Taking a deposit

A deposit is the usual answer to no-shows. Callout will ask for one on your behalf, but it will not collect it, because Callout never touches your money. See why that is.

Turning it on

Settings, Getting paid. Set an amount, and every new booking asks for it. Deposits are on the paid plans; on Free the amount is held at zero.

What the client sees

At the end of booking, and again on their job page, they are told a deposit is due and shown how to pay it: your own payment link if you have added one, or your contact details if you have not.

The bit that surprises people

The booking says the deposit is outstanding until you mark it received. Callout does not know whether the money arrived, because it never sees it. A client clicking your payment link tells us nothing about whether they finished paying.

So when it lands, open the job and record it. That takes a second and it is the only way the record is true.

It also means a deposit is not a lock. It is a commitment, the same as it has always been, and Callout keeps the paperwork straight rather than guarding the gate.

Setting expectations

The cancellation terms you write are shown at booking time, so somebody who cancels late has already read what happens to the deposit. Keep it short and keep it fair, because you are the one who has to have the conversation.