Requiring a deposit from repeat no-show clients
Updated
On this page
Some clients book and never show. Alaga can ask those clients — and only those clients — for a deposit before you confirm their next appointment. Nobody else sees a change.
Turn it on
Go to Settings → Payments → Deposit Settings and switch on Appointment deposits. Then choose:
- Deposit — a percentage of the booked service price, or a fixed dollar amount.
- Require after N no-shows — how many no-shows (appointments and boarding/daycare stays combined) trigger the requirement. Leave it blank to require deposits only from clients you flag by hand.
- Look back — how many days of history count (default one year).
- Count no-shows from — a date before which no-shows are ignored. If you migrated from another system, set this to your go-live date so old history from the import doesn't flag everyone.
Flagging a client by hand
Open the client, click Edit, and switch on Require deposit. Add a staff-only reason if you like — the client never sees it. When a client crosses your no-show threshold, Alaga switches this on for them automatically. It stays on until you switch it off.
A Deposit required badge shows on the client's profile and in the side panel so the front desk knows at a glance.
What the client sees
When a flagged client books online, the booking page shows: "A $X deposit is required to hold this appointment. We'll collect it by phone or at your next visit before confirming." Their request still goes through as Pending, and the confirmation email repeats the deposit line. Their appointment page in the portal reads Deposit due — call us until it is paid.
Collecting the deposit
On the appointment, click Confirm. If a deposit is still owed you'll see Deposit due — $X:
- Collect deposit takes the payment now (cash, check, or card on your terminal) and then confirms.
- Confirm anyway waives it for this visit and confirms.
A collected deposit is held as account credit on the client. At checkout, the payment screen leads with Apply deposit, so the client only pays the balance.
Online payment of the deposit from the portal is coming; for now deposits are collected in person or by phone.