[HCoop-Discuss] [docelic,ntk] Cracking down on negative balances

[Adam Chlipala]

We seemed to agree a few months ago on a change in the way that we deal 
with low member balances.  I've done my part of the implementation 
needed to switch to the new approach.  I'll summarize the changes here 
and then list what remains for other people to do.

- The point of this plan is to prevent members from sticking around and 
being charged, even after they owe us money.  Our bylaws allow us to 
kick out folks who are delinquent for three months, thus we set a magic 
"deposit" amount at 3 months' estimated dues, based on each member's 
pledge amount.
- When the difference between what a member has paid us and what he has 
been charged goes below his deposit amount, we freeze his account.  All 
of his data should be maintained, but he shouldn't be able to do 
anything with HCoop besides read e-mail sent to his HCoop address.
- When the difference between what a member has paid us and what he has 
been charged goes to 0, the board votes this person out of the co-op, 
unless there are mitigating circumstances.  Lack of response by the 
member in question to billing inquiries implies that we will vote him out.

I changed the portal to display balances as not including a fixed 
deposit amount, and I updated the low balance e-mail reminder robot to 
use the new terminology.

The main technical component missing is a script for freeze drying a 
member, taking down all of his services until he pays and we run an 
un-freeze drying script.  I've opened a bug for this against docelic, 
who expressed interest in doing it before.

We should also have an official board vote confirming that this is how 
we should do things.  Consider this my vote.