Overview: What are we talking about?
A deposit is a portion of a reservation paid prior to check-in. This held deposit helps to ensure that an owner will show up for their reservation, and will be applied to the reservation's invoice upon check out as a payment.
This article includes:
- Configuring Deposit Emails
- Allowing Deposits to be Paid From the Customer Portal
- Collecting Deposits
- Applying Deposits at Checkout
- Managing Paid Deposits
- FAQ
- Converting a Deposit to Store Credit
Helpful Hints: Before you begin.
- Deposits are a great way to standardize and require prepayment on reservations. To learn more about setting up required deposits, check out this article.
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Gingr prompts the customer to handle the deposit later or pay immediately depending on the email settings as configured in Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System Email. See the "Deposit Emails" section below.
- If you refund or forfeit a deposit on a reservation you will not be able to recollect it. You can create a new reservation or you can apply a pre-payment. Please see our article on Invoicing in Gingr: Apply Pre-Payment to an Estimate Invoice.
How to: Configure Deposit Emails
The following automated communications can optionally be sent to the customer. These email toggles control the circumstances under which a customer can pay deposits on the customer portal.
Note: if neither the Send New Deposit Email or Send Deposit Accepted Email toggles are on, then customers will NOT be able to pay deposits online through the customer portal.
To view and edit deposit settings navigate to Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System Email. Locate the New Deposit Email template and edit it. Enable the following emails as applicable:
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Send New Deposit Email - When a required deposit is added to a reservation, an email can be automatically sent to the customer, informing them that they must pay a deposit. If this setting is enabled, the customer will receive this email when their reservation is created.
With this setting ON, customers will be able to pay deposits online regardless of if the reservation has been accepted.
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Send Deposit Accepted Email - If you would prefer that the New Deposit email be sent when a customer's reservation request is accepted, enable this email.
With this setting on, customers will only be able to pay deposits after their reservation has been accepted.
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- If 'Send New Deposit Email' is on and 'Send Accepted Deposit Email' is off, then the 'Send New Deposit Email' will send for all bookings (requested, accepted, unconfirmed, confirmed).
- If 'Send New Deposit Email' is off and 'Send Accepted Deposit Email' is on, then the 'Send New Deposit Email' should only send for accepted bookings and should not send for any bookings pending acceptance or on the wait list.
- If 'Send New Deposit Email' is on and 'Send Accepted Deposit Email' is off, then the 'Send New Deposit Email' will send for all bookings (requested, accepted, unconfirmed, confirmed).
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Daily Deposit Email - If a deposit is unpaid, an optional daily email can be sent to remind the customer to pay the deposit. If this setting is enabled, the customer will receive an email reminder to pay their deposit every day that it goes unpaid. This is a great way to keep unpaid deposits at the top of your customer's inbox.
Important Note! Either the New Deposit or Deposit Accepted template must be toggled on to allow deposit payment. If only this toggle is on then customers cannot pay deposits on the portal. -
Custom Deposit Reminder - Reminders to pay deposits can be sent manually from Left-hand Navigation: Reservations » Deposits. Click on the Mail Icon to the left of a deposit entry. This will instantly send the same deposit template as the previous emails.
You can configure user groups to receive a notification when deposit request emails are sent. Navigate to Left-hand Navigation: Reports & More » Groups and turn on the Deposit Request Email Sent permission.
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- This permission can be local to only locations where the reservation was for or can be global, meaning a notification will display at all locations when a deposit email is sent, regardless of the location.
- For more information see our articles on App Notifications and User Groups and Permissions.
How to: Allow Deposits to be Paid from the Customer Portal
How to: Collect Deposits
Automatically Required Deposits:
If you have set up required deposits or a specific type of reservation for a specified date range, a prompt will appear to pay the deposit when the new reservation is created from the New Reservation Page.
Manually Created Deposits:
Additionally, deposits can be manually created. This requires the toggle Allow Deposits on Any Reservation to be on from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » Deposits.
To create a deposit on a reservation by percentage follow these steps:
- Create a new reservation and view the Deposit tab.
- Click the Create Deposit button at the bottom of the New Reservation page.
- Enter a percentage of the total charges that should then be required as a deposit.
- This will create the deposit requirement for the reservation. Upon saving the reservation, you'll be given a prompt to collect the deposit now or handle it later.
- To collect the deposit at that time, click Collect Deposit Now, and enter the customer's payment information.
To create a deposit on a reservation with a custom dollar amount follow these steps:
- Create a reservation, and view the Deposits tab at the bottom
- Enter a custom dollar amount, then save the reservation
- Finally, click Collect Deposit Now or I will handle this later
Managing Deposits on Requested Reservations
When a customer requests a reservation or appointment from the customer portal with a required deposit, you will be able to manage the deposit from the Requested tab on the dashboard.
Unpaid deposits will show $0/$ Deposit Amount in red, and Paid deposits will show as $ Collected/$ Deposit Amount in green.
You can collect an unpaid deposit, or change the deposit amount owed, right from the Requested tab on the Dashboard by clicking the Action menu to the left of the pet's name, and click Edit Reservation. Click on the orange Deposits tab on the edit screen to change the deposit amount, or Save the reservation to prompt the deposit collection popup screen.
Using the quick actions (like Accept & Confirm and Accept & Don’t Confirm), will not prompt the deposit collection popup to display.
Collecting Deposits From the Deposits Page
From Left-hand Navigation: Reservations » Deposits filter to find the applicable deposit. Click the dollar sign icon on the row you wish to pay. A popup will appear where you can pay with any payment method.
How to: Apply Deposits at Check Out
When you check out a reservation with a deposit that has been paid, the deposit payment will automatically appear in the shopping cart. If the deposit has been under or overpaid you will be able to collect or refund payments as needed.
Paid amount equals charges:
If the charges equal the deposit payment amount, you will be able to check out without payment.
Paid amount is less than the charges:
If the deposit only covers part of the cost of the reservation, you will need to collect the remainder from the customer. You can check out without further payment if you wish to pay at a later date. Alternatively, you can check out with payment and apply any payment method you wish.
Paid amount is greater than the charges:
If the deposit was overpaid, you will have two options. You can credit the difference to the owner's account which will add a store credit line item to the invoice once it is checked out. This line item can then be refunded in part or whole as needed.
Alternatively, you can refund the entire deposit. Please note that if you choose this option you will need to recollect the balance owed with another payment.
How to: Manage Paid Deposits
Once a deposit is paid, there are three options on where that money can go. It may be consumed at check out, refunded, or forfeited. When a reservation is canceled, it can either be refunded or forfeited. Please note: if you refund or forfeit a deposit on a reservation you will not be able to re-collect it. You can create a new reservation or you can apply a pre-payment. Please see our article on Invoicing in Gingr: Apply Pre-Payment to an Estimate Invoice.
When you refund a deposit, a refund will be processed to the original payment method of the deposit. If the deposit was paid with a credit card (and you process cards in Gingr), the customer's credit card will automatically be refunded.
When you forfeit a deposit, this consumes the collected deposit towards the charge as a payment, which can be viewed on the Revenue by Date report for that day. A new invoice with a "forfeit deposit" line item charge will appear on the owner's account with the respective payment. Once the forfeit is complete, the charge can be left as-is, or it can be refunded, such as to store credit (see the bottom of this article).
Important! There is no email sent to the customer when you manage deposits. You may view and print a receipt.
Managing a Deposit from the Deposits page:
Navigate to Left-hand Navigation: Reservations » Deposits. When you arrive at the deposits page, there are four different Deposit Types to choose from. Those types include Unpaid Deposits, Canceled Reservations Pending Resolution, Forfeited & Refunded Deposits, and Paid Deposits. The actions you can take on these deposits differ depending on the type. Hovering over each icon will display a brief description of the intended action.
- The Clock Icon will direct you to View Reservation.
- The Dollar Sign Icon has different actions depending on the report generated. On the Unpaid Deposit Report, it will prompt to Collect Deposit. On the Canceled Reservations Pending Resolution and Paid Deposits, it will prompt to Refund Deposit. On the Forfeited & Refunded Deposits and Paid Deposits, it will prompt to View Receipt.
- The Pencil Icon will direct you to Edit Deposit which allow you to change the deposit amount.
- The X Icon will direct you to Forfeit Deposit.
There is also a section to see the status of the reservations. Reservations can be Confirmed, Unconfirmed, Pending Acceptance, or on the Waitlist. It is possible for there to be a deposit for a waitlisted reservation if the reservation is saved with a deposit and then is added to the waitlist at any time after the original save.
To Refund from the Deposits page:
1. Choose your location.
2. Select either the Canceled Reservations Pending Resolution or the Paid Deposits type and Generate.
3. Choose the second dollar sign icon to Refund Deposit.
4. Review the pop-up and confirm your action by clicking OK in the pop-up.
To Forfeit from the Deposits page:
1. Choose your location.
2. Select either the Canceled Reservations Pending Resolution or the Paid Deposits type and Generate.
3. Choose the X icon to Forfeit Deposit.
4. Review the pop-up and confirm your action by clicking OK in the pop-up.
Managing the Deposit from the Invoice:
You can also manage deposits directly from the invoice. If there is a deposit attached to any reservation, it will show at the bottom of the invoice under Reservation Deposit Details. Click the Action menu and select either View Reservation, Refund Deposit, or Forfeit Deposit.
Managing the Deposit from the Owner Profile:
Deposits can also be managed directly on the Owner's profile. Navigate to the Owner Profile » Deposits Tab. Click the drop-down button to the left of the deposit entry in question and then click Refund Deposit or Forfeit Deposit
FAQ: Check it out
When is a Deposit Consumed?
When a reservation with an attached deposit is checked out, the paid deposit will be converted to a payment and "consumed" towards the invoice charges for that reservation. This is all done automatically in the checkout process.
Do Deposits work for Group Classes?
No, Group Class Reservation types do not function to have deposits. This is because packages are treated like a form of a deposit for the class instead. If you configure a group class reservation type to have a deposit required it will not function and will not send any deposit required email. Here is more information about setting up packages instead: Setting Up Packages.
How do I handle an overpaid deposit?
Q: We took a 100% deposit on a reservation, but the customer checked out early and the amount paid was more than the final charges. How should we handle that?
A: Sometimes, the deposit amount paid will be greater than the subtotal of your shopping cart. When that happens, you will be presented with 2 options in the cart.
- Credit difference to owner account: Choosing this option will add a line item to purchase store credit for the overpaid amount. At this point, the store credit can be left on the account to use towards a future reservation, or the overpaid amount can be refunded.
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Refund entire deposit: Choosing this option will refund the entire deposit to the customer via the original payment method. The customer will then need to present a new method of payment to complete their invoice.
How do I convert a deposit to store credit or another payment method?
In order to convert a deposit to a different refund method than the original payment method, you must first forfeit the deposit. This will create a new invoice on the owner's account with a forfeited deposit line. From there, you can refund the forfeited deposit line directly from the new invoice to the new payment method. If you do this to store credit, this process will add the store credit to the owner's account.
Follow the below steps:
- To forfeit the deposit, go to the Owner profile » Deposits tab.
- Select “Forfeit” deposit. Important! Do NOT select “Refund”, as the money will go back to their original payment method and you will not be able to access it.
- Once you have forfeited the deposit, this creates a new invoice on their account with the date of today. Go to that new invoice from the Owner profile » Invoices tab.
- Next, you will refund the “Forfeited Deposit” to the new method. Navigate to the Invoice. Click the “Select” check box from the middle, line-item portion of the invoice, next to where it says "Forfeit Deposit ID". Click the orange Refund button that appears on the top right of the invoice.
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In the refund popup, enter a refund reason (more refund reasons can be added from Left-hand Navigation: Admin » Refund Reasons). In the Refund Amount box, enter the total to refund for the forfeited deposit. This can be a partial amount if needed.
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Then, enter the total refund amount in the box below. Choose a refund method and then click Process Refund. Click here to learn more about how to refund.
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