📝 Overview
Your account lets you control how far in advance customers have to cancel registrations, and how long open class spots remain reserved for people on the waiting list. To give you even more control, you can set a Nightly Blackout Period for waiting list spot expirations and cancellation time limits.
In this guide we'll cover what a nightly blackout period is, why you might use one, how it affects cancellations and waitlists, and how to set it up.
📖 What is a nightly blackout period?
A nightly blackout period is time that does not count towards waitlist spot expirations or cancellation time limits. It effectively lets you set different cancellation limits for morning and evening classes by blocking out night time hours.
💭 Why would I use a nightly blackout period?
Some businesses like to set waiting list expiration times and cancellation cutoff limits low to accommodate customers' busy and uncertain schedules. The blackout period helps these short limits work fairly across different times of day.
🧠 If a class is at 5pm and someone cancels at 3:45pm, it's likely someone on the waiting list will be around to take the spot. However, it's much less likely that someone will claim an open spot in a morning class that becomes available overnight.
Click the arrow to learn how the blackout period affects cancellations and waitlists
Click the arrow to learn how the blackout period affects cancellations and waitlists
🔶 How are cancellation cutoffs affected by nightly blackouts?
If the cancellation cutoff doesn't fall in the blackout period, it's unaffected by the blackout entirely. If the cancellation period does fall within the blackout period, the blackout hours are added to the cancellation period.
🧠Examples:
Cutoff outside the blackout:
Your cancellation time limit is 3 hours and your nightly blackout is 11pm–7am. A class starts at 5pm, so customers would need to cancel before 2pm that day, unaffected by the blackout.
Cutoff inside the blackout:
Your cancellation time limit is 3 hours and your nightly blackout is 11pm–7am. A class starts at 8am, so the cutoff would fall within the blackout. The 8 blackout hours are added, so cancellations must occur before 9pm the night before (the 3 non-blackout hours are 9pm–11pm and 7am–8am).
🔶 How are waitlists affected by nightly blackouts?
Waiting list spots will not expire during the blackout period.
🧠 Example: Your nightly blackout is 11pm–7am. Someone unregisters from a class at 12am and the first person on the waitlist is offered the spot. If they're within the automatic registration period, they're added automatically. If not, the reserved time in your waitlist settings won't start until the blackout ends at 7am, so they would have until 7:30am to accept their spot.
🔦 Can people still register and cancel during nightly blackouts?
Yes. The blackout affects time limits for waitlist spot expiration and registration cancellations only. Customers can still register and unregister from sessions, and do everything else they've always been able to do.
🛠️ How do I set my Nightly Blackout Period?
You can set your blackout period from the registration settings. Head to Settings ➜ Registration ➜ Nightly Blackout and follow the steps below.
1. Click Edit.
2. Select Use nightly blackout.
3. Set your start and end times.
4. Click Save.
