Online cancellation lets your customers (pet parents) cancel their own bookings in the online booking portal or the Pet Parent app. It's switched off by default. You choose which services can be cancelled online, how close to check-in they can still cancel, and whether money they've paid goes back onto their account as wallet funds.
How to switch on online cancellation
Online cancellation is switched on for each service separately. You can do it in either of two places; both change the same setting.
Settings > Main Settings > Services Provided: under Booking Types, tick Cancel Online for each service you want customers to be able to cancel.
Settings > Online Booking Portal > Cancellation Settings: switch on Allow Online Cancellation for each service.
Click Save after making your changes.
Online cancellation settings
The Cancellation Settings section on Settings > Online Booking Portal has these settings:
Allow Online Cancellation (one per service): lets customers cancel that type of booking online.
Cancellation Block (one per service): "Stop customers from cancelling a booking with X hours of check-in". Pick a number of hours, or leave it blank for no cut-off. The hours are counted back from the booking's check-in time, or from 9am on the check-in day if the booking has no time.
When a customer cancels a booking online, credit any payments associated with that bookings to their account automatically: when this is on, anything the customer has paid on the booking is added to their account as wallet funds when they cancel. It doesn't refund Stripe card payments. For bookings that have a package associated with them, no credit is given; you'd need to do that by hand.
The Online Booking Portal page doesn't set a cancellation fee. Cancellation fees are set for each service on that service's own settings page (for boarding, Settings > Boarding > Boarding Cancellation Settings > Enable Cancellation Fee). See "Cancellation Fees/Cancellation Charges" in Related articles.
How pet parents cancel a booking online
The pet parent logs into your online booking portal or the Pet Parent app and opens the booking.
They click Cancel on the booking. The button only shows for bookings that haven't been checked in yet, on services with online cancellation switched on, and outside your Cancellation Block.
The Cancel Booking page shows the Booking Ref and, if a cancellation fee applies, the Cancellation Fee amount.
They can type a Reason for Cancellation. If you've switched on Require Cancellation Reason on Settings > Main Settings, the box must be filled in.
They click Cancel Booking.
What happens after a pet parent cancels online
The booking is cancelled. If a cancellation fee applies (Enable Cancellation Fee is on for that service and the cancellation is inside its Auto Charge window), the booking is set to Cancelled (Fee Adjusted) with the fee as its price, using that service's Cancellation Fee Type.
The booking's audit log records "Booking Cancelled - by Customer" with the reason they gave.
For a boarding booking, any grooming or daycare booked as part of that stay is cancelled too.
Staff who have Booking cancelled switched on in their email notifications (Settings > Staff Accounts) get an email headed "KennelBooker - Booking Cancelled Online Ref:" with the booking reference, the reason, any deposit paid, the customer's phone numbers, dates, pets and services.
If the automatic credit setting is on, money paid on the booking is added to the customer's wallet funds.
KennelBooker doesn't send the pet parent a cancellation email or text when they cancel online.
Changing dates online and the cancellation cut-off
Separately from cancelling, you can let customers move their own bookings. On Settings > Main Settings > Services Provided > Booking Types, switch on Modify Booking Dates (Online) for boarding, or Modify Booking Date (Online) for daycare or walks.
The same Cancellation Block applies: inside that many hours of check-in, customers can't change the dates either.
For boarding, the Change Dates button is also hidden when a boarding cancellation fee would apply (inside your boarding Auto Charge window), so customers can't move a booking to avoid the fee. It isn't offered on bookings split over more than one run.
Daycare and walk dates can only be changed on confirmed bookings.
What online cancellation doesn't do
Online cancellation doesn't refund card payments. The automatic credit setting adds wallet funds instead; to refund a Stripe payment, use a refund on the booking.
The Online Booking Portal page doesn't set a cancellation fee. Use Enable Cancellation Fee on each service's settings page.
Customers can't cancel bookings that have been checked in or checked out.
Online cancellation doesn't email the pet parent.
Online cancellation: frequently asked questions
Can my customers cancel their own bookings?
Yes, if you switch it on. Online cancellation is off by default. Tick Cancel Online for each service on Settings > Main Settings > Services Provided, or switch on Allow Online Cancellation on Settings > Online Booking Portal > Cancellation Settings.
Can I stop customers cancelling at the last minute?
Yes. Online cancellation has a Cancellation Block for each service on Settings > Online Booking Portal > Cancellation Settings. Set it to, say, 24 and customers can't cancel online within 24 hours of check-in. The Cancel button disappears from the booking once inside that window.
Can I allow daycare cancellations online but not boarding?
Yes. Online cancellation is set per service, so you can switch on Allow Online Cancellation (or Cancel Online) for daycare and leave it off for boarding.
Will the customer be charged a cancellation fee if they cancel online?
Only if you've set one up. When a pet parent cancels online and Enable Cancellation Fee is on for that service, the fee is applied automatically if the cancellation is inside the service's Auto Charge window. The customer sees the Cancellation Fee amount on the Cancel Booking page before they confirm. The fee isn't taken from their card automatically.
Does the customer get their money back when they cancel online?
Not to their card. Online cancellation can only put money they've paid onto their account as wallet funds, if you switch on the automatic credit setting in Cancellation Settings. Stripe payments aren't refunded, and bookings paid with a package get no credit. To refund a card payment, issue a refund from the booking.
What happens to the money already paid when a boarding booking is cancelled online with a fee?
If a cancellation fee applies and the automatic credit setting is on, everything the customer has paid on the booking so far is added to their wallet funds. The cancelled booking is set to Cancelled (Fee Adjusted) and shows the cancellation fee as owed. You then use the customer's wallet funds to pay the fee on that booking. Whatever is left stays in their wallet funds for future bookings.
Will I know when a customer cancels online?
Yes, if you want to. Staff with Booking cancelled switched on in their email notifications on Settings > Staff Accounts get an email for every online cancellation, with the booking reference and the customer's reason. The cancellation is also in the booking's audit log as "Booking Cancelled - by Customer".
Can customers cancel in the Pet Parent app?
Yes. The Pet Parent app uses your online booking portal, so online cancellation works the same way in the app.
Can I make customers give a reason for cancelling?
Yes. Switch on Require Cancellation Reason on Settings > Main Settings. The Reason for Cancellation box on the Cancel Booking page then has to be filled in before the booking can be cancelled online.
Can I undo a booking a customer cancelled online?
Yes, staff can undo a cancelled booking. See "Undo Cancelled Booking" in Related articles. If a cancellation fee was applied, the extras removed at that point aren't restored and you'll need to reset the booking price by hand.
Online cancellation: common problems
My customer can't see the Cancel button
The Cancel button only shows when online cancellation is switched on for that booking's service, the booking hasn't been checked in, and check-in is further away than the Cancellation Block for that service. Check Settings > Online Booking Portal > Cancellation Settings. If the booking has no check-in time, the cut-off is counted from 9am on the check-in day.
The Change Dates button has disappeared from a boarding booking
For boarding, Change Dates is hidden inside the Cancellation Block and also inside the boarding cancellation fee's Auto Charge window, so customers can't move the booking to avoid the fee. It also isn't shown for bookings split across more than one run.
The customer cancelled but their card wasn't refunded
Online cancellation never refunds card payments. If the automatic credit setting is on, the amount paid was added to their wallet funds instead. To refund the card, refund the payment from the booking.
I didn't get an email when a booking was cancelled online
The online cancellation email only goes to staff who have Booking cancelled switched on in their email notifications. Check each staff account on Settings > Staff Accounts.
The customer can't submit the cancellation
If Require Cancellation Reason is on, the Reason for Cancellation box is highlighted in red until the customer types a reason. Ask them to add one and click Cancel Booking again.
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