How to handle a deposit for online bookings
The tool does not collect deposits, but a pending booking holds the time until you have your payment.
Payments & firm bookings
4appointments does not collect a deposit at booking: online payment is not available in the current plans. If you want to ask for a deposit, you can still do it yourself, using the fact that every request is pending until you confirm it.
A customer sends a request on your booking page. No payment is asked for, and the request is saved as pending. The requested time is held, so no one else can book it while you wait.
You contact the customer by phone or message and say how much the deposit is and how to pay it, for example by a transfer to your account or another way you already use. Put the conditions in that message: the amount, the deadline and what happens if the customer cancels.
When the payment has reached you, open the bookings list in the panel and confirm the booking. The tool does not record the deposit, so keep your own note of what was paid, and tell the customer, because confirming sends them nothing. Set a deadline that fits the system: a pending request that is not confirmed or rejected is cancelled automatically about an hour after the end of the requested time, so decide before then.
If the customer cancels with the management link from the booking screen, the time is freed. What happens to the deposit is a matter between you and the customer, according to the conditions you stated. The tool has no refund function for this arrangement.
Points to remember
- ✓Deposits are not collected online by 4appointments
- ✓A pending booking holds the time while you wait for payment
- ✓You confirm the booking yourself once the money has arrived
Common questions
Can I set a different deposit for each service?+
Not in the tool. You can decide your own deposit per service and tell each customer when you contact them.
Can regular customers skip the deposit?+
Yes, because you decide case by case: simply confirm their request without asking for a payment. The system makes no distinction between customers.
More guides for you
Want to protect your calendar from empty slots?
Hold each request as pending, agree the deposit with the customer and confirm once it has arrived. Try 4appointments free for 12 months, no card, with plans from €1 a month.
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