BST - DIDforSale Invoice Interpretation

DIDforSale Invoice Interpretation

The invoices we get from DIDforSale (our phone provider) are confusing. This document is a guide to correctly interpreting and filing them.

Much of the confusion stems from their billing model (the rest is from bad invoice design). We pay a fixed amount each month (currently $1.09) for our phone number, plus some amount per minute. On the first of each month, they assess the fixed charges and an estimated usage charge based on usage in the previous month. On each invoice, we receive a credit for the estimated usage we were charged in the previous month and are then charged for our actual usage in that month. The invoice also shows the fixed charges and estimated usage charge for the month on the invoice.

File the Invoices into Evernote

Before interpreting the invoices, you should file them into Evernote because it's easier to interpret them in the context of the prior and following months.

1. Open the Receipts and Payables notebook in Evernote.
2. Filter it to the DIDforSale tag.
3. Sort by created date descending.
4. Download the invoices using the following section’s instructions.

Download Invoices

1. Use LastPass to log in to the DIDforSale website at https://portal.didforsale.com/.
2. Go to the invoices page by hovering Account in the header and clicking Invoices.
3. The invoices page contains a list of downloadable invoice files, newest first. Download all files for the time period you need (both .txt and .pdf) because they’re all needed.

The file types:

• YYYY-MM_Invoice.pdf - A PDF with an overview of the account activity for the preceding month.
• YYYY-MM_Monthly-Charge-Detail.txt - A detailed list of the recurring charges for the preceding month in plain text.

Download CDR Reports

1. To get to the CDR Reports page, hover Reporting in the header and click CDR.
2. Click Show Advanced Search.
3. Use the advanced search to find call information that occurred. You can only download a file for a 30-day period.
4. When you have a month with calls, click Download as CSV at the bottom of the page.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 until you have files for every month which had calls.

This details each call that occurred during that month. The file will be missing for any month in which no calls were made. Note that the date on these files is the month in which the calls occurred, so they go with the invoice from the following month.

Build the Evernote Note

This must be done in Evernote for Windows. The Web client is missing necessary features. For each month that doesn’t already have a note:

1. Create a note titled DIDforSale Invoice YYYY-MM-01 $X.XX where YYYY-MM is the year and month and $X.XX is the total charges for that month. When you first create the note, you don’t know the total charges, so leave that part off.
2. Tag the note DIDforSale and receipt.
3. At the top of the note is a table summarizing the changes to the prepaid account balance for the month. Copy the table from an existing month.
4. Below the table, attach the invoice PDF for the month in question.
5. Below the invoice, attach the monthly charge detail, which will insert it as text in the note. Select that text and click the Code Block button in the formatting toolbar.
6. Do the same with the CDR report for the prior month, or enter [no calls this month] if none exists.
7. Update the created date of the note to match the date in the title.

Interpret the Invoices

Using the spreadsheet

It’s not perfect, but it’s fast and mostly brainless compared to figuring it out manually.

1. Open the DIDforSale.xlsx file from the BST Dropbox.
2. Copy the most recent tab and rename it to the invoice you want to interpret.
3. Open the PDF for the invoice you need a charge for.
4. Copy everything from Last Month Details to the bottom of the charge table.
5. Right-click on cell A3 and paste without formatting.
6. If there are any extra rows at the bottom, remove the extra information in column A.
7. Your total is next to Net Charges in cell E11.

Troubleshooting:

Sometimes Cell B gives an error. This is due to how it actually finds the substring in column A that is the dollar value. You probably pasted it right, but the formula needs more tweaking. Sorry about that. =(

Manually

First, examine the summary table at the top of the note, which looks like this:

Charge Type	Change	Running Balance
Starting Balance		22.03
Last Month Payments	+0.00	22.03
Last Month Estimated Usage	+0.00	22.03
Last Month Actual Usage	-0.01	22.02
This Month Fixed Charges	-1.09	20.93
This Month Estimated Usage	-0.01	20.91
Net Charges	1.11

This table summarizes the various charges and credits that can affect our prepaid account balance in a given month. The right-hand column is a running balance.

Entering into Kashoo

The invoices can be entered just by duplicating the last invoice and updating the amount and date. Don’t enter any payment information for them.

Entering Prepayments

1. Go to Bills to Pay on the left.
2. Click the Enter Bill for Payment tab.
3. Change the supplier to DIDforSale.
4. Paid From is probably PayPal (NOTE: you probably need to enter a transfer from Bank of the West to PayPal for the same date!).
5. Update the date appropriately.
6. Select the Prepaid Expenses account.
7. Enter the amount of the payment; the total should update.
8. Click Add Payment.

You should be able to use this page to apply the payment to any open bills that exist at this time. Otherwise, use the following section to apply the payment at any point.

Paying Bills from Prepayment

1. Go to Accounts on the left.
2. Click 1400 Prepaid Expenses.
3. Scroll down the list and find the most recent prepayment.
4. Click the Bill Payment #00### link.
5. IMPORTANT: Note what the Total says at the bottom.
6. Click the >> chevrons to move the balance of the open bills to this prepayment as appropriate.
7. Update the Total to be what it was (if it started out at $25, it probably increased as you applied payment, reset it to $25).
8. Click Save.