How refunds, cancels, and moves work for paid bookings

Once visitors pay when they book, the next questions are about money going back. What if they cancel? What if you have to? What if two people pay for the same time? Qualiform answers each of these the same way every time, from the refund policy you set, so you do not decide case by case. This guide covers each one.

For the setup itself, see how to take payment when a visitor books from a form.

How do you set a refund policy?#

On the form's Booking tab, under Paid bookings, choose a Refund policy:

• No refunds. A visitor who cancels is not refunded.
• Full refund if canceled at least a number of days before, from 1 to 365.

The policy is shown to the visitor before they pay, in their confirmation email, and again before they cancel. Each payment keeps the policy the visitor saw, so changing it later changes nothing for bookings already paid.

What happens when a visitor cancels?#

The visitor cancels from the link in their confirmation email.

1. Before they confirm, the page tells them whether this cancel is refunded.
2. Inside your policy, they are refunded in full, automatically, through your Stripe account.
3. Outside your policy, or under No refunds, they are not refunded.

"At least 14 days before" means 14 whole days before the booked start, to the second. A visitor who cancels a day late is outside it, and the page tells them so before they confirm.

What happens when you cancel?#

When you cancel a paid booking, the visitor is always refunded in full, whatever your policy says. The policy is a promise to them about their own cancels. It never lets you keep money for a booking you called off.

What happens when a booking is moved?#

A move keeps the payment. The booking goes to another time of the same length, with no new charge and no refund. The visitor's confirmation email has a link to move it themselves.

What if a payment arrives after the time was taken?#

The time a visitor picks is held for them while they pay, and Stripe's page runs out after 30 minutes. Rarely, a payment still arrives after the time was taken by someone else. Then nothing is booked, the payment is refunded in full at once, and both you and the visitor are emailed.

The same happens if the booking would go past your account's limits on how many meetings can be booked.

What if the visitor never finishes paying?#

Nothing is booked and nothing is charged. When Stripe's page runs out, the time is let go for someone else, and the card offers Pick a time again.

Where do you see refunds?#

The lead's page, its email, and the Leads list show Paid booking with the amount and whether it is paid or refunded. The lead's page links to the payment in your own Stripe.

A refund you make by hand in your Stripe Dashboard shows on the lead too, so the two never disagree. If Stripe refuses a refund when a booking is canceled, the cancel still stands and the lead still shows the payment as paid. Refund it by hand in Stripe.