Can I Issue a Discretionary Refund to a Booker?
Yes, you are free to issue a refund to a Booker that goes beyond what the standard Cancellation Policy requires. This is called a discretionary refund, and there are situations where it may be the right thing to do — for example, if a Booker has experienced a genuine emergency or if you want to maintain goodwill.
What you can do
Section titled “What you can do”You may choose to refund a Booker more than the policy entitles them to. For example, if a Booker cancels 3 days before the event (which would normally result in a 0% refund), you could choose to offer them a partial or full refund of the Hire Cost.
What you need to understand first
Section titled “What you need to understand first”Issuing a discretionary refund does not reduce your obligation to pay the Haveaspot Booking Fee. Even if you voluntarily return the Hire Cost to a Booker, the Booking Fee remains due to Haveaspot.
This means that a discretionary refund comes entirely at your own cost. You are effectively waiving your entitlement to the Hire Cost without recovering the Booking Fee.
Haveaspot will recover the Booking Fee (plus VAT) by:
- Automatic debit from your Stripe Connect Account
- Bank account debit — if the refund causes a negative balance on your Stripe account, Stripe is authorised under your Stripe Connected Account Agreement to debit your linked bank account directly to recover that shortfall
- Right of set-off against future payouts, if the above are insufficient
- Direct invoice payable within 30 days, if none of the above recover the full amount — failure to pay may result in account suspension and debt recovery action
Before issuing a discretionary refund
Section titled “Before issuing a discretionary refund”Consider the following:
- Is the Booking Fee factored in? A full discretionary refund means you absorb both the lost Hire Cost and the Booking Fee owed to Haveaspot
- Is the refund appropriate? While generosity can build goodwill, ensure you are not setting a precedent that encourages future cancellations at short notice
- Has the Booker gone through the right process? Encourage Bookers to submit cancellations through the platform rather than contacting you directly — this ensures the process is correctly recorded
How to process a discretionary refund
Section titled “How to process a discretionary refund”Contact Haveaspot support at support@haveaspot.com to arrange a discretionary refund, so it can be processed correctly through Stripe.