Closing zero-value AR Invoices

We have a number of AR Invoices that have been copied to a Credit Memo for the full value of the invoice, but refuse to close. We have not been able to find a way to close these invoices to remove them from the Open Items List.

The business scenario is as follows. In addition to selling new products, the company also provides maintenance services to its end customers. This service includes delivering and installing replacement parts at the customer site. In doing so, they create item-type AR Invoices that include inventoried parts, travel, and labor. In some cases, the customer may refuse payment for some reason (e.g., the part didn't fix the problem, a customer relations issue, etc.). When these situations occur, the company gives the customer a credit, but frequently does not go onsite to remove the installed parts.

The credit has been done by copying the AR Invoice to a Credit Memo, removing the inventory rows, and changing the amount to cover the prices of the physical parts that are still installed. This process results in an invoice that has no outstanding amount due and a zero customer balance, as desired. However, the AR Invoice remains open, showing an open quantities, and remains on the Open Items List for AR Invoices. The only option left on the invoice is to again copy it to another CM with the original delivered quantity. However, the customer is not taking the inventory back into stock. We can find no way to close these invoices.

The two questions are: (1) how can these existing invoices be closed, and (2) what is the intended procedure in SAP to handle these kinds of situations. Sometimes the CM will be for the entire invoice amount, sometimes for only the labor and travel, and occasionally it will be a partial credit for the items and labor.

The version is 2007A SP00 PL42.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Dave