Fees, Deposits, and Credits

When To Use This#

Use this concept to understand the words "deposit," "cancellation fee," "no-show fee," and "credit" in Hello Sniff, and who decides the amounts and rules.

Deposits#

A business can ask for a deposit on a service — an amount paid to hold a booking. A deposit can be a fixed amount or a percentage of the service price, and a business can set a window in which it is refundable. Depending on the business's policy, a collected deposit is either applied to the final bill or refunded or forfeited when a booking is canceled. Whether a service requires a deposit, the amount, and the refund rules are set by each business.

Cancellation and No-Show Fees#

A business can set a cancellation fee for canceling too close to a booking and a no-show fee when a booked visit does not happen. A business can also set a cancellation deadline without any fee: after that deadline you cannot cancel the booking yourself, and staff handle it instead. Whether these fees apply, how much they are, and how far ahead of a booking a cancellation stays free are set by each business.

Credits#

A credit offsets what a family owes — for example, staff may add a credit against a charge. Credits reduce a balance rather than moving money back to a card.

How Staff Handle These#

Fee and deposit charges appear in a staff review step before a family is billed, so staff can confirm, credit, or correct them. Deposits being held appear in a deferred deposits view.