Refunds

Overview

You can Refund a Customer from the Admin Dashboard inside the Customer's Profile. Before processing any Refund, confirm why the Customer is asking for one. If the request conflicts with your Cancellation Policy, follow the policy your business has set. If it does not conflict, process the Refund.

How to process a Refund

1. Navigate to the Profile of the Customer who requested the Refund.
2. Click the Purchases tab.
3. Click the specific Purchase you want to Refund.
4. Scroll down to find the three vertical dots next to a captured amount
5. Click on the "Refund" option
6. Click the button and complete the fields:

   • Amount to refund
   • Type of refund: Money or Credits
   • Reason for refund: Requested by Customer, Fraud, or Duplicate. When the additional_refund_reasons feature flag is enabled, four additional options are also available: Facility Issue, Booking Error, Incorrect Charge, and Customer Service.
   • Details of refund
7. Click the Refund button in the popup to initiate the Refund.

If a refund is processed and the option selected is Fraud, Stripe will automatically flag the Customer's credit card and block it from further fraudulent charges.

Specifically:

• The Customer's credit card and email address are both blocked
• This is intentional, if a Customer is committing fraud, the Club would not want to continue doing business with them

To avoid accidentally blocking a Customer's card, use the reason "Request by Customer" or "Duplicate" for any non-fraud-related refunds. To learn more, read the How to Issue a Refund article.

Money or Credits?

A Money refund returns all the Customer's money. The Stripe fee on the original transaction is lost when this happens. A Credit refund puts money on the Customer's Profile in the App, which they can spend on a future Reservation. Credits hold a 1-for-1 dollar value. We suggest Credits for three reasons:

1. The Customer can use Credits right away. A Money refund takes several days depending on the Customer's bank.
2. The Club keeps the Stripe fee instead of losing it on the refund transaction.
3. The Refund stays at the Club. Ask the Customer which they prefer. If they want Money, we strongly suggest giving the Money refund.

FAQs

Can I issue a partial Refund?

Yes. Change the Amount field to the value you want to return rather than the full Purchase amount.

Why detail the reason for a Refund?

Recording the reason in the Details field is good business practice. If you ever need to revisit why a Refund was issued, the Details section tells you exactly why it was processed.

What are the reasons for a Refund?

The three most frequent reasons are Requested by Customer, Fraud, and Duplicate charge. These are the options you pick from when refunding a Customer. When the additional_refund_reasons feature flag is enabled, four additional options are also available: Facility Issue, Booking Error, Incorrect Charge, and Customer Service. ONLY select Fraud as the reason for the refund if you want to block the Customer's credit card from working in the future.

How long does a Refund take?

A Refund is processed on PodPlay's system immediately. Stripe then begins its refund process, which can take up to 10 business days depending on the Customer's bank. The Customer usually sees the Refund within 2 business days.

Will a Customer be Refunded if removed from a Reservation?

A Customer is not charged for a Reservation until after the booking is over (default process). If a staff member in the Dashboard removes a Customer from a Reservation or deletes the Reservation, there is nothing to Refund. The exception is when a Customer used Credits to book. Credits are applied immediately rather than deducted after the Reservation. If an Admin then removes the Customer or deletes the Reservation, all Credits are returned to the Customer's Profile.

What if a Customer disputes a charge?

Because the Customer is not charged until after their Reservation (default process), the Club has the Customer on camera attending the Reservation or Event. Read more about Disputes here.

Can I Refund through Stripe instead?

No. Process all Refunds through the PodPlay Dashboard.