I Need Customer To Pay Half Now Half Later

[TesterServers]

Thank you very much DrByte!

Your reply was super fast. I didn't even get a chance to browse my other websites before my phone emailed me with your reply...LOL..

The information you provided is very well understandable to me and I know exactly what you've explained. I'll set it up as above, Like option "B", and then when they item arrives, I'll send them an invoice through PayPal. Problem Solved!!


Thanks alot for your speedy and thorough reply.

TesterServers

[vickichiki]

you could always use the installment plan mod and just adjust it to suit yourself and is perfect if you are able to process CC's offline http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?ma...roducts_id=588

[SPH]

My sister's site does layaways. The way she collects the remaining payments (could be one or more) is to set up a "Product" for only that customer, and the customer makes a payment when ready, within the agreement.

[shelly2bit]

Hi SPH

this is exactly what i need. my site is going to be selling holidays so need deposit paid now and balance six weeks before. I don't want to collect any payments manually though.

When you say your sister has a product just for that customer, would you mind explaining how she does this please? Is it manual? Does the customer log back in later and pay online.

would be grateful for any help.

thanks
michelle

[DrByte]

Buying "another product" later for the amount of the balance due is an alternate option. Some customers find that more confusing than being invoiced directly. If your customers are the kind that are smart enough to understand it, then you can try that approach.
But, remember, Zen Cart isn't an accounting package, and doesn't track "amounts owing". It only tracks "purchases" and assumes you're paying entirely in full or not at all. Any alteration to that behavior is a function of changes you must make to the software yourself.

[shelly2bit]

Thanks DrByte

I have already informed my client that the software isn't set up to do this. I have already built their site and customised as they require. They have now thrown this requirement at me saying it slipped through the net. I have replied saying i think it is quite a fundamental requirement to have just been forgotten until now and that i didn't think this software was now suitable for their needs. hrrmmmppphhh ;O)

In terms of an additional product to allow customers to pay the balance, I was just thinking of how this would be done - or some ideas. I'm relatively confident in making changes to zen cart as i have already had to do quite a lot to fit the requirements they DID tell me about lol. I have forwarded details of your post above to my client suggesting that they can take a deposit but would have to manually collect the balance. However, i think they will want some workaround where the balance can be collected online. Would they have to manually add a product to a specific customer who would then come back and pay later? Or do you have any other ideas how the "buying another product" process could be implemented.

i'm really grateful for any advice although in reality i am hoping that they take note of your advice above and collect the balance outside of zen cart.

thanks again
Michelle

[DrByte]

There's no "built in" way to "assign a product to just one customer". It doesn't work that way. There might be addons that offer that, but I've not used them.

You could consider setting up a product whose price is $1.00 and let the customer enter a quantity to indicate how much they want to pay. So for $43 they'd by 43 of the $1 product. The product would be visible to all customers, but there's not really anything wrong with that. In fact that's the approach very often used for donations.