Taking deposits and setting cancellation policies

Two settings on a service product protect your diary. Payment type decides what the customer pays when they book. Cancellation fee (%) decides what you keep if they cancel. Both sit in the Service details section of the product.

Considerations

• The Cancellation policy text is display only. It withholds nothing on its own.
• Cancellation fee (%) is what Orbit actually keeps. It is a flat percentage of what the customer paid, from 0 to 100, and it starts at 0, which means a full refund.
• There are no time based tiers. A fee above zero applies to every cancellation, however much notice you get.
• A fee above zero needs policy text above it. Make the two match.

Take a deposit instead of full payment

1. From your Orbit dashboard, go to Products and open your service product.
2. In the menu on the left, click Service details.
3. Click Payment type and pick Deposit + balance.
4. A Deposit percentage field appears. Type the percentage you want up front, for example 25. The balance is due on the day.
5. Click Save.

The three payment types are:

• Pay in full at checkout: the customer pays the whole fee when they book.
• Deposit + balance: a percentage now, the rest on the day.
• Installments (scheduled payments): payment split across a plan you set up after the product is saved.

Tip: Set a deposit that makes a no-show hurt. Between 20 and 50 per cent is the usual working range.

Write your cancellation policy

1. In Service details, scroll to Cancellation policy.
2. Type your terms in plain words: how late a customer can cancel or move a booking, and what it costs them.
3. Click Save.

The text appears at checkout and on the order confirmation. Write it to be read, not as legal cover. For example: "Cancellations under 24h forfeit the deposit. Reschedules free with 24h+ notice."

Set the cancellation fee

1. In Service details, find Cancellation fee (%) below the policy.
2. Type the percentage of the paid amount you keep when a booking is cancelled, for example 25.
3. Click Save.

Warning: A policy that says "under 24h forfeit the deposit" with the fee left at 0 refunds the customer in full. The fee field is the one that moves money.

When you cancel a booking from the Bookings page, the customer is refunded what they paid, less this percentage. See Managing bookings.

Which pair to use

• Busy, low value services such as classes and haircuts usually run full payment with a strict policy.
• High value consultations usually run a deposit with a flexible reschedule, and settle the balance after the work.
• Any policy beats no policy. Customers read it at checkout, which is the only moment it can change what they do.

Related guides

• Setting up a bookable service
• Managing bookings
• Setting your service hours
• Choosing a product type