Manage Cancellations and Refunds

Sometimes you need to cancel and/or refund orders. With Occasion, you now have multiple ways to efficiently manage these processes.

In this article, you will learn how to:

• How to Find and Access Orders
• Cancel an Order
• Process Refunds
• Issue Account Credits
• Handle Different Payment Types
• Common Refund Scenarios and Solutions
• Frequently Asked Questions

How to Find and Access Orders

You can access orders for cancellation and refunds using two methods:

Using the Order List

1. Click "Order List" from your dashboard toolbar or go to Reports > Order List from the sidebar menu
2. Use the search bar to find orders by customer name, email, order code, or listing title
3. Click the "Show" button in the Action column next to the order you want to manage

Using the Calendar

1. Click "Calendar" from the sidebar menu
2. Locate the time slot containing the customer's booking
3. Click on the customer's order number in the time slot

💡 Pro-tip: The Order List method is faster for finding specific orders, especially when you know customer details or need to search across all bookings.

Cancel an Order

Once an order is canceled, the seats are released and made available for booking again, and the customer receives an automatic cancellation notification email.

From Order List:

1. Use the search bar to find the order, then click "Show"
2. Scroll down and click the "Cancel Order" button
3. Confirm cancellation - the system will process the cancellation and release the seats

From Calendar:

1. Click on the customer's order number in the time slot
2. Scroll down and the "Cancel Order" button will appear in red
3. Click the red button to process the cancellation

Process Refunds

With Occasion, you can give your customers a full or partial refund on an order they made with you. Please note, that giving a refund without canceling an order will not release the seat for booking again.

From Order List:

1. Use the search bar to find the order, then click "Show"
2. Click on the "Transactions" tab in the order details
3. Click the "Refund" button next to the payment entry
4. Choose refund method and amount:
5. Click "Return Money" to process the refund

From Calendar:

1. Click on the customer's order number in the time slot
2. Click on the "Transactions" tab in the order details
3. Click the "Refund" button next to the payment entry
4. Choose refund method and enter the refund amount
5. Click "Return Money" to process the refund

Refund processing times:

• Credit card refunds: 2-3 business days to appear in customer's account
• Account credits: Available immediately for future bookings
• Cash refunds: Processed immediately

Issue Account Credits

Instead of refunding a customer, you may choose to give them account credit valid towards a future purchase. An account credit is nothing but a "gift card amount" sent to customers that can be used in the future to re-book with your business.

Steps to issue account credits:

1. Cancel the order first (if releasing seats is needed)
2. Access the refund process through the Transactions tab
3. Select "Refund as Account Credit"
4. Enter the credit amount
5. Process the credit - customer receives an automatic email notification

Managing account credits:

• View all credits: Go to Gift Cards from the sidebar menu
• Track usage: Monitor credit balances and usage history
• Set expiration: Configure expiration periods in Account Settings

Handle Different Payment Types

Paid with a Credit Card:

• Seller gives a partial or full refund to the Customer
• Seller gives a partial or full refund as an account credit to the Customer
• The customer wants a credit card refund instead:
  • Scenario 1: Account credit was not used: Seller can revert the account credit issued on the booking, and give the Customer a credit card refund
  • Scenario 2: Account credit was used: Seller cannot revert the account credit used

Paid with a Credit (gift card, account credit, or referral reward):

• Seller can issue a partial or full refund back to the original credit; to re-top the Customer's original credit

Paid with Cash:

• Seller gives a partial or full refund to the Customer (best practice for reporting purposes)
• Seller gives a partial or full refund as an account credit to the Customer
• The Customer wants a cash refund instead:
  • Scenario 1: Account credit was not used: Seller can revert the account credit used on the booking, and give the Customer a cash refund
  • Scenario 2: Account credit was used: Seller cannot revert the account credit issued

Common Refund Scenarios and Solutions

Overpaid Orders:

1. Set Payment Status filter to "Overpaid" in Order List
2. Click "Show" next to the relevant order
3. Navigate to Transactions tab and process refund for the overpaid amount

Gateway Changes:

• Recent gateway switches may prevent refunds on older orders
• Solution: Process refunds through alternative methods (check, cash, or gateway portal)
• Future orders will process normally on the new gateway

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I convert different payment types to account credits?

You can convert a "cash" transaction into an account credit when refunding and convert a "credit card" transaction into an account credit when refunding.

Why can't I refund a customer?

If you switched a gateway (for example, if you switched recently from Stripe to Square) or changed the login information on a gateway, you will not be able to refund customers who completed orders while the prior gateway was connected.

Why can't I issue a refund to a customer's credit card?

If your customer used a gift card or account credit for their order, you can revert the charge as a refund back to the original credit card upon customer request by clicking on the "Revert" button. However, if the gift card was already used on an additional order, you won't be able to revert the charge as a refund back to the credit card.

How do I refund customers on the prior gateway then?

The best thing to do is to process a refund via some other method - check, cash or if you have access to the gateway portal.

Does this mean I cannot refund anymore?

You can still process refunds on orders that were completed on the new gateway without any problems, but not on past orders completed on the old gateway.