Bookings FAQ
Answers to frequently asked questions about bookings, cancellations and the emails to your customers.
Questions about customers booking
How do customers book with me? On your booking page, in the customer app, in the customer area in the browser or via widgets on your own website. See Where can customers book?.
Can a customer book the same session twice? No. A customer account can only book each session once. The customer then sees "You've already booked this date". With the "Group Booking" addon, they can book other people as companions in the same booking.
Can a customer book two sessions that overlap in time? Yes. Bookicorn doesn't check whether a customer's sessions overlap.
Can a customer book for another person, for example for their child? Yes, with the "Group Booking" addon. When booking, they tick I am booking for someone else and enter who is taking part. Payment and confirmation stay with them.
Can I limit how often a customer books per week? No. There's no booking limit per customer.
Can customers book without an account? Yes, with the "Guest Booking" addon for offerings that allow guest booking. See Guest Booking.
Why can't a customer book?
The most common reasons, each with what the customer sees:
- The session is full: "Fully booked". With the "Waitlist" addon, they can join the waitlist.
- The booking window isn't open yet: "Booking opens on …". The offering has Limit booking window switched on.
- The booking cutoff has been reached: "Booking closed". The offering has Enable booking cutoff switched on.
- The session is in the past.
- Not enough credits: the customer doesn't have enough credits.
- The customer is already booked.
- Booking as a guest isn't possible: the studio or the offering doesn't allow guest booking, or the offering only accepts credits.
- The offering is private: private offerings don't appear on the booking page and can't be booked by customers.
- No payment method: "Booking not available" if no usable payment method is set up for the offering.
- The studio isn't accepting new customers, because the plan's customer limit has been reached.
- The booking page isn't public: visitors then see a placeholder page.
Questions about booking rules
Where do I set how early and how late customers can book? On the offering, in the Booking rules section, with Limit booking window and Enable booking cutoff. What's set on the offering is what counts when booking. See Create an offering.
Do the booking rules also apply when I book someone in myself? No. When you book someone in in the Manager, the booking window, booking cutoff and capacity don't apply, and the booking is confirmed immediately.
Can I hide how many spots are free? Yes, under Manager → Settings → Bookings at Occupancy Display. See Settings: Bookings.
Which bookings count towards occupancy? Confirmed bookings and open requests. Each companion counts as a separate spot. Cancelled bookings and people on the waitlist don't count.
Questions about cancellation
Until when can customers cancel? Until the end of the cancellation deadline, which you set per offering under Booking rules. Without a deadline, they can cancel until the session starts. See Cancellation deadline and cancellation by customers.
What happens after the cancellation deadline has passed? Customers can no longer cancel themselves. They contact you, and you cancel in the Manager.
Are credits refunded automatically when a booking is cancelled? Yes, credits used always go back automatically, both when the customer cancels within the deadline and whenever you cancel.
Can I cancel for customers as a studio? Yes, at any time, even after the deadline. In the session, choose Cancel booking next to the person, or under Manager → Bookings with Cancel booking. See Cancel bookings.
Can I move a booking to another session? Yes, with the "Rebooking" addon. See Rebooking.
Questions about cancelled sessions
How do I cancel a session? In the session under More with Cancel, then Cancel session. See Holidays, cancellations and cancelling sessions.
What do participants get when a session is cancelled? Their bookings are cancelled and fully refunded: credits, Stripe and PayPal payments automatically, while you refund cash or bank transfer payments yourself. With Send cancellation email to participants, they receive an email.
Can I restore a cancelled session? Yes, with Reactivate in the session. The cancelled bookings stay cancelled, though.
Questions about the waitlist
Does the waitlist move up automatically? Yes, with the "Waitlist" addon, as soon as a spot becomes free and the session hasn't started yet. See Waitlist.
Are credits deducted when someone joins the waitlist? Yes, they're reserved. If the person doesn't move up, they go back automatically after the session.
Questions about emails to customers
Which emails do customers receive around a booking?
- Booking confirmation for every confirmed booking, including when you confirm a request
- Booking request for offerings you confirm first
- Booking rejected when you reject a request or the request deadline expires
- Cancellation when a booking is cancelled, arriving in the inbox with the subject "Cancellation confirmation"
- Session moved when you change the date or time
- the cancellation email when you cancel a session, arriving in the inbox with the subject "Class cancelled"
- Rebooking confirmation when rebooking
- emails about the Waitlist when joining, leaving and moving up
Do customers get a reminder before the session? Only if you switch it on: under Manager → Settings → Bookings at Session reminder, with Send reminder and Hours before start (1 to 72). The reminder arrives as a notification in the app and by email, once per booking. It's off by default.
Can I customise the texts of the emails? Bookicorn maintains the texts, and they adapt to each recipient's language. You decide yourself, under Manager → Settings → Email Templates in the global settings, on the sender, reply-to address, logo, and header and footer.
Can I turn off individual emails? Not in general. When booking someone in, cancelling a booking and cancelling a session, you can switch off the email for that one action.
A customer didn't receive an email. What can I check? Check in the customer sheet whether the email address is correct, and whether the email was switched off when booking in, cancelling or cancelling the session. The session reminder only arrives if you've switched it on.
Questions about the booking quota
Does a group booking count as one booking or several? As several. Each companion counts as a separate booking.
Do free bookings count? Yes. Every booking on a session that isn't cancelled counts, even if it's free.
Do cancelled bookings count? No. How exactly the quota is counted is explained in Pricing tiers.