Disputing an invoice

Disputing an invoice is used when a customer questions the accuracy of charges on their bill.

This may occur if there are concerns about usage, pricing, fees, or any part of the invoice. When an invoice is disputed, it is flagged for review so the issue can be investigated and resolved before further action is taken. Addressing disputes promptly is important, as they can delay payment and impact customer relationships.

In Utilmate, an invoice in dispute allows you to:

• Record and track the dispute against the invoice
• Pause standard collections activity (depending on your configuration)
• Review and resolve the issue before payment is pursued

Use this process whenever a customer raises a query or concern about their invoice to ensure accurate billing and clear communication.

Click on the Accounts Receivable menu, then Transaction List.

In the Invoice Actions dropdown list, select Invoice Dispute Invoice.

Important: Only unallocated invoices can be disputed.

Enter the below information into Dispute Invoice wizard screen, the save.

• Invoice number
• Extended date

When an invoice is updated to in dispute, the following actions will take place:

Credit Control Status 

When a user disputes an invoice, it will update the Credit Control Status to 'INVDISPUTE - Customer has disputed invoice'.

Depending on your configuration, this may suspend treatments - if so, this can be seen in brackets after the credit control status (Customer Details > Finance - Credit Control Status)

Direct Debits 

If the customer's credit control status is 'INVDISPUTE - Customer has disputed invoice' and the customer's payment method is Direct Debit, this will prevent details from being sent to the third-party provider (such as GoCardless, Stripe, Ezidebit) to take payment, as the invoice has been flagged as in dispute. 

Tip: If required, the Direct Debit can be scheduled as ad-hoc.