Managing clear and comprehensive policies helps set expectations with customers and ensures smooth business operations. The Policies section lets you configure various rules and guidelines that automatically apply to your activities and bookings.
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Health & Safety Guidelines
Health and safety guidelines form the foundation of your activity policies. These guidelines are automatically included in all activity types to ensure customer safety and compliance.
When configuring health and safety guidelines, you can:
Define medical fitness requirements and restrictions
Set certification prerequisites
Establish equipment safety standards
Any updates to health and safety guidelines will apply to all new activities you create. Existing activities maintain their original guidelines to ensure consistency for current bookings.
Required Documentation
The platform helps you manage essential forms and waivers:
Configure liability waiver requirements
Set up medical declaration forms
Manage certification verification processes
You can update form URLs and requirements as needed through the policy settings. The system tracks form completion status for each booking, helping ensure compliance before activities.
Activity-Specific Policies
The platform allows you to configure distinct policies for tours, courses, and trips. Each activity type has unique requirements and considerations that need different policy approaches.
Tours Policy Configuration
Tour policies focus on short-duration activities. When setting tour policies, you can define:
Booking windows and cut-off times
Minimum participant requirements
Weather-related rescheduling terms
Equipment requirements and rental terms
The system automatically applies these policies to all new tours you create. Any policy updates affect only newly created tours, while existing tours maintain their original policies to avoid disrupting current bookings.
Course Policies
Course policies address the specific needs of training programs. These policies typically cover:
Prerequisites and certification requirements
Course completion criteria
Training materials and equipment
Make-up session guidelines
Changes to course policies apply to new courses only, ensuring consistent terms for students already enrolled in existing courses.
Trip Policies
Trip policies handle multi-day experiences and include:
Deposit requirements and payment schedules
Accommodation policies
Required documentation
Group size minimums and maximums
Like other policy types, trip policy updates affect only newly created trips to maintain consistency for existing bookings.
Refund Rules
Refund policies can be configured separately for each activity type, allowing you to set appropriate terms based on the activity's nature and duration. For each activity type, you can specify:
Cancellation windows and refund percentages
Rescheduling options and fees
No-show policies
Weather-related cancellation terms
The system automatically enforces these refund rules during the booking process, clearly communicating terms to customers and streamlining cancellation handling.
Refund Rules for Business
Understanding how refunds work is crucial for managing your business finances effectively. The refund process varies depending on whether the cancellation is initiated by your business or the customer.
Business-Initiated Cancellations
When your business cancels an activity:
Customers receive a complete refund including:
Activity fees and taxes
Buddy platform fees
All associated taxes
Stripe processing fees are not refundable
Buddy automatically refunds platform fees and taxes
The refund is processed to the customer's original payment method
Customer-Initiated Cancellations
When customers cancel their booking:
Refund amount is based on your cancellation policy
Only activity fees and applicable taxes are refundable
Buddy platform fees are non-refundable
Payment processing fees are non-refundable
Refunds are processed to the original payment method
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Policy Basics
Q: How do policy changes affect existing bookings?
A: Policy changes only apply to new activities and bookings. Existing bookings maintain their original policies to ensure consistent terms throughout the customer experience. This prevents confusion and maintains trust with customers who booked under specific terms.
Q: Can I have different refund policies for different activities?
A: Yes, you can configure distinct refund policies for tours, courses, and trips. This flexibility allows you to set appropriate terms based on factors like activity duration, costs, and operational considerations. For example, you might set more flexible terms for short tours compared to multi-day trips.
Policy Management
Q: How do customers see my policies during booking?
A: The system presents relevant policies at key points in the booking process. Customers see:
Activity-specific policies on the activity details page
Refund terms before payment
Required forms and waivers after booking confirmation
Policy reminders in pre-activity communications
Q: What happens if I need to make an exception to a policy?
A: While the system enforces standard policies automatically, you can handle exceptions through the booking management interface. Document any exceptions clearly in the booking notes and ensure proper communication with the customer regarding the special terms.
Understanding Refunds
Q: Why aren't Stripe fees refunded for business cancellations?
A: Payment processing fees are charged by Stripe for the original transaction and aren't recoverable, even when the activity is canceled by the business.
Q: Why aren't Buddy fees refunded for customer cancellations?
A: Buddy fees cover platform services already provided, including booking management and payment processing, regardless of whether the customer attends the activity.
Refund Process
Q: How quickly are refunds processed?
A: Refunds are initiated immediately but may take 5-10 business days to appear in the customer's account, depending on their bank.
Q: Can I offer partial refunds for customer cancellations?
A: Yes, you can set custom cancellation policies that define partial refund amounts based on how far in advance the customer cancels.
Q: What happens if a customer paid in cash?
A: For cash payments, you'll need to handle the refund directly with the customer according to your cancellation policy.
Handling Special Cases
Q: What if I need to cancel due to weather conditions?
A: Weather-related cancellations are treated as business cancellations, requiring full refunds regardless of your standard cancellation policy.
Q: Can I offer credit instead of a refund?
A: No, credit wallet is not available at the moment. You can offer booking another activity instead.
Documentation Requirements
Q: How do I manage waiver completion for group bookings?
A: The system tracks waiver requirements for each participant in a booking. You can:
Monitor completion status for each person
Send individual reminders for outstanding waivers
Verify completion during check-in
Mark waivers as completed manually if submitted offline
Q: Can I customize form requirements based on activity type?
A: Yes, you can set different documentation requirements for each activity type. For example, you might require additional medical forms for technical diving courses while keeping paperwork minimal for snorkeling tours.
Troubleshooting
Q: What should I do if a customer disputes a cancellation policy?
A: The system maintains clear records of the policies in effect when each booking was made. You can:
Reference the original booking terms
Review the cancellation timeline
Check for any special circumstances
Make informed decisions about exceptions based on complete information
Q: How do I handle policy conflicts between different activity types?
A: While the system allows different policies for each activity type, consider creating consistent overarching guidelines where possible. When policies must differ:
Clearly document the reasons for differences
Ensure customer communications clearly specify applicable terms
Train staff on handling policy variations
Monitor customer feedback for potential confusion points