|
H-Sphere
2.x has a fully automated billing system. Usually resources/services
(domain, mailbox, account, traffic, FTP etc.) which make up
your plan are paid. Actually, when you sign up for the plan,
you are buying a predefined set of resources.
How do I pay? Shall I
pay?
In
H-Sphere, you can choose between different types of payment:
- Credit
card - this type of payment allows you to pay for resources
online. H-Sphere 2.x supports several type of credit cards
(Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discovery).
- Check
- you must send a check to a specified location. After
the check is received, the account will become available
for use.
- Trial
- in some plans you can sign up as a trial user, which
allows you to become familiar with the system. If you don't
like H-Sphere services, you won't have to pay anything.
If you like the system and decide to become a pay user,
you will be charged for the services you have used during
the trial period.
To
work with the billing system, select Billing in the
user menu:
This
will open several sub-items. Here is what they are used for:
- Online
Price: lists various types of fees for the resources
(services) available under your plan and shows free resource
units if there are any. It also
- Online
Invoice: shows your balance and charges for this specific
billing profile.
- Online
Sum Invoice: shows charges for any of your billing profiles
broken down by payment intervals.
- Billing
Profile: here you can view your credit card and/or billing
info, change billing period.
- Money
Back: here you can remove your account and claim your
money back.
Now,
let us look at each of them in detail.
Where Are
My Billing Details Stored? (Billing Profiles)
Your
billing
details, such as billing info (essential
for checks) and credit card info
(valid only for credit card payment), are stored in the billing
profile. H-Sphere also supports multiple billing profiles
(see below). You can modify neither
billing info nor credit card info in the billing profile,
you can only create a new profile. You cannot delete a billing
profile either. When you sign up as a pay user, a new billing
profile is created. A new billing profile can be created under
an existing billing profile as well. For trial users, no billing
profile is created. The system, however, keeps track of all
trial user's purchases and includes them into the user's bills
available in Online Invoice.
Multiple Billing Profiles
H-Sphere supports multiple billing profiles. This feature
gives you an opportunity to use several billing info or credit
cards in turn, activating the address you would like to get
bills at or the credit card to be charged. Also, you can share
Billing information between your accounts. This means you
can pay with one card / receive bills at one address for all
your accounts. Settings are configured individually for each
billing profile. To create a new billing profile or view the
settings of the existing profiles select Billing Profile Info
in the Billing menu. You would be taken to the page similar
to this:
- New
Billing Profile: Here you can create a new billing profile.
After you create it, it will be the active profile.
- Receive
the invoice by e-mail?:Toggle the ON/OFF button
to receive/unsubscribe invoice e-mails that inform you of:
-
how much was accrued/charged for a) each paid operation,
b) as recurrent and usage fee when passing to a new
payment interval;
-
your current balance status.
- Change
Billing Profile: Here you can activate any of you billing
profiles. Select the profile you want and press Activate.
- Billing
Period: Your plan may have various payment intervals.
Here you can switch between them. Find extensive coverage
below.
You
cannot modify billing information in any billing profile,
you can only create a new profile. You cannot delete your
billing profiles.
When
you sign up as a pay user, H-SPhere creates a new billing
profile. To create a new account under an existing billing
profile, select Account Info -> Add Account.
If
you sign up as a trial user, no billing profile is
created. Still, the system keeps track of all your purchases
and includes them into your bills. You can see these bills
on the Online Invoice page (see below).
When And How Often Do
I Pay? (Billing Period)
When
you register as a pay user, H-Sphere starts a new billing
period and charges fees for the resources. The billing period
defines WHEN the system charges the fees. For fee types see
Online Price. Your plan may have several
billing periods. They differ on duration and fee discounts.
A new billing period starts:
- immediately
on account creation
- credit
card paid accounts - after signup
- check
paid accounts - after moderation
- on
resuming suspended account
- on
switching to another plan
- on
changing your billing period
A
billing period is closed:
- on
quitting hosting
- on
account suspending
- on
switching to another plan
- on
changing your billing period
What Do I Pay For? (Online
Price)
The
prices for the resources (services) that are or can be included
into your account are listed in the Online Price table:
Where Can I Find
Billing History For One Account? (Online Invoice)
If
you want to see the invoice for a particular billing profile
and only for one account, you can go to the Online Invoice.
An invoice consists of consequent bills:
Balance
shows how much money you have on your balance. A negative
balance shows how much you owe for the services used. This
is usually appropriate for users who pay by check and for
credit card users whose credit cards failed to be charged.
Credit restricts your ability to buy new resources
in case your credit card fails to be charged or you have run
out of your 'check' money.
- Description:
the name of your current account.
- Amount:
the amount accrued for the billing period. This amount consists
of accruals for all resources, including the setup, recurrent
and usage fee. However, it does not include or depend on
factual charges, nor is it related to debits and credits
to the account. For example, if you were accrued $10 setup
fee, the Amount will show $10.00, even if your credit
card has been immediately credited by this amount.
- From:
the beginning of the payment period.
- To:
the end of the payment period. In the example illustrated
above, Opened means that the billing period has not
finished.
A
new bill is created for every new payment interval The initial
setup fee is put in a separate bill.
To
view details of any bill in the invoice, click its Description
in the first column. The picture below illustrates details
of the initial setup bill:
*To get a printable version of your bill, click the Printer
icon in the bill header which will open it in a separate window
suitable for immediate printout (version 2.08 and higher).
Where Can I See All Bills
for The Billing Profile Regardless of The Account? (Online
Summary Invoice)
Click
on the Online Summary Invoice, and you will be able
to select for which billing profiles you would like to get
bills. If you are just starting with your account, you will
see something like this:
The
Online Summary Invoice page displays all the bills of the
selected billing profile regardless of the account.
Select
the profile from the box and press the Get Invoice
button.
If
you signed up as a trial user, no billing profile was created
for your account. However, H-Sphere keeps track of all your
purchases, which you can see on the Online Invoice page.
When
you sign up as a new pay user, a new billing profile
is created. To create a new account under an existing billing
profile, select Account Info -> Add Account.
For details on this page see the Online
Invoice section above.
Can I Review My Billing
and Credit Card Info?
You
may review your billing and credit card info by clicking on
the Billing Profile Info link on the Billing
menu.
Billing
Info comprises the
details such as first and second names, company name, phone,
e-mail and address you provided at the sign up aside from
your contact info. This is where the admin mails bills if
you has chosen to pay by check. This info is also used to
contact the person responsible for the financial aspects of
your account.
Credit Card Info comprises the number, name and expiration
date of user's credit card.
Both
Billing and Credit Card Info can be different for the
each billing profile. If you are a trial user, the Billing
Profile Info page is your gateway to sign up to a pay plan:
If
you have already signed up for a pay plan, your Billing Profile
Info page will show all details of your billing profile.
How Can I Get My Money
Back?
When
using H-Sphere, you can claim all your recurrent and usage
payments back if you decide to quit hosting during the Money
Back period. Mind that the setup fees for any resources will
not be returned.
Not
all plans allow to claim money back. To find out whether this
feature is available under a plan, go to the signup/login
page and click the link that says: To compare available
hosting plans and price schemes, please click here. In
the form that appears, check the boxes to the plans you want
to compare or click the Plan group link to compare grouped
plans and their price schemes. In the first section of the
chart that appears find Money Back Guarantee.
To
claim the money back, select Money Back in the
Billing menu. The following page will appear:
After
you click the first link, your account will be suspended:
The
amount due will be sent by check to the address you specified
in the Billing Info.
|
