Invoice canceled by customer

[Tulinda]

I sent a customer an invoice and they canceled it.  I see no evidence in my paypal activity or anywhere else in my account that this invoice ever existed at all. I received an email stating that it had been canceled, and can visit the link that shows this, but the activity doesn't appear in my account if I'm just there without getting there by emailed link. (Weird)

Is there a way to prevent this from happening again? Since this invoice is for services already rendered, it's disconcerting.

Thanks

[PayPal_Olivia · Accepted solution]

Hi @Tulinda,

I'm sorry to hear that your customer canceled an invoice. An invoice is something that a customer can choose not to pay. A customer can cancel the invoice if they choose not to pay it, to clear it from their account. It's important to only provide goods or services upon receipt of payment, as PayPal cannot compel anyone to pay an invoice.

I'm sorry for any loss experienced as a result of misunderstanding invoices.

Olivia

[Tulinda]

In the service industry, we're sort of between a rock and hard place--so many con artists out there that I can't blame a customer for not being willing to pay in advance, yet we can be hung out to dry if someone for whom we've rendered service decides not to pay. (In this case it worked out ok because customer sent me a check via U.S. Mail.) And I totally  understand Paypal not really being in the position of trying to for someone to pay a disputed charge, but it's a little unnerving to realize customers have the power to delete invoices altogether. Thanks for your response.

[sharpiemarker]

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@Tulinda wrote:

In the service industry, we're sort of between a rock and hard place--so many con artists out there that I can't blame a customer for not being willing to pay in advance, yet we can be hung out to dry if someone for whom we've rendered service decides not to pay. (In this case it worked out ok because customer sent me a check via U.S. Mail.) And I totally  understand Paypal not really being in the position of trying to for someone to pay a disputed charge, but it's a little unnerving to realize customers have the power to delete invoices altogether. Thanks for your response.

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Keep in mind that customers can inform you that they have paid via other means and you can mark the invoice as paid and even do up a receipt for their payment:

From PayPal Help Documentation on invoices (click Help when on the Manage Invoices page):

Record payments

If your customer pays by cash, check, or another offline method, you can record the payment on your Manage Invoices page. You can also record a partial payment if your customer has made a deposit or is paying in installments. Each recorded payment appears in the invoice details history along with any note you’ve entered about the payment.

Create a receipt for your customer

When your customer pays you through the link on the PayPal invoice, they will automatically be emailed a payment receipt. Occasionally you may receive a payment from your customer other than through PayPal. To give your customer a detailed receipt, first create the invoice and save it as a draft if the invoice is not created already. Choose Record payment from the Action column on the Manage Invoices page. You can print and deliver the paid invoice or choose Share link from the Manage Invoices page to copy an invoice link which you can then send to your customer as a receipt. Be sure to check your local requirements for invoices and receipts.

Perhaps, next time include a note in all invoices that if customer pay by other means, to inform you by email and you'll mark invoice paid upon receipt of payment.