Services & Packages
Take a deposit
A deposit asks a client to pay part of a booking up front. You set it on a service, or once for all your services. When a booking is made, Chester drafts the deposit invoice for you to send, and a paid deposit comes off the final invoice.
The short version
- Set a deposit on a service, or as a default in Booking rules.
- When a booking is made, send the deposit invoice Chester drafts.
- Once paid, it comes off the final invoice automatically.
On your phone
- Tap the More tab, then Settings.
- Under Services, tap Bookable services, then Edit on the service.
- Under Deposit (asked for up front), choose Percentage or Fixed amount and enter it.
- Use default follows your Booking rules. No deposit for this service never asks for one.
- Save the service.
On the web
- In the left sidebar, click Settings, then Bookable Services.
- Click the pencil on the service.
- Under Deposit, choose Percentage of the total or Fixed amount and enter it.
- Save the service.
Set one deposit for many services
- Open Settings, then Booking rules, and click Edit on Deposit. On a type, it says Customize until you change it there.
- Choose No deposit, Percentage of the total or Fixed amount, then Save changes.
- Set it on Your defaults for every service, or on a type (like Boarding) for that type. A service's own deposit wins.
What your client gets
- Before booking, a Due when you book box with the deposit amount, and a line saying it comes off what they owe at the end.
- After you send it, an email with the invoice and a way to pay.
- On the final invoice, a "Deposit already paid" line that takes it off.
Good to know
- Nothing is charged until you send it. The deposit invoice starts as a draft when you make a booking or accept a request. The booking shows "deposit not sent yet".
- On the web, the booking has an Open and send it link. On your phone, find the draft on the Money tab.
- Only a paid deposit comes off the final invoice. It never takes the invoice below zero.
- Card payments need online payments. Without them, record the deposit yourself when the client pays you.
- If the client cancels, Chester keeps what your cancellation policy charges, up to the deposit, and returns the rest. A card deposit is refunded automatically. A cash one you return yourself.
- A deposit marked Non-refundable is kept in full if the client cancels.
- If you cancel and don't apply the late fee, the whole deposit goes back to the client.
- No deposit on repeating bookings or visits covered by a prepaid pack. Add-ons can't have their own deposit.
- A different deposit for busy dates, and a non-refundable option, are set under Only for these dates. See Charge more on holidays and busy dates.
- Who can set deposits. Anyone with "Manage services & pricing".
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