff you and find a new provider. I know one ex customer that has gone > through us plus 2 other local WISPs plus Rise Broadband twice. I compare > it to people who are under water on their mortgage, they are actually money > ahead to walk away or get foreclosed. You don’t want your customer to owe > you so much money that it is in their economic best interest to switch > providers and not pay you what they owe. > > > *From:* Jim Bouse [Brazos WiFi] <j...@brazoswifi.com> > *Sent:* Tuesday, June 28, 2016 7:23 AM > *To:* af@afmug.com > *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? > > > In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is pre or post billing. It may give > you heartburn to see non-pays getting something for nothing for a month but > in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference because we have fixed > monthly costs. If they pay or not doesn’t affect our OPEX. > > > > Jim Bouse > > Owner > > Mobile IT Pro - Brazos WiFi > > 979-985-5912 > > j...@brazoswifi.com > > > > *From:* Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] *On Behalf Of *Lewis Bergman > > > *Sent:* Tuesday, June 28, 2016 6:15 AM > > *To:* af@afmug.com > *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? > > > > Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the > first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug > difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday > someone got for nothing. > > > > On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: > > Exactly. > > And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for > monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. > > > -Original Message- > From: Larry Smith > Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM > To: af@afmug.com > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? > > If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, > there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if > they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month > on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th > for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend > cash, check customers on the 10th. > > Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). > > -- > Larry Smith > lesm...@ecsis.net > > On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: > > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service > > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and > > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced > > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with > collections > > and it seemed fair. > > > > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not > > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a > > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service > > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and > > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. > > > > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend > not > > to do it? > > > > -Chris > >
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
If you bill for the previous month, count on not getting the last month for at least half the customers who leave. I’m talking about renters who move every 12 months, people who sell their house, etc. That does affect your bottom line. Also, if you turn someone off for nonpayment, and now they already owe you for last month plus part of this month, it can become tempting to just stiff you and find a new provider. I know one ex customer that has gone through us plus 2 other local WISPs plus Rise Broadband twice. I compare it to people who are under water on their mortgage, they are actually money ahead to walk away or get foreclosed. You don’t want your customer to owe you so much money that it is in their economic best interest to switch providers and not pay you what they owe. From: Jim Bouse [Brazos WiFi] Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 7:23 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is pre or post billing. It may give you heartburn to see non-pays getting something for nothing for a month but in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference because we have fixed monthly costs. If they pay or not doesn’t affect our OPEX. Jim Bouse Owner Mobile IT Pro - Brazos WiFi 979-985-5912 j...@brazoswifi.com From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Lewis Bergman Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 6:15 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday someone got for nothing. On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: Exactly. And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. -Original Message- From: Larry Smith Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend cash, check customers on the 10th. Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). -- Larry Smith lesm...@ecsis.net On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with collections > and it seemed fair. > > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. > > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend not > to do it? > > -Chris
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
Preach, Lewis! There are people that will simply wait until they're disconnected before paying. We do a $5 late fee, which I feel is on the low end as well. Josh Luthman Office: 937-552-2340 Direct: 937-552-2343 1100 Wayne St Suite 1337 Troy, OH 45373 On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 9:16 AM, Lewis Bergman <lewis.berg...@gmail.com> wrote: > I will tell you what does make a big difference is late fees. We made an > additional ~$2K per month off late fees. They paid late with the fee and I > was happy for them to do it. That was based off a $5 late fee which when > compared to the average, which I think responses indicated to be about $7, > were pretty lenient. If I had it to do over I would have charged $7.50 I > think. think of it like a payday loan. These idiots are mare than happy to > pay you just a few days late and pay extra. The funny thing is that it > doesn't matter if it is the 1st, 15th, 20th, or whatever. They always pay > late. > I just figured there was no reason that the good paying customers should > be carrying the bad payers. > > On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 7:23 AM Jim Bouse [Brazos WiFi] < > j...@brazoswifi.com> wrote: > >> In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is pre or post billing. It may give >> you heartburn to see non-pays getting something for nothing for a month but >> in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference because we have fixed >> monthly costs. If they pay or not doesn’t affect our OPEX. >> >> >> >> Jim Bouse >> >> Owner >> >> Mobile IT Pro - Brazos WiFi >> >> 979-985-5912 >> >> j...@brazoswifi.com >> >> >> >> *From:* Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] *On Behalf Of *Lewis Bergman >> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 28, 2016 6:15 AM >> >> >> *To:* af@afmug.com >> *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? >> >> >> >> Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the >> first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug >> difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday >> someone got for nothing. >> >> >> >> On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: >> >> Exactly. >> >> And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for >> monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. >> >> >> -Original Message- >> From: Larry Smith >> Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM >> To: af@afmug.com >> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? >> >> If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, >> there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if >> they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month >> on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th >> for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend >> cash, check customers on the 10th. >> >> Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). >> >> -- >> Larry Smith >> lesm...@ecsis.net >> >> On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: >> > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before >> service >> > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and >> > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I >> convinced >> > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with >> collections >> > and it seemed fair. >> > >> > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not >> > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a >> > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service >> > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and >> > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. >> > >> > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend >> not >> > to do it? >> > >> > -Chris >> >>
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
I will tell you what does make a big difference is late fees. We made an additional ~$2K per month off late fees. They paid late with the fee and I was happy for them to do it. That was based off a $5 late fee which when compared to the average, which I think responses indicated to be about $7, were pretty lenient. If I had it to do over I would have charged $7.50 I think. think of it like a payday loan. These idiots are mare than happy to pay you just a few days late and pay extra. The funny thing is that it doesn't matter if it is the 1st, 15th, 20th, or whatever. They always pay late. I just figured there was no reason that the good paying customers should be carrying the bad payers. On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 7:23 AM Jim Bouse [Brazos WiFi] <j...@brazoswifi.com> wrote: > In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is pre or post billing. It may give > you heartburn to see non-pays getting something for nothing for a month but > in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference because we have fixed > monthly costs. If they pay or not doesn’t affect our OPEX. > > > > Jim Bouse > > Owner > > Mobile IT Pro - Brazos WiFi > > 979-985-5912 > > j...@brazoswifi.com > > > > *From:* Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] *On Behalf Of *Lewis Bergman > *Sent:* Tuesday, June 28, 2016 6:15 AM > > > *To:* af@afmug.com > *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? > > > > Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the > first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug > difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday > someone got for nothing. > > > > On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: > > Exactly. > > And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for > monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. > > > -----Original Message- > From: Larry Smith > Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM > To: af@afmug.com > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? > > If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, > there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if > they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month > on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th > for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend > cash, check customers on the 10th. > > Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). > > -- > Larry Smith > lesm...@ecsis.net > > On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: > > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service > > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and > > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced > > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with > collections > > and it seemed fair. > > > > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not > > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a > > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service > > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and > > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. > > > > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend > not > > to do it? > > > > -Chris > >
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is pre or post billing. It may give you heartburn to see non-pays getting something for nothing for a month but in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference because we have fixed monthly costs. If they pay or not doesn’t affect our OPEX. Jim Bouse Owner Mobile IT Pro - Brazos WiFi 979-985-5912 j...@brazoswifi.com From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Lewis Bergman Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 6:15 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday someone got for nothing. On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com<mailto:af...@kwisp.com>> wrote: Exactly. And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. -Original Message- From: Larry Smith Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM To: af@afmug.com<mailto:af@afmug.com> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend cash, check customers on the 10th. Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). -- Larry Smith lesm...@ecsis.net<mailto:lesm...@ecsis.net> On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with collections > and it seemed fair. > > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. > > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend not > to do it? > > -Chris
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
Prebilling would be the preferred method I would think. We billed on the first and wanted to prebill. In the end, it probably didn't make a hug difference to the bottom line. I just liked the thought of limiting weekday someone got for nothing. On Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 4:50 PM Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: > Exactly. > > And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for > monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. > > > -Original Message- > From: Larry Smith > Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM > To: af@afmug.com > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? > > If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, > there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if > they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month > on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th > for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend > cash, check customers on the 10th. > > Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). > > -- > Larry Smith > lesm...@ecsis.net > > On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: > > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service > > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and > > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced > > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with > collections > > and it seemed fair. > > > > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not > > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a > > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service > > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and > > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. > > > > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend > not > > to do it? > > > > -Chris > > >
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
Exactly. And most communications services (phone, cable TV, etc.) are prepaid for monthly charges and postpaid for usage based charges. -Original Message- From: Larry Smith Sent: Monday, June 27, 2016 2:41 PM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance? If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend cash, check customers on the 10th. Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). -- Larry Smith lesm...@ecsis.net On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with collections and it seemed fair. I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend not to do it? -Chris
Re: [AFMUG] Postpaid vs Prepaid / Bill in Advance?
If you do not "pre" bill for service, such as internet access, there is little to no chance of collection after the fact if they decide not to pay... We pre-bill for the "next" month on the 20th, due by the 1st, suspend services on the 6th for CC, ACH, etc (auto payments) that fail, then suspend cash, check customers on the 10th. Our billing system handles this without issue (Freeside). -- Larry Smith lesm...@ecsis.net On Mon June 27 2016 14:35, Christopher Gray wrote: > I've setup my billing so everything is expected to be paid before service > is provided (prepaid). I send invoices in advance of a service cycle and > they are due by the beginning of the service cycle. Early on, I convinced > myself this was a good idea so I would never have to deal with collections > and it seemed fair. > > I'm working on switching billing systems, and the new system does not > really operate that way. This has me wondering if my method is really a > good one, or if there are good reasons to bill at the start of a service > cycle. I've gone through my bills and others I have available to me, and > very few actually bill in advance of a service cycle. > > Is there a good reason to avoid prepaid service or that companies tend not > to do it? > > -Chris