Online booking deposits are retained by Phorest to cover costs involved in the following:
(1) Processing and validating the card
(2) Providing a secure platform for storing your client's card details
(3) Charging the card up to the full amount of the service in the event of a no-show or cancellation within the cancellation period. Your client agrees to this in the terms and conditions when booking online.
The booking deposit is inclusive of VAT.
NOTE: If you need to cancel appointments due to COVID the booking deposit will automatically be refunded back onto your client’s card.
Step-by-step guide
- The customer books online for a service of £/€/$35 and pays a deposit of £/€/$1
- When she turns up in the salon and has her treatment - Phorest will ask for £/€/$34 (the remaining amount).
- On the salon's Totals Report - the revenue will be £/€34 ( £/€/$28.33 + Local VAT at countries %)
- On the Staff Performance Reports (i.e. commission) the value of the service will be £/€/$34 ( £/€/$28.33 + Local VAT at countries %)
- If the no-show is processed through Phorest for the full amount remaining - the salon would receive £/€/$34 from Phorest
The rates are:
Booking worth £/€/$0 - £/€/$19.99 = Deposit of £0.60p/€0.60c/$0.75c
Booking worth £/€/$20 - £/€/$39.99 = Deposit of £1/€1/$1
Booking worth £/€/$40+ = Deposit of £1.50p/€1.50c/$1.50c
FAQ
Q - When or how are the deposits sent to me?
A - The deposits are not forwarded onto you and are retained by Stripe to cover the costs of keeping your client's details secure and allowing you to charge a client a remaining balance if a client no-shows.
Q - Why does Phorest charge an online booking fee?
A - As with any payment processor, including notable ones like Paypal, a fee is taken as part of their costs to run their services. This covers storage of credit card details securely, payment transactions, legal necessities (licensing etc) as well as developing and maintaining the systems to ensure the payment process is easy for you and your clients.
Q - What if my client wants to cancel their appointment? Will they get their deposit back
When your client cancels their appointment online they lose their deposit. If the cancellation is done by the salon, the client is credited the deposit amount to their online account for future use. It is automatically put against their next appointment booked online, however this appointment must be for the same service and with the same staff member.
Q - What if my client reschedules their appointment? What happens to their deposit?
A - The deposit is retained on their account for their next appointment. If the appointment is made and the client attends the deposit is then retained by Phorest.
Q - My client didn't turn up what do I do?
A - Within Phorest you can charge up to the remaining balance directly off their stored payment method. Once the appointment has gone grey for a no-show just click it and then click pay. You will be prompted with a screen to type how much you want to deduct. (Be aware you can only deduct up to the remaining balance less the deposit. For example, a £/€/$100 bill - £/€/$1.50 deposit means you can take up to £/€98.50) A full guide can be found here
Q - My client was late can I charge them?
A - You will not be able to charge a client for being late through their payment method stored online. If you felt it was necessary you would need to add an extra amount to their bill using the Hot Keys button in the Purchase screen.
Q - If I no-show charge a client how do I get my money?
A - Phorest will send the money directly to your bank account on record. We do a payment run at the beginning of the month and halfway through the month. After each successful no show charge, you and your client are emailed with confirmation this has taken place.
Q - Can I increase the deposit amounts online?
A - Unfortunately not. The deposit amounts are set at the rates above. We have found increasing the deposit amounts actually reduces the number of people booking in online. This is due to the client actually having to part with that money at that point without receiving a treatment. Lots of clients book quite far in the future, (i.e. just after payday) and like to know that they can secure their booking for when they have funds available to them.
Q - Can I turn off deposits?
No, deposits cannot be turned off.
We have found turning off the deposit amounts actually increases the amount of no-shows you have. This is because it made it too easy for clients to book without thinking of the consequences of failing to show for their appointment. When a booking is secured by a deposit, clients are made aware that if they fail to turn up for their appointment they may be charged the remaining balance regardless.