When a user is deleted from the customer list, they still remain on the member list,. That doesn't make sense. Deleting a customer from the customer list should automatically take them off the membership list.
🔍 Problem Statement
When a customer is deleted from the customer list, their record persists on the membership member list. This creates orphaned member records that inflate membership counts and cause confusion.
💡 User Story
As a Pelcro admin, I want deleted customers to be automatically removed from membership member lists, so that member counts are accurate and no orphaned records remain.
🎯 Definition of Done (DoD)
A feature is done when:
✔️ Given a customer who is a member of a membership, when the customer is deleted, then their member record is also removed from all associated memberships.
Log in to comment and vote
Comments2
Manish Patel
Jul 14
I have a hard time accepting that Customers should be able to be deleted. There should be a way to mark Customer’s inactive so that they are not permitted to log in and hidden from view.
I will be glad to share some idea’s on how to handle customer inactivation and yet be able to manage data integrity.
The primary reason I object to allowing Customer records to be deleted — especially — if the customer has any related object e.g. Subscription (regardless of status such as Active, Past Due, Canceled etc), Invoice, Payment, Newsletters etc. Financial Systems (Pelcro’s Subscription Platform is considered a Financial System) need to maintain audit logs for any and all transactions for upto 7 years following US IRS rules. Data Retention Rules may be different or longer for each company.
Even for GDPR compliance, when a customer record is requested to be deleted, the law allows us to obfuscate the data so that nothing is visible especially PII, but transactional data tied to the original Pelcro User ID should be traceable.
Allan Nixon
Jul 15
From GW standpoint, a work around is to take a user off the member list so they don’t have premium access but their record is still in Pelcro. Currently, that’s not feasible as there is no way to search for a member from a domain license that has more than 25 users, as many licenses are well over 100 users and it would take scrolling each page to find the user to take them off the member list. Deleting their account would automatically take them off the member list. I agree deleting a user tied to any paid trial or invoice would be problematic.
The problem with GW is we use Sailthru for usage data, so if we eventually find a user and replace them with an updated email address, the usage data does not show up in our usage reports under the new email address. This is a bug that Sailthru does not know how to fix currently. Therefore, any new names we add should be as new users and not replacing the old account so the usage for the new account shows up. If we could find a way to mark a user inactive and so they can’t access their account, that would be ideal.
I appreciate the opportunity to explain my rationale for deleting customer records. My intent has always been to support our customers' requests, protect data integrity, and maximize subscription revenue.
Customer Data Deletion Requests. When users or customers request that an account be removed, I have generally treated those requests as requiring deletion of the associated user record. In some jurisdictions, including California and other regions with privacy regulations, organizations may be required to honor requests for deletion of personal information. Beyond compliance considerations, honoring these requests helps maintain customer trust. You stated the law is on our side with this. If so, duly noted.
Customer Account Management. Many of our customers request that former employees be removed from their accounts. Retaining access for users who are no longer employed by the customer can create concerns regarding account administration, content access, and customer satisfaction.
Revenue Protection. When former employees continue to access content through previously established credentials, there is a risk that opportunities for license expansion, additional seats, or new subscriptions may be missed. Removing inactive or former employees helps ensure that active usage accurately reflects a customer's current workforce and licensing needs.
Sailthru Process Prior to deleting a customer in Pelcro. I have consistently hard-bounced the user in Sailthru to prevent future email delivery. My understanding has been that this process prevents reactivation through automated email workflows while also ensuring the user no longer receives communications after removal.
Quote and Renewal Accuracy. Removing users who have left a customer organization helps maintain cleaner reporting and reduces manual effort during renewal preparation. If former employees remain associated with active accounts, they can appear in reports used for quoting and renewals, creating additional administrative work and potential confusion for customers.
Recovery of Deleted Users. In cases where a user was deleted unintentionally, I have observed that recreating the user in Pelcro often restores prior newsletter preferences and account history. Typically, the only additional step required has been changing the user's status from hard-bounced to valid in Sailthru so they can receive email communications again. (For users I already deleted prior to this conversation, we can do a spreadsheet search and find the missing emails if you need to add them back into Pelcro.)
Maintaining Accurate Account Records. My overall objective has been to keep customer records current by removing users who are no longer affiliated with a customer organization. My concern has always been that retaining outdated users can lead to inaccurate reporting, reduced visibility into actual account growth opportunities, and a less effective customer management process. Moving Forward If deleting users in Pelcro creates orphaned records or causes downstream issues in Sailthru or other integrated systems, that was not something I was aware of. I would welcome guidance on when deletion is appropriate versus when another method—such as deactivation, suspension, or another workflow—would be preferred. My goal is to follow whatever process best balances customer requests, data integrity, compliance requirements, and system stability.