Taking a hire over the phone

When a customer rings to hire bikes, book it for them from Bookings. Choose New booking, then Hire. The Hire option only shows once you have at least one hire bike on sale under Rentals.

Booking it

1. 1Enter the customer. A first name is enough to start; add their phone and email.
2. 2Under Bikes, choose a bike and a size. Type the rider's height and Velobook suggests the size that fits. Add the rider's name and email if you have them, or tick Under 18 for a child. Add another bike for each extra rider, up to 12.
3. 3Pick the Date and the length: Days, Morning, Afternoon or Hours. Only the lengths every chosen bike has a price for are offered. A discount code can go on here too.
4. 4Under Payment, choose Send a payment link or Pay in the shop, then save.

Paying by link: the bikes are held

With Send a payment link, choose how long to hold the bikes: 30 min, 2 hours or 24 hours. The customer needs an email address for this one. Velobook emails them a link to pay, and shows you the same link with a copy button so you can text it or read it out.

• While the hold lasts, nobody else can book those bikes
• Paid in time, the hire is confirmed and the waivers go out
• Not paid in time, the link stops working and the bikes go back on sale within a few minutes
• Open the hire from Bookings to see the deadline, copy the link again, or choose Send a fresh link with a new hold. A fresh link replaces the old one, which stops working
• Free these bikes now puts them straight back on sale. The customer is not emailed

With Pay in the shop, the hire is confirmed straight away. The customer gets their confirmation and pays when they collect the bikes.

Delivery and collection

If you deliver hire bikes (Offer delivery on rentals under Rentals → Rental settings), the form has a Delivery section. Choose Shop pickup or Delivery, then tick We drop the bikes off, We collect them afterwards, or both.

• Enter the delivery address. Collect from a different address adds a second one, for a customer staying somewhere new
• Pick a delivery and collection window if you have set windows up
• The fee comes from your delivery settings for that address. Type an amount to charge something else, or to charge for an address your settings do not cover
• A phone number is required, because the driver needs it
• An address outside your area, a day you do not deliver or a full window is a warning, not a block. Tick Book it anyway to go ahead. Your booking page still refuses all three for customers