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How to Fix QuickBooks Posting Error Caused by Special Characters in Customer Name

This article helps Webgility Desktop users in addressing the error: “Post to QuickBooks failed due to an invalid reference to QuickBooks Customer.” This issue typically occurs when special characters—such as an apostrophe (‘), ampersand (&), or comma (,)—are present in the customer or company name, leading to a mismatch during the posting process from Webgility Desktop to QuickBooks Desktop.

This article addresses the error: "Post to QuickBooks failed due to an invalid reference to QuickBooks Customer." This issue typically arises when a special character (e.g., an apostrophe ', ampersand &, or comma ,) is present in a customer name or company name, causing a mismatch during the posting process from Webgility to QuickBooks.

Resolution Steps

Step 1: Remove Special Characters in QuickBooks

  1. Open QuickBooks and go to Customer Center

  2. Locate the customer associated with the failed order

  3. Edit the customer name or company name

  4. Remove any special characters (e.g., change O’Connor to OConnor)

  5. Save the changes

Step 2: Refresh QuickBooks Data in Webgility

To sync the updated customer record into Webgility:

  1. In Webgility, go to Connections > Sales Channels > Advanced Settings

  2. Click Clear for:

    • Last Download Date for QuickBooks Items

    • Last Download Date for QuickBooks Customers

  3. Click Save and Close

Step 3: Re-download Data from QuickBooks

  1. Navigate to Integrations > Get Latest Data & Settings

  2. Click the dropdown beside Download Data

  3. Select Re-Download All Data

    • This will pull updated customer and item records from QuickBooks

⏳ This process may take a few minutes depending on the size of your file.

Step 4: (Optional) Download Products or Sales Channel Items Individually

If needed:

  • Go to Products > All Products (QuickBooks)

  • Click Download Products from Scratch

  • You may also do the same for your Sales Channel items from the respective tab

Step 5: Repost the Order to QuickBooks

  1. In Webgility, go to the Orders tab

  2. Locate the failed order

  3. Retry posting the order to QuickBooks

✅ The order should now post successfully, with the customer correctly matched and no special character conflict.

Step 6: Confirm Order in QuickBooks

  • Open QuickBooks

  • Verify the order is posted under the correct customer

  • Ensure the customer name reflects the changes (i.e., no special characters)