Can companies charge for invoice copies?

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gzt

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#992831 23-Feb-2014 15:33

Wade: Most business surely should be in a position where it is reasonably easy to print a duplicate invoice and email it to their customers

Put it this way, if said bill was unpaid and you said you needed a copy in order to settle the account I am sure you would have an invoice copy within minutes and at no cost to you

That's also because it will be sitting in accounts receivable with a big red flag on it.

gzt

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#992838 23-Feb-2014 15:46

mattwnz: Have a friend who lost some invoices from a company and need to get some copies from the company for their tax return. They have asked the company for copies, but the company' said they would need to charge for their time in finding and sending them [...]

Analysis: This discussion has identified several relevant questions which will relate to the level of 'reasonable':

1. Time period (appears to be less than a year)?
2. Number of invoices involved?
3. Cash sale or account?
4. Method of payment?
5. Computer generated or hand written or till receipts?
6. Are the exact dates known?
7. Size of supplier? (relates to numbers of transactions to search)

; )

Techexpress

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#992852 23-Feb-2014 16:15

This is a situation where one would think "Marketing Investment" VS "Cost of Sales"

There is no obligation to provide further copies invoices free of charge and the commonly deployed clause of " Any costs incurred in seeking payment is invoiced to the customer " may apply BUT may charging for invoice copies may be a bad investment in annoying the client. Think... how much was invested to win the client? If it was say $50, why would you charge them $1 and risk sending them elsewhere through alienation. Simply ask how would you feel if you lost an invoice and phoned for a copy only to be asked for an order number, credit card or find a new invoice to cover the cost of supplying a copy.

Charging for invoice copies may sound like a good way to cover your costs BUT..., Is this your goal? Or is your goal adding value to your customers business?

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
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#992870 23-Feb-2014 16:41

Zippity: I suppose your friend is a POM and receives a benefit too.

In other words, another one of those bludgers who wants everything for free.

-1. Uncalled for.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

MaxLV

656 posts

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#993015 23-Feb-2014 20:57

Zeon: Not a good way to build customer confidence and seriously, how sh!t is their system for not being able to find them?

So building 'customer confidence' requires your (staff) time be provided for free to *replace* documents you have already provide to the customer? It costs the company time and resources to replace something that has already been provided, and the customer should expect to be charged a reasonable fee for the *replacement* invoices.

Fred99

13684 posts

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#993186 24-Feb-2014 11:03

MaxLV:
Zeon: Not a good way to build customer confidence and seriously, how sh!t is their system for not being able to find them?

So building 'customer confidence' requires your (staff) time be provided for free to *replace* documents you have already provide to the customer? It costs the company time and resources to replace something that has already been provided, and the customer should expect to be charged a reasonable fee for the *replacement* invoices.

I disagree.
I think that depends on definition of "customer".
Most normal businesses wouldn't dream of treating "customers" that way. It might be common in business relationships based on captive customers (government departments in particular) and creeping in to businesses where suppliers rely on customer "inertia" (banks, electricity suppliers etc) where people - at their peril - "can't be bothered" making the effort to change supplier even when treated poorly.
People should learn to vote with their feet.

wasabi2k

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#993192 24-Feb-2014 11:10

Depends on the business in my experience.

Large businesses with a large number of clients tend to charge as they probably have to deal with this a lot. On one hand it pays for a staff member's time to re-generate the invoice while at the same time discouraging customers from using them as a filing service. Sure it is 5-15 minutes of looking up, then printing, then mailing x several hundred customers all around tax time = 1-2 people full time. Alternatively it's a low priority so you face long delays.

Small businesses tend to not have any policy in place, don't deal with a lot of them and tend to have a closer relationship with customers so don't mind too much.

ASB is great - they have their document centre where you can download old statements.

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DaveDog

336 posts

Ultimate Geek

#994140 25-Feb-2014 14:16

Dairyxox: Its not really that hard though:

1. Sit down at accounts computer
2. Load up accounts program
3. Lookup Client Name
4. Click 'Email invoice' or 'Print' on invoice.

Job done, takes about 30 seconds - 1 minute. Add on another minute + a stamp if you need to post it.

How do you know that their accounts program keeps all old invoices online… How do you know they have an accounts program?
Never assume what is involved...

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