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Common Booking Issues

Solutions to frequently encountered booking and appointment problems.

Booking Creation Problems

"No Available Slots" Message

Problem: Calendar shows available time but booking page says "No available slots."

Possible causes & solutions:

1. Service Not Assigned to Location

  • Go to Services
  • Edit the service
  • Check "Locations" section
  • Ensure service is assigned to at least one location
  • Save changes

2. No Staff Assigned to Service

  • Go to Services
  • Edit the service
  • Check if any team members are assigned
  • If service has staff assignments but all are inactive: activate a team member
  • If no assignments: the service uses all active staff at that location
  • Verify at least one active team member exists

3. Business Hours Not Set

  • Go to Settings → Availability
  • Check each day of the week
  • Ensure days are marked "Open"
  • Set opening and closing times
  • Save changes

4. All Time Slots Already Booked

  • Go to Calendar
  • Check if appointments fill all available time
  • If fully booked: this is correct behavior
  • Consider extending hours or adding buffer time

5. Min Advance Hours Too High

  • Settings → Availability → "Min Advance Hours"
  • If set to 24: customers can't book within 24 hours
  • Reduce if you want same-day bookings
  • Example: Set to 2 hours for same-day availability

6. Max Advance Days Too Low

  • Settings → Availability → "Max Advance Days"
  • If set to 7: customers can only book 1 week ahead
  • Increase to 30, 60, or 90 days
  • Balance with your planning horizon

"Booking Failed" Error

Problem: Customer fills out booking form but gets error at submission.

Diagnostic steps:

1. Check Phone Number Format

  • Phone must include country code
  • Format: +[country code][number]
  • Example: +1 555 123 4567 (USA), +30 210 1234567 (Greece)
  • Customer may need to select correct country from dropdown

2. Check CAPTCHA Status

  • Settings → Security → "Enable CAPTCHA"
  • If enabled but Cloudflare Turnstile not loading: disable temporarily
  • If disabled and getting spam: enable CAPTCHA
  • Browser extensions may block CAPTCHA

3. Verify Service Is Active

  • Go to Services
  • Ensure service is not archived
  • Check service has price and duration set
  • Verify service assigned to location

4. Check for Conflicts

  • Time slot may have been taken between selection and submission
  • Refresh availability
  • Try different time slot
  • Check Calendar for double-bookings

5. Browser Issues

  • Clear browser cache and cookies
  • Try different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
  • Disable browser extensions
  • Try incognito/private mode

Booking Conflicts

Problem: System won't let you create a booking due to conflicts.

What causes conflicts:

1. Overlapping Appointments

  • Staff member already has appointment at that time
  • Same staff can't be in two places at once
  • Solution: Choose different time or different staff member

2. Insufficient Time for Service

  • Service duration: 60 minutes
  • Available time before next appointment: 45 minutes
  • Won't fit
  • Solution: Choose earlier time slot or find longer gap

3. Outside Business Hours

  • Trying to book at 7:00 PM
  • Business closes at 6:00 PM
  • Service duration: 60 minutes (would end at 8:00 PM)
  • Solution: Book earlier or extend business hours

4. Buffer Time Conflicts

  • Buffer time: 15 minutes between appointments
  • Trying to book at 2:00 PM
  • Previous appointment ends at 2:00 PM
  • Need 15-minute buffer
  • Solution: Book at 2:15 PM or later

How to resolve:

  1. View Calendar to see existing appointments
  2. Identify the conflicting appointment
  3. Options:
    • Choose different time slot
    • Reschedule conflicting appointment
    • Assign to different staff member
    • Reduce service duration (if appropriate)
    • Reduce buffer time (Settings → Availability)

Multi-Service Booking Issues

Problem: Can't book multiple services together.

Common issues:

1. Not Enough Consecutive Time

  • Service 1: 45 minutes
  • Service 2: 30 minutes
  • Total needed: 75 minutes
  • Available gap: 60 minutes
  • Solution: Find longer time slot or book separately

2. Different Staff Required

  • Haircut assigned to Staff A
  • Massage assigned to Staff B
  • Can't do both simultaneously
  • Solution: Book as separate appointments or assign services to same staff

3. Different Locations

  • Haircut at Location 1
  • Massage at Location 2
  • Customer can't be at two locations
  • Solution: Book at separate times or offer both services at one location

4. Services Not at Same Location

  • Selected location: Downtown
  • Service 1 available: Downtown ✓
  • Service 2 available: Uptown only ✗
  • Solution: Assign Service 2 to Downtown location or book separately

Availability & Scheduling Issues

Timezone Problems

Problem: Appointment shows wrong time for customer or business.

Understanding timezone behavior:

  • Location timezone: Where service is performed
  • Customer timezone: Where customer is located
  • Display: Appointments show in location timezone by default

Common scenarios:

1. Customer in Different Timezone

  • Business location: Athens, Greece (EET/EEST)
  • Customer location: New York, USA (EST/EDT)
  • Customer books "2:00 PM" thinking their time
  • Actually books 2:00 PM Athens time (8:00 AM New York)
  • Solution: Customer must use timezone selector on booking page

2. Daylight Saving Time Confusion

  • Booking made before DST change
  • Time displayed after DST change
  • Appears to shift by 1 hour
  • This is correct behavior
  • Appointment time in location timezone is accurate

3. Multiple Location Timezones

  • Location 1: Athens (GMT+2/+3)
  • Location 2: London (GMT+0/+1)
  • Calendar shows all in one timezone
  • Times appear "wrong" for other location
  • Solution: Use timezone badge to see actual location time

How to verify correct time:

  1. Open appointment details
  2. Check timezone badge
  3. Confirm location timezone
  4. Convert to your timezone if needed
  5. Call customer to confirm if uncertain

Staff Availability Issues

Problem: Staff member shows as unavailable when they should be available.

Diagnostic checklist:

1. Check Staff Status

  • Go to Team Members
  • Find staff member
  • Status must be "Active"
  • If "Inactive": click to activate

2. Check Location Assignment

  • Edit team member
  • Look at "Locations" section
  • Staff must be assigned to location where service is offered
  • Add location assignment if missing

3. Check Service Assignment

  • Edit team member
  • Look at "Services" section
  • If services are assigned: staff only appears for those services
  • If no services assigned: staff available for all services
  • Add service assignment if needed

4. Check Custom Availability

  • Edit team member
  • Click "Availability" tab
  • May have custom schedule that differs from business hours
  • Example: Business open Mon-Sat, but staff only works Mon-Fri
  • Adjust staff availability as needed

5. Check Existing Appointments

  • Go to Calendar
  • Filter by staff member
  • Check if fully booked
  • Staff can't be double-booked

Holiday & Closed Day Issues

Problem: Bookings showing on days business should be closed.

Solutions:

1. Set Holiday

  • Settings → Availability → "Holidays" section
  • Click "Add Holiday"
  • Enter date and name
  • Optional: Mark as recurring (for annual holidays)
  • Save
  • Bookings blocked for that date

2. Close Specific Day

  • Settings → Availability → Business Hours
  • Find the day (e.g., Sunday)
  • Toggle to "Closed"
  • Save
  • No bookings available on that day

3. Location-Specific Closure

  • Go to Locations
  • Edit the specific location
  • Set custom hours for that location
  • Close the day only for that location
  • Other locations unaffected

4. Temporary Closure

  • Best practice: Add as Holiday
  • Example: "Summer Vacation - Aug 1-15"
  • Add multiple holidays for date range
  • Or: Go to Calendar and block time manually

Calendar & Appointment Display Issues

Appointments Not Showing

Problem: Created appointment but don't see it in Calendar.

Diagnostic steps:

1. Check View Tab

  • Calendar has three tabs: Today, Upcoming, Past
  • Today: Only appointments today
  • Upcoming: Next 3 months from today
  • Past: Last 6 months
  • Solution: Switch to correct tab

2. Check Filters

  • Look for active filters:
    • Location filter
    • Status filter
  • Click "Clear Filters" or select "All"
  • Appointment may be filtered out

3. Check Date Range

  • In Calendar view (not List view)
  • Check which week/month is displayed
  • Navigate to appointment date
  • May be outside visible range

4. Check Appointment Status

  • Cancelled appointments may be hidden
  • Use Status filter: Select "Cancelled"
  • Verify appointment exists

5. Refresh Page

  • Browser cache may be stale
  • Press Ctrl+R (Windows) or Cmd+R (Mac)
  • Or close and reopen tab

Wrong Service or Customer Showing

Problem: Appointment shows incorrect information.

This may be:

1. Wrong Customer Linked

  • When creating: selected wrong contact from dropdown
  • Solution: Edit appointment, change customer

2. Customer Name Changed

  • Contact was renamed after booking
  • Appointment reflects current contact name
  • This is correct behavior
  • Edit contact to fix name

3. Wrong Service Selected

  • When creating: clicked wrong service
  • Solution: Cancel and rebook, or manually edit if possible

4. Multi-Service Confusion

  • Customer booked 3 services
  • Shows as 3 separate appointments
  • All have same booking group ID
  • This is correct behavior
  • They're linked as one booking

Calendar Week View Issues

Problem: Week view looks empty or shows wrong times.

Common causes:

1. Week Range Outside Appointments

  • Viewing This Week
  • All appointments Next Week
  • Solution: Use navigation arrows to move to next week

2. Timezone Display

  • Times may look "wrong" if in different timezone
  • Check timezone badge on appointments
  • Switch timezone selector if needed

3. No Appointments That Week

  • Empty week view is correct
  • Check Upcoming tab in List view to see future appointments

4. Filter Active

  • Location or Status filter applied
  • Filtering out appointments
  • Solution: Clear filters

Manual Booking Creation Issues

Can't Select Time Slot

Problem: Time slot appears grayed out or unclickable.

Reasons:

1. Conflict Exists

  • Staff already booked
  • Location at capacity
  • Solution: Choose different time or staff

2. Outside Business Hours

  • Slot is before opening or after closing
  • Considering service duration
  • Solution: Choose time within hours, or extend hours

3. Min Advance Hours

  • Trying to book too soon
  • Settings enforce minimum notice
  • Solution: Book further in future, or reduce min advance hours

4. Past Date

  • Can't book in the past
  • Even for testing
  • Solution: Select future date

Can't Find Customer

Problem: Customer not appearing in contact search when creating booking.

Solutions:

1. Create New Contact First

  • Go to Contacts page
  • Click "Add Contact"
  • Enter customer information
  • Save
  • Return to Calendar to book

2. Search by Different Field

  • Try searching name
  • Try searching phone
  • Try searching email
  • May be saved under different name

3. Customer Archived

  • Archived contacts don't appear in search
  • Go to Contacts
  • Filter: "Archived"
  • Find customer
  • Unarchive
  • Return to booking

4. Contact Doesn't Exist

  • New customer who hasn't booked before
  • Not in system yet
  • Solution: Create contact first

Service Duration Issues

Problem: Service seems too long or too short.

Understanding duration:

  • Duration = time customer is with you
  • Includes service time + any buffer
  • Blocks staff member for that duration

If duration is wrong:

  1. Go to Services
  2. Edit the service
  3. Change "Duration" field
  4. Save
  5. Future bookings use new duration
  6. Existing bookings keep old duration

If you need buffer between appointments:

  • Don't add to service duration
  • Use Settings → Availability → "Buffer Time"
  • Applies globally between all appointments

Common Error Messages

"This service is not available at this location"

Cause: Service not assigned to selected location.

Fix:

  1. Go to Services
  2. Edit the service
  3. Check "Locations" section
  4. Check the box for the location
  5. Save

"No staff members available for this service"

Cause: Either no staff assigned, or all assigned staff are inactive/unavailable.

Fix:

  1. Option A: Ensure at least one active team member exists

    • Go to Team Members
    • Verify at least one member is Active
    • Member must be assigned to the location

  2. Option B: Assign service to staff

    • Go to Services
    • Edit service
    • Ensure service is assigned to active staff member

"Appointment time conflicts with existing booking"

Cause: Staff member or resource already booked.

Fix:

  1. View Calendar to see conflict
  2. Choose different time
  3. Or assign to different staff member
  4. Or reschedule conflicting appointment

"Phone number format is invalid"

Cause: Phone number doesn't include country code or has invalid format.

Fix:

  • Must start with + and country code
  • Example: +1 555 123 4567 (USA)
  • Example: +30 210 1234567 (Greece)
  • No spaces or special characters in some fields
  • Use international format (E.164)

"You've reached your booking limit"

Cause: AI booking limit reached for the month.

Fix:

  1. Immediate: Purchase Booking Pack add-on (Settings → Billing)
  2. Wait: Limit resets on billing date
  3. Long-term: Upgrade subscription tier
  4. Workaround: Create manual bookings (don't count toward limit)

Related Articles

Most booking issues are resolved by checking service assignments, staff availability, and business hours! ✅