When I'm generating an invoice, why does the data in Description & Qty fields get erased and set to 1, respectively when I change the Product/Service?This is a huge pain!

Hi there, @CeruleanShine.

Thanks for taking the time reaching out to the Community. I'm here to share some clarifications about why the data in Description & Amount Quantity fields get erased and set to 1 respectively when changing the Product/Service in QuickBooks Online.

I see you’re trying to change the product/service without deleting the previous quantity you have inputted. When adding an item to the invoice, QuickBooks automatically sets the QTY to its default number, which is 1.

It does the same thing when you replace the previous item with a different one. At this time, we have to manually change the number in the QTY column.
We are always aiming to provide excellent customer experience. We’d love to hear your feedback so we’d know how we can make the product more convenient for you when invoicing your clients.

I suggest submitting your product suggestions through this link: https://feedback.qbo.intuit.com/.

Please let me know if I can be of additional assistance. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

It's annoying I agree. What I do is enter the new Item on a new line, copy and paste description, re-enter qty and price, and then delete the old line

This adds hours of work when changing services that were entered incorrectly.  I would greatly appreciate this being fixed.  The current behavior is really time consuming and frustrating.

Thanks for joining this thread, benbogart.

Finding new ways to adapt to our customers’ needs is how QuickBooks gets even better. For you to be aware of the new and updated features in QuickBooks Online, you can check this blog website: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/blog/. 

Please know that you're always welcome to post here in the QuickBooks Community if you have any other questions. Have a good day ahead. 

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@JanyRoseB wrote:

 

Finding new ways to adapt to our customers’ needs is how QuickBooks gets even better. For you to be aware of the new and updated features in QuickBooks Online, you can check this blog website: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/blog/. 

 

 

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I cannot find any discussion about this topic in this link.   Where is it?

I am experiencing the same behavior. What a pain. Why is this not fixed yet?

It does more than just reset the quantity, it removes the description and the amount. The workflow is the following.

1. Create a new invoice
2. Add existing bills to the invoice from the right side of screen
3. They are populated as a line item on the invoice, but the product/service is blank
4. If you go and change the product/service, it clears the description and amount
5. And since the bill is removed from the right side, you have to look up what the description and amount was.

Please fix this.

Thanks for sharing the detailed steps of your concern, @Brandon13.

I followed the instructions you provided to confirm that once the bill is added to the invoice, it automatically fills in the line item including the Product/Service column. Only when changing it that QuickBooks clears the description and the amount of the overall transaction.

My colleague mentioned that the option to retain this information when updating the item is currently unavailable. Rest assured, I’m passing it along here on my end. 

If you continue to get a blank Product/Service column when linking the bill to the invoice, I suggest loading the site in a different browser or a private window. Sometimes cache stores up in the system causing issues inside the program.

Let me show you how:

• Ctrl + Shift + P (Internet Explorer)
• Command + Shift + N (Safari)
• Ctrl+ Shift + N (Google Chrome)
• Ctrl + Shift + P (Mozilla Firefox

If this works, make sure to clear your default browser’s cache to continue using it without any problem. Here’s an article to help you with the process: Delete or Disable cache and temporary internet files in your web browser.

That should answer your concern for today.

Let me know if this works out for you by leaving a comment below. I’m always here to help. Take care!

While I agree that this is a pain in the butt, this is not likely to get "fixed" anytime soon, as it is a function of how items are setup. Items are setup so you can enter and have a standard/default "description" to auto populate the description field in transactions (along with default rate/cost/sale, and tax). I have never had need for the standard description, and as such leave it blank. Therefore, when I change the item in a transaction, the description (and rate) auto populates with the blank description. What QuickBooks needs to do is have an option in the item setup to make the default description (and rate/cost/sale) inactive so if you don't use it these fields are not clearly otherwise populated fields in transactions. 

Hello there, @JLSCOS.

Currently, the option to disable the description in every transaction is unavailable in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

Here are things to follow:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Select Custom form Style under Your Company.
3. Click the New Style drop-down arrow and choose a transaction.
4. Go to the Content tab.
5. Select the middle body of the form to see options, then uncheck the Description.
6. Hit Done.

Here are a few articles that you can check out when editing your sales forms:

• Customize your invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online
• Edit your company settings in QuickBooks Online

Reach out to me in the comment below if you have any other questions or concerns. I'm more than willing to assist. Have a good one!

This is still a problem after years of complaints.   It is a HUGE time waste if you have to fix something or if you enter something out of sequence.  Please fix or at very least add a checkbox in the settings to disable this logic.