taking reservation deposit for NYE

[kimapollo]

In an effort to eliminate no-shows, we'd like to take a deposit for reservations on New Year's Eve. I looked at how to take a deposit, but I don't see an option to use it for certain dates only. 

Am I missing something?

[ChickenRacer]

G'day @kimapollo, no-shows on a big night are the worst, we feel your pain!

As far as I know there's no "deposit on these dates only" switch, but a couple of workarounds:

If you take bookings through Square Appointments, set up a separate "NYE Booking" service with its own prepayment/deposit and cancellation policy, and only make it available on the 31st. Your normal bookings stay deposit-free.

Or treat it like an event ticket: sell a "NYE Table Deposit" item through Square Online, then take it off the bill on the night. Bonus is the money's in the bank before the night, not after.

Either way, put the deposit and refund policy right in the item description so there's no argy-bargy on the night. Good luck with it, haha, and happy new year in advance!

[kimapollo]

Hi @ChickenRacer!

Thanks for the reply.  Before posting this question, I did figure out how to set up an NYE service, but I don't know how to add it to the appointments page. Right now, our reservation page has no services, as the only thing they can do is make a reservation. 

I do have Book multiple services in one appointment checked. What am I missing?

Square is so frustrating. Sure wish there was a place to watch gloriously colored chickens run after a robot car to settle my nerves. 

[Manny_SelSq]

I’m assuming you’re using Square for Restaurants for your regular reservations. Square Appointments has its own booking flow, and it sounds like you just want a “Book New Year’s Eve” option on your existing site. The booking widget might be exactly what you’re looking for.

I’d check that online booking is on under Appointments > Online Booking > Channels. Then go to Online Booking > Advanced widget, select just your NYE service, and add the embed code to your site.

You can require a deposit for just that service. Before sharing it, check that guests can only book December 31 and that Square asks for the deposit at checkout.

[ChickenRacer]

Haha @kimapollo, the chooks are always on standby for emergencies like this!

Manny's nailed it I reckon. Your normal reservations and Appointments are two separate systems, which is why the NYE service isn't showing on your reservation page. The widget is the way to go: put a "Book New Year's Eve" button on your site that only offers the NYE service, with the deposit switched on for just that one.

It may be Captain Obvious but... do a test booking yourself before you share it, so you can check it only lets people pick the 31st and actually takes the deposit. Much better to find a hiccup now than at 9pm on NYE haha. Good luck mate!

[kimapollo]

I did try to make an NYE booking, and for some reason, the times are off, maybe stuck on Saturday's reservation. Only before 5:30 and after 8 are showing as available times for all dates. I have to fix that before I try anything else. 

Chickies make me laugh, thanks for that!

[ChickenRacer]

Glad the chooks are earning their keep haha! That gap between 5:30 and 8 sounds like Appointments thinks someone's already busy then, rather than a problem with the NYE service itself. A few places I'd look:

• Appointments > Availability for whichever team member is assigned to the NYE service. Make sure their hours run through the evening and there's no blocked time sitting in that window.
• The Appointments calendar itself. Check for a recurring booking or blocked time from that Saturday that's been set to repeat.
• The service settings: duration, any processing or buffer time, and how many can be booked at once. A long buffer can quietly eat a chunk of the evening.

If none of that shows anything, it's worth a quick call to Support with a screenshot of the gap. Fingers crossed it's just a sneaky repeating block!