Booking Slots, Durations & Overlaps – WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments FAQs

Are custom add-ons like Bookings Participant Groups Add-on, Customize Minimum/Maximum Booking Slots Add-on, Availability Search Widget Add-on, Participants-Based Discount Add-on, PluginHive Custom Booking Interval add-on, and Booking Cost Adjustment Add-on available to vendors?

These are custom paid add-ons tailored for specific use cases with the Bookings plugin. Their availability and functionality for vendors depend on individual business requirements and the specific configuration of the add-ons. For exact capabilities and setup, it is recommended to discuss your business use case with PluginHive support to ensure suitability.

Are past bookings still present in WooCommerce after I delete the appointment in the PluginHive plugin?

Once you delete appointments using the ‘Delete Bookings’ option in the PluginHive plugin, those bookings are removed from the plugin interface. However, this action does not cancel the booked time slots or send notifications to customers. If the appointments were tied to WooCommerce orders, the order details may still remain in WooCommerce, but the booking itself will not appear in the PluginHive plugin.

Can a manager reschedule a customer’s booking (moving them to a different time slot) after payment without requiring another payment?

Yes, after an order has been completed and payment is received, a manager or admin can manually reschedule a booking to a different time slot in the WordPress dashboard. This adjustment will not require the customer to make another payment.

Can customers select their own booking time range based on the number of hours they need?

Yes, the PluginHive WooCommerce Bookings plugin provides customers with the flexibility to select their preferred time slots based on the number of hours they need. This can be set up using the plugin's time range and duration features. To implement this:

1. Update your plugin to the latest version.
2. Configure the booking product to allow customers to choose a range of hours for their booking.
3. On the product page, customers will be able to select specific time slots and book for the duration they require.

Can I achieve conflicting time slot blocking using a single product and shared resources instead of creating multiple products?

The core plugin does not support blocking conflicting time slots using just a single product and shared resources. The recommended workaround is to use separate products (one for half-day/morning & afternoon, and another for full day), assign the same asset with a quantity of 1 to both, and manage availability that way. If you want to handle this within a single product, you would need the Custom Booking Interval paid addon for more flexibility.

Can I add specific time slots in addition to dates, such as having 365 days availability with time slots 9:00-16:00 and 19:00-22:00?

The WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin allows you to set time slots in addition to date selections. However, all time slots must have the same booking period. In your example, the slot "9:00-16:00" is 7 hours and "19:00-22:00" is 3 hours, which is not supported, as the plugin does not allow time slots of varying lengths. All defined time slots are required to have the same duration.

Can I assign specific addresses (such as A-01, A-02, etc.) to these warehouse availabilities in the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin?

The plugin does not support assigning unique addresses or identifiers to each booking slot within a Bookable Product. You cannot directly associate addresses like A-01, A-02, etc., to specific availabilities using the plugin. Organization can be managed by naming the products appropriately, but automated address assignment per booking is not supported.

Can I configure booking slots in 15-minute intervals for one-hour sessions using PluginHive’s booking software?

Yes, PluginHive's booking software allows you to set up bookings in 15-minute intervals for one-hour sessions. You can create time slots such as 10:15 am – 11:15 am, 11:15 am – 12:15 pm, and so on. This flexible slot configuration helps maximize your schedule beyond standard hourly increments.

Can I configure bookings so that the start times are only on the half hour (e.g., 9:30, 10:30, etc.), with the latest return time set to 6:30 pm, and ensure that later time slots are automatically disabled based on the duration selected?

Yes, using the Custom Booking Interval add-on, you can:

• Set the booking period to 30-minute intervals, allowing start times only at half past the hour (e.g., 9:30, 10:30, etc.).
• Define the latest valid start time for each duration option so that no bookings exceed the 6:30 pm return time:
• For 2-hour rentals: latest start at 4:30 pm
• For 3-hour rentals: latest start at 3:30 pm
• For 6-hour rentals: latest start at 12:30 pm
• The system will automatically disable any time slots where the selected duration would cause the return time to go past 6:30 pm.

Can I configure buffer times between hourly bookings and prevent double bookings for the same time slot using the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointment plugin?

Yes, the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointment plugin allows you to set buffer times between bookings. You can specify the exact buffer time you require after each appointment, ensuring sufficient time between sessions. Additionally, you can set the "Max. Bookings per slot" to 1. This ensures that once a time slot is booked, it will no longer be available for future bookings, whether it's a 1-hour or several-hour appointment. This setup prevents double bookings and guarantees reserved time for each client.

Can I customize booking time slots, business hours, and booking increments (such as 20-minute or 50-minute slots starting at the top or half of the hour) using this plugin?

The plugin offers customizable availability, allowing you to set your business hours for each day and enable booking in half-hour increments according to your schedule. However, please note that the plugin currently does not support variable booking durations for each time slot (e.g., both 20-minute and 50-minute slots selectable within the same availability window). You can configure fixed-duration slots and assign start times based on your specified hours.

Can I customize the amount of time a slot remains blocked in the PluginHive Bookings plugin?

The PluginHive Bookings plugin does not offer an option to customize the slot block duration. Custom changes to this behavior are not supported or recommended, as altering the plugin's core functionalities can impact its stability and performance.

Can I match a WooCommerce coupon to a specific booking time slot so that the discount applies only during that slot?

No, WooCommerce’s standard coupon functionality does not allow you to limit coupon application to specific booking time slots. Coupons can generally be restricted by product, cart value, or customer eligibility, but not by time slots configured within the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin. Any coupon applied would be usable for the entire product during the coupon’s active period, regardless of the booking time slot selected.

Can I prevent multiple users from booking the same slot at the same time?

Yes, you can configure your bookable product so that once a slot is booked by someone, no other customer can book that same slot again. This prevents double bookings for the same time slot.

Can I set a maximum capacity for multiple bookable options in my Kids Club, ensuring that all options operate under the same overall limit (e.g., 20 children total per day), and that overlapping bookings across different options (like full day and half day sessions) are counted against the same capacity?

Yes, with the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin, you can set a maximum capacity for your services so that all booking options (such as full day and half day sessions) share the same overall limit. You can configure the plugin to treat your Kids Club as a single resource with a set maximum capacity (e.g., 20 children per day). The plugin allows you to add each child as a participant, managing the available slots accordingly. Bookings for different sessions will count against the same capacity, so once the daily limit is reached (through any combination of bookings), no further bookings can be made for that day or time slot. This ensures that your total occupancy never exceeds your specified maximum, regardless of which bookable products are chosen.

Can I set different hourly booking slots for each specific weekday (e.g., different slot structures for Monday, Tuesday, etc.) using the WooCommerce Bookings And Appointments plugin?

The WooCommerce Bookings And Appointments plugin does not currently support assigning different sets of time slots for each individual weekday within a single product. If you need unique slot structures for different days, you will need to create separate products for each day or slot structure you wish to offer. This approach provides complete control over the availability for each day.

Can I set up a single booking calendar where customers can select hourly, half-day, or full-day slots with different pricing for weekdays and weekends using the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin?

Yes, you can set up a single booking calendar using the Calendar Range Booking Periods feature to allow customers to book 1-hour slots (which can be multiplied for longer durations), half-day, or full-day slots. Different pricing for specific days (such as weekdays vs. weekends) can be configured using the Bookings Cost Rules within the plugin. However, configuring hourly rates that specifically exclude certain days (like Sundays) is not feasible, and you cannot combine hourly and fixed (half-day/full-day) rates within the same multi-day booking. To enable both hourly and daily options on a single calendar, you will need to use the Custom Booking Interval Add-on in combination with the main Bookings plugin.

Can I set up discounts and time-based pricing with the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin?

Yes, you can configure both fixed and discounted costs for bookings based on several variables, such as the number of slots booked, custom date ranges, and specific time intervals. To learn how to implement these pricing rules, please refer to this guide: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-costs-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments/.

Can I set up my booking system so that canoes are available to book every half past the hour (e.g., 9:30, 10:30), while electric boats can only be booked on the hour (e.g., 9:00, 10:00)?

Yes, by creating separate bookable products for Normal Canoes and Electric Canoes, you can configure the booking slots independently. Set the Electric Canoes to have 1-hour booking slots starting at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., etc., and set the Normal Canoes to have 1-hour booking slots starting at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., etc. This ensures that bookings for each product begin at their specified intervals and prevents overlap.

Can I set up the plugin so that booking a slot on one product blocks that slot on another product (e.g., for managing private parties that conflict with regular availability)?

Yes, you can link multiple products so that booking a slot for one product automatically blocks that slot for the others. This is achieved by creating an "Asset" with a quantity of 1 and assigning this asset to all relevant products. When the asset is booked for any product, it becomes unavailable for the others during that time slot, effectively preventing double bookings across related products.

Can I use PluginHive's WooCommerce Booking and Appointments plugin to set 15-minute bookable slots and limit bookings per slot?

Yes, the WooCommerce Booking and Appointments plugin allows you to define bookable slots based on day or specific time intervals, including 15-minute slots. You can also restrict the number of bookings per slot, such as limiting it to one booking per 15-minute slot.

Can I use the "Calendar range with blocks of" option together with the recurrence feature to let visitors book multiple time slots in the same day using WooCommerce Recurring Bookings and Appointments?

No, the "Calendar range with blocks of" option cannot be used in conjunction with the recurrence feature for bookings. The recurring bookings plugin only supports fixed blocks for recurring bookings. Choosing a different range of slots for recurring booking is not possible, as the plugin is designed to work seamlessly with a fixed booking period. Enabling both options together leads to complexities and issues related to availability and potential double bookings. To ensure smooth and reliable bookings, recurrence is supported only with a fixed booking period.

Can I use the Asset feature to link morning, afternoon, and full day bookings, so that booking a full day decreases half day availability and vice versa?

The Asset feature cannot currently support your requirement fully. While you can assign Assets to different products (e.g., morning, afternoon, full day sessions), the plugin does not automatically synchronize availability across these products and assets in the way you described. For example, booking a full day won’t properly reduce availability for either half-day slots, and booking a half-day does not reduce availability for full days as intended. This interlinked asset management is not feasible with the current plugin functionality.

Can members select a date and playing time to see which badminton courts and time slots are available, instead of checking each court individually using your plugin?

Yes, this can be achieved using the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin from PluginHive. To accommodate your requirement for different booking durations (1 hour for non-peak times and 2 hours for peak times), you will need to create two separate bookable products—one for peak hours and another for non-peak hours. This setup allows members to select a desired date and time, view the available courts, and book accordingly. For an optimal booking flow, users can choose a date and time slot and then see availability across all courts, rather than viewing each court separately. The plugin demo site (https://woocommercebookings.pluginhive.com/custom-shop) provides a practical example of how this process works.

Can the appearance of time slots in the Custom Booking Interval add-on be changed, such as removing the end time from each slot?

Yes, it is possible to alter the appearance of the time slots in the Custom Booking Interval Add-on, including removing the end time from each slot. This can be customized as needed; for example, the support team can update a test product to reflect such changes for demonstration purposes.

Can the booking system automatically add up the estimated times for multiple selected services and block out the appropriate total time on the calendar?

The system allows clients to choose multiple services within a single calendar, and booking slots can be set on an hourly basis. However, the plugin does not currently support automatically calculating the total duration and blocking out the combined time based on the selection of multiple services. You would need to configure durations and slots manually.

Can the Bookings and Deposits plugins work together for combined workflows, like taking deposits and sending reminder emails prior to booking slots?

The Bookings and Deposits plugins are independent solutions, each operating within their specific scope. By default, they do not natively share data or workflows. For combined functionalities—such as enabling deposits for a booking and triggering automated reminder emails—custom solutions or integration workarounds may be required. If you need the plugins to work together in a specific workflow, consult with PluginHive support or a developer to implement a custom integration that suits your requirements.

Can the design of the booking calendar and time slots be adjusted, or is custom CSS required?

The plugin provides three built-in calendar designs that you can choose from. If you require further customization beyond these templates, you can apply custom CSS within your theme. However, please note that the PluginHive team does not offer support for custom coding changes.

Can the PluginHive booking plugin support multi-day rentals in strict 24-hour blocks, where users select their start time and each subsequent day is booked as a 24-hour segment?

The PluginHive booking plugin currently allows configuration of hourly time blocks with a minimum slot duration of 24 hours. However, it does not natively support multi-day rentals structured as consecutive 24-hour blocks based on a user-selected start time. While users can book in 24-hour increments, enforcing strictly repeated 24-hour segments for multi-day bookings as described is not a standard feature. If you require this specific booking logic, it may be possible to implement it as a Paid Customization, with packages starting at $500. To explore this, contact PluginHive with your requirements for a detailed assessment and quote.

Can the PluginHive Bookings plugin automatically shift the start time of other products' reservations by 30 minutes when one product is booked, instead of simply blocking the common time slot?

No, the PluginHive Bookings and Appointments plugin does not support dynamically adjusting the start times of other products' reservations based on existing bookings. If you assign a shared asset to multiple products, a booking will block that time slot across all assigned products, preventing further bookings for the same period. The plugin cannot automatically stagger the availability of the remaining products (e.g., shift to start 30 minutes later after each booking). The only available automation is blocking the same slot using shared assets; custom staggered intervals must be managed manually outside the plugin’s current capabilities.

Can the PluginHive Bookings plugin be configured to offer fixed time slots within a day, such as "whole day 8:30am–5pm", "half day 8:30am–12pm", or "half day 1–5pm"?

Yes, with the PluginHive Bookings plugin and the additional Custom Booking Interval Add-on, you can configure fixed time slots in a day similar to "whole day 8:30am–5pm", "half day 8:30am–12pm", or "half day 1–5pm". The Custom Booking Interval Add-on enables the setup of specified time intervals within each day. However, for best results, ensure that all booked slots (such as morning and afternoon halves) are of equal duration (e.g., both 4 hours) because the add-on does not support combinations like a 3.5-hour slot alongside a 4-hour slot.

Can the PluginHive Recurring Booking Addon allow clients to book two or more consecutive fixed blocks (e.g., 4 hours) as a recurring booking if the booking system is configured for calendar range blocks instead of fixed blocks?

The PluginHive Recurring Booking Addon currently supports recurring bookings only when bookings are set to fixed blocks. It is not possible to select a range of slots (i.e., use a calendar range) for recurring bookings. If a client wants to book two or more consecutive fixed blocks (for example, two 2-hour blocks to make a 4-hour booking) as a recurring booking, this is only supported if the booking duration is configured as fixed blocks. Using calendar ranges for recurring bookings is not supported due to the complexities and potential issues with availability and double bookings. To enable recurring bookings, ensure your product's booking settings use fixed block durations.

Can the WooCommerce Booking and Appointments plugin support displaying different product availabilities for multiple days and overlapping time slots within a single booking product?

Currently, the WooCommerce Booking and Appointments plugin does not support displaying different product availabilities for multiple days with time overlaps all within a single booking product. These requirements are out of the scope of the plugin’s existing functionalities, and building a custom solution to achieve this is not feasible at this time.

Can the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointment plugin require customers to reserve at least 24 hours in advance?

Yes, the plugin provides the option to restrict bookings so that customers can only reserve a slot at least 24 hours before the booking time. This helps ensure adequate preparation time for reservations.

Can the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin allow overlapping time slots for flexible hourly entries, such as booking 1 or 2 hour blocks at any time of day?

Yes, the plugin supports overlapping time slots. You can configure one-hour slots and allow bookings for a minimum of two slots, enabling customers to book time periods such as 13:00–15:00, 14:00–16:00, or 15:00–17:00, even if these periods overlap.

Can website users make bookings for ongoing slots through the frontend of the site with this addon?

Yes, users can make bookings via the frontend of your website for ongoing slots using the "Allow Bookings For Past Times" addon. The addon enables frontend booking functionality for time slots that have already begun, as per the configuration you set.

Does PluginHive offer any plugin that allows bookings to be started without specifying an end date?

Currently, all PluginHive Booking and Appointments solutions require specifying both a start and an end date for each booking. There is no PluginHive plugin that supports open-ended bookings where the end date is not defined at the outset. The Recurrence Booking plugin allows booking repeating slots, but even with this solution, the number of recurrences must be specified before placing the order.

Does PluginHive provide code snippets or functions to allow programmatic booking (such as setting the number/type of persons, date, and time slot via code) with the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin?

The PluginHive WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin is designed to facilitate bookings through the product page calendar interface in WooCommerce. Programmatic booking creation—such as using custom code or functions to book sessions by specifying participant details, date, and time—is not within the scope of the plugin, and no official snippets or functions are provided for this purpose. All booking actions are intended to be performed through the user interface rather than programmatically.

Does the PluginHive plugin support displaying overlapping time slots?

The PluginHive plugin does not currently support displaying overlapping time slots. This limitation exists because allowing overlapping slots could create significant availability challenges within the system’s booking logic. If your operations depend on overlapping time slots, you may need to consider this limitation when deciding whether to renew or switch plugins.

Does the WooCommerce Recurring Bookings and Appointments plugin support recurring reservations when using calendar range booking periods?

The WooCommerce Recurring Bookings and Appointments plugin only works with "Fixed Block" booking periods. This means customers can select the same time slot or fixed duration repeatedly (e.g., 16:00–19:00 across multiple days) as part of a recurring booking. If you are using calendar range booking periods (where flexible, varied time ranges are selected), this setup is not supported for recurring bookings. Ensure that your booking products are set to "Fixed Block" to utilize the recurring feature.

How can customers select more than one hour or multiple hours on the booking page? The process is not intuitive.

Customers can select multiple hours for a booking without using the "Shift" key or any special keyboard commands. The booking process is as follows:

1. Click to choose the booking start time.
2. Click a second time to select the desired ending time. This second click determines the total duration (e.g., to book from 9 AM to 1 PM, click 9 AM and then 1 PM).

How can I allow customers to book multiple time slots (for example, one on Monday and another on Saturday) and offer discounts based on the number of sessions booked using the PluginHive Bookings plugin?

By default, the PluginHive Bookings plugin allows customers to book multiple slots only if they are consecutive. If you want customers to be able to select and book multiple non-adjacent (random) time and day slots (e.g., one slot on Monday and another on Saturday), you will need to use the "Multiple Non-Adjacent Bookings" add-on in addition to the main Bookings plugin. This add-on is not a standalone solution; it works with the Bookings plugin and allows customers to select non-adjacent calendar slots for bookable products. For more information and to see how it works in practice, you can view a demo product: https://famed-ibex-034acb.instawp.co/product/dog-walking-sessions/. This setup would enable applying discounts based on the number of sessions selected, similar to your existing offerings.

How can I allow customers to book rentals across multiple days while restricting pick-up and return times to my actual business hours (e.g., 7AM to 7PM)?

To allow bookings across multiple days while limiting pick-up and return times to your business hours, follow these steps:

1. Remove any Availability rules that restrict bookings to specific time slots (such as 7AM to 7PM).
2. Set your operating hours (e.g., 7AM to 7PM) under the "Daily Bookings Time" section. This will define when customers can pick up or return items.
3. By configuring only the "Daily Bookings Time" and not using strict Availability rules, the system will permit multi-day bookings while enforcing that collection and return can occur only during your specified hours.

How can I allow customers to select booking times in 15-minute intervals but have the booking duration automatically set to 75 minutes?

To set up bookings with 15-minute interval selection and a fixed 75-minute duration:

1. Configure the Booking period as "Calendar range."
2. Set each booking slot to 15 minutes so customers can select in 15-minute increments.
3. Set the "Minimum Duration" to 5 (since 15 minutes x 5 = 75 minutes). This will automatically make each booking cover a 75-minute period when any 15-minute slot is chosen.
4. For a step-by-step guide, visit: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/setup-guide-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin/#BookingPeriod

How can I allow my customers to book different time packages (such as 40 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes, 2 hours, 3 hours), and let them select start times at 15-minute intervals, so that the booking displays the correct total duration in my calendar?

The default WooCommerce Bookings plugin allows only a single fixed booking period or duration per product. This means that for each time package (e.g., 40 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes), you need to create a separate Bookable product, each with its own set duration. For flexible start times at 15-minute intervals, you can adjust the product settings to allow customers to pick from available start slots; however, the plugin will generate start times based on your booking duration (e.g., only every hour if set to 1 hour). If you require customers to select from multiple durations for a single product and book at custom intervals (such as every 15 minutes: 9:00, 9:15, 9:30, etc.), this is not possible with the default plugin. Instead, you can use PluginHive’s custom paid add-on "Custom Booking Interval." This add-on enables multiple time packages within a single Bookable product and allows customers to pick their preferred start time at custom intervals. The add-on costs $250 (non-refundable). Review the detailed documentation and confirm it meets your business needs before purchasing: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/woocommerce-bookings-custom-booking-interval/

How can I automatically cancel unpaid WooCommerce bookings after a specific period, such as 48 hours?

The automatic cancellation of unpaid orders in WooCommerce is controlled by the Hold Stock setting, not by the Bookings and Appointments For WooCommerce plugin. The booking plugin manages the calendar and booking slots, while WooCommerce itself manages order status and payments. To set up automatic cancellation for unpaid orders:

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Inventory.
3. Locate the "Hold Stock (minutes)" field.
4. Enter the number of minutes you want WooCommerce to wait before cancelling unpaid orders. For example, for 48 hours, enter 2880 (since 48 hours × 60 minutes = 2880).
5. Save your changes.
6. Clear your server cache to ensure the new setting takes effect.

How can I block booking slots for 4 hours after each booking in the PluginHive booking settings?

To block booking slots for 4 hours after each booking, use the "Buffer Time" feature in your booking settings. Follow these steps:

1. Go to your booking settings in the PluginHive plugin.
2. Locate and enable the "Buffer Time" option.
3. Set the buffer time to "After Booking."
4. Enter "4 hours" as the buffer duration.

How can I configure a product to be bookable with only two time slots, 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm, and allow customers to select one or both?

To achieve this setup, follow these steps:

1. Set the product booking duration to use Calendar range blocks of 3 hours.
2. Remove any previously set availability rules.
3. Configure the Daily Booking time from 9 AM to 3 PM. This will provide two blocks: 9am–12pm and 1pm–4pm.
4. Add a 1-hour "After Booking Buffer Time" to ensure that the slots do not overlap and can be booked separately or together.
5. With this configuration, customers can select either one or both time slots as desired.

How can I configure the system to prevent double bookings for the same assets?

PluginHive’s booking system automatically prevents double bookings by blocking selected slots for 15 minutes when a booking is added to the cart. If the customer does not complete the booking within 15 minutes, the reserved slots are released. This process is managed by the “ph-unfreez-booking-slot” cron job, which ensures that uncompleted reservations are unlocked after the timeout, preventing slot overlap and double-booking.

How can I correct the time slots so that each booking only affects the correct time range’s availability?

To ensure that a booking affects only the intended time slot and not subsequent or overlapping slots, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Orders or Bookings section in your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Locate the order or booking that is affecting multiple time slots.
3. Click to edit the order or booking.
4. In the booking details, verify the "Booked From" and "Booked To" times.
5. Ensure that the "Booked To" time does not extend beyond the end of the intended slot (for example, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM for the morning slot).
6. If the times overlap into another slot, adjust the "Booked To" time so that it matches the correct slot’s end time.
7. Save your changes.

How can I display the remaining number of available bikes for each slot to my customers?

Enable the "Remaining Bookings" option in your product settings. This setting ensures that customers can see exactly how many bikes are left for each available slot, helping to prevent confusion and double bookings. This works in tandem with the "Consider each participant as separate Bookings" option to provide real-time, accurate availability.

How can I enable and configure past time bookings after installing the custom or Last-Minute Booking Extension add-on in the PluginHive Bookings and Appointments plugin?

To enable and configure past time bookings:

1. Edit your bookable product in WooCommerce.
2. Navigate to the "Booking Availability" section.
3. Locate the "Allow Past time Bookings" option.
4. Specify the duration for which bookings should remain open after the slot starts (e.g., allow bookings for X minutes/hours after the start time).

How can I set custom booking intervals such as 20, 30, or 60 minutes with different prices for each in the PluginHive WooCommerce Bookings plugin?

To set up custom booking intervals (e.g., 20 mins at €75, 30 mins at €90, 60 mins at €150) on your WooCommerce store, you will need the PluginHive "WooCommerce Custom Booking Intervals" add-on. This add-on allows you to define multiple booking intervals for your customers to choose from, letting you offer dedicated time slots and prices for each product. Please note:

• The Custom Booking Intervals add-on is available for purchase at a cost of $250 (non-refundable).
• Contact PluginHive directly to arrange purchase, as this add-on is not listed on the website for direct download.
• Before purchasing, review a demo or sample product (as offered by PluginHive support) to ensure it fits your requirements, since the add-on cost is non-refundable.

How can I set different minimum booking durations based on season, weekday, or weekend for each product in the PluginHive booking system?

You can achieve this by using the PluginHive Customise Booking Interval addon. This addon allows you to set different time intervals and minimum booking durations for a single bookable product, such as varying the minimum hours based on season, weekday, or weekend. Please note that the Customise Booking Interval addon is a custom paid addon, priced at $250 and is non-refundable.

How can I set different opening and closing times for each day, including multiple non-consecutive time slots within the same day, for a single bookable product?

The PluginHive Bookings plugin does not support setting multiple distinct booking periods or non-consecutive time slots for a single product within the core functionality. For example, you cannot configure a single product to have one time slot from 11:30 to 17:00 and another from 20:00 to 22:00 on the same day. As a workaround, you would need to create separate bookable products for each booking period you wish to offer. This approach, however, will result in multiple product calendars, each corresponding to a specific time slot. Alternatively, PluginHive offers a paid add-on called "Custom Booking Interval" that allows customers to choose from multiple intervals for online bookings. This add-on may meet your needs by enabling you to define several booking intervals selectable by customers. More details can be found at: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/woocommerce-bookings-custom-booking-interval/

How can I set up 2-hour booking slots so that customers can book overlapping sessions such as 10am–12pm, 11am–1pm, 12pm–2pm, etc.?

To enable overlapping 2-hour slots throughout the day:

1. Set "Booking Period" to "Calendar range with blocks of" 1 hour.
2. Set both the minimum and maximum duration to 2 hours.
3. Ensure the daily booking time range is set from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

How can I set up a shared resource (such as a kitchen) between multiple WooCommerce booking products so that it becomes unavailable across all products once booked?

To share a resource (e.g., a kitchen) across multiple products in WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments and prevent double bookings, follow these steps:

1. Create the shared resource (e.g., "Kitchen") as an asset within the plugin.
2. Set the asset quantity to 1, so only one booking can use the kitchen at any given time.
3. Assign the "Kitchen" asset to both products (e.g., "Grande Salle" and "Cuisine") in their booking settings.
4. This configuration ensures that when the kitchen is booked through either product, it will automatically become unavailable for the other product for the same time slot.

How can I set up different booking packages with durations of 40 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes, and 2 hours in WooCommerce Bookings? Can I allow customers to select only the start time instead of a time range?

To set up different booking packages with varying durations (e.g., 40 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes, and 2 hours), it is recommended to create a separate Bookable product for each package. For each product, you can define a specific Booking period that matches the desired duration. This allows you to manage each time slot accurately. If you want customers to select only the start time (e.g., 13:00 instead of 13:00–14:00), you can disable the "Display Slot End Time" option. Go to each product's Bookings settings and turn off this option to show only the start time on the slots.

How can I set up my booking system so that customers can choose time slots in 15-minute intervals, but when a slot is selected, the actual booking duration is automatically set to 75 minutes?

To achieve this setup:

1. Configure the Booking period as "Calendar range."
2. Set each booking slot to 15 minutes to allow customers to select in 15-minute intervals.
3. Set the "Minimum Duration" to 5 (since 15 minutes x 5 = 75 minutes). This will automatically book a 75-minute period when a slot is chosen.
4. Refer to the detailed setup guide for step-by-step instructions: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/setup-guide-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin/#BookingPeriod

How can I set up specific time slots (e.g., 12:30–2:30 pm, 5:00–7:00 pm, 6:00–8:00 pm, 7:00–9:00 pm) for bookings if overlapping slots like 6:00–8:00 pm are not shown by the PluginHive plugin?

The PluginHive plugin does not display overlapping time slots. Each time slot must be distinct and cannot overlap with others. To set up the desired booking slots, follow these steps:

1. Set the "Booking period" to "Calendar range with block of 1 hour".
2. Set the minimum and maximum duration of the booking to 2 hours.
3. Make all the default slots unavailable.
4. Add two custom time range availability rules: one from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm, and another from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
5. This configuration will generate consecutive 2-hour booking blocks (5:00–7:00 pm, 6:00–8:00 pm, 7:00–9:00 pm) within the 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm range, providing the specific time slots you require—without slot overlap issues.

How can I test booking slot availability in a development environment?

To test booking slot availability in your development environment:

1. Log into your WordPress admin area for the development site.
2. Create or edit the booking product settings to define clear, non-overlapping time slots (e.g., 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM).
3. Place test bookings for each time slot individually, and observe if the corresponding slot's availability decreases as expected.
4. If you observe that booking one slot affects another, review the start and end times of all bookings to ensure there is no overlap.
5. For payment, use a manual or "Cash on Delivery" option to complete test checkouts without actual payments.
6. Disable email notifications if system emailing is not required to prevent test emails from being sent.

How can I turn off or adjust the automatic cancellation of bookings due to payment timeout in WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments?

The automatic cancellation of bookings due to payment timeout is managed by WooCommerce, not the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin. By default, WooCommerce holds stock for unpaid orders for 60 minutes before canceling the booking and making the slot available again. To adjust or disable this feature:

1. Go to your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Navigate to WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Inventory.
3. Look for the “Hold Stock (minutes)” setting.

• To turn off the automatic cancellation, leave this field blank.
• To adjust the timeout duration, enter the desired number of minutes.

1. Save your changes.
2. Clear your site and server cache before testing the new setting.

How do I configure availability rules for specific booking slots based on month, day, and time using the PluginHive add-on?

To configure booking slot availability for your product using the PluginHive add-on:

1. Set your desired booking duration for the product (e.g., 1 hour).
2. Within the product’s availability rules, choose the months you want the slots to be available (e.g., June to August).
3. Select the specific days of the week (e.g., Wednesdays).
4. Define the time range for those days (e.g., 10 AM to 4 PM).
5. Disable availability for other days if needed.
6. The plugin will generate bookable slots within the specified window (e.g., 10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, etc., up to the end time minus one slot duration).

How does the "Allow customers to book until" feature work in the PluginHive "Allow Bookings for Past Time Slots" add-on, and is it compatible with availability and asset rules?

The "Allow customers to book until" feature in the PluginHive "Allow Bookings for Past Time Slots" add-on lets you specify a duration after a slot’s start time during which customers can continue booking. For example, if a slot is from 9 AM to 11 AM and you set the option to 2 hours, customers can book that slot until 11 AM (when the slot ends). After the end time, the slot will not be bookable. This add-on is fully compatible with booking availability, global availability, and asset availability rules, ensuring all pre-existing scheduling limitations are honored.

How does the PluginHive Bookings plugin handle bookings that are added to the cart but not purchased? Can I force the basket to empty after 15 minutes so that these uncompleted bookings don’t affect availability?

The PluginHive Bookings plugin automatically holds a booking slot for 15 minutes as soon as a booking is added to the cart to prevent double booking. If the customer does not complete the purchase, the plugin automatically releases the held slot after 15 minutes, making it available for others. The bookings held in the cart are not permanently reserved unless the purchase is completed. It is important to ensure your cron jobs are running properly, as the plugin uses cron to revert the slot after the 15-minute hold period. Reducing the hold time below 15 minutes is not recommended, as it increases the risk of double bookings. The system is designed so that after 15 minutes, uncompleted bookings do not affect slot availability for other customers.

How long does it take to receive a refund from PluginHive after approval?

Once your refund is approved and processed by PluginHive, the actual refund (if processed via Stripe) may take a few days to be credited to your bank account. The exact duration depends on your bank or financial institution’s processing times.

How should I configure charter product time slots to avoid overlap and ensure correct asset allocation?

When setting up time slots for your charter products, make sure that individual time slots do not overlap. For instance, if you have a 4-hour charter slot from 7:30am-11:30am and another from 12:00pm-4:00pm, you should not have an additional slot such as 2:00pm-6:00pm, as this overlaps with the 12:00pm-4:00pm slot. Only create distinct, non-overlapping time slots. Once an asset is booked for a specific slot, it is blocked from other products during that time.

If I assign an asset to a booking for one product, will that asset automatically be unavailable for other products during the same time slot?

Yes. You can set up assets so that if an asset is booked for one product at a certain time, it becomes unavailable for all other products during that period. This ensures assets are not double-booked across different products.

• For detailed setup instructions, refer to: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-assets-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin/

If I have a 2-person minimum on each product, how do I allow a second person to book as a solo after a group of 2 has already booked the slot?

Once you set a minimum booking requirement of 2 people per slot using the “Minimum Duration” field in the Bookings period settings, each new booking must meet this minimum. It is not possible to allow a subsequent solo booking for the same slot after a group of 2 has booked, as the system will require a minimum of 2 persons for every separate booking. This restriction ensures that each booking meets the minimum person requirement defined for the product.

If I set a fixed booking period of 1 hour in WooCommerce Bookings, why can customers only select start times like 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00, and not at 15-minute intervals like 9:15 or 10:30?

When you set a fixed booking period of 1 hour for a Bookable product in WooCommerce Bookings, the plugin automatically generates booking slots based on whole multiples of the set duration. This means available start times occur every hour (e.g., 9:00, 10:00, 11:00), and intermediate start times (like 9:15 or 10:30) are not offered. To allow bookings to start at custom intervals such as every 15 minutes, you would need either to create separate products with shorter fixed blocks (which would impact your calendar slot tracking) or use a third-party add-on (like the PluginHive Custom Booking Interval add-on) which provides this advanced scheduling capability. The standard plugin does not support this natively.

If we set the "Maximum Bookings per Block" to a number like 30 (to represent bookings per month), will customers think they are booking 30 individual slots instead of one month?

If you set the "Maximum Bookings per Block" to a number like 30 to represent a monthly booking limit, customers will see this as booking a single block (in this case, one month), not as if they've booked 30 separate slots. To ensure the process is intuitive, clearly label the block duration and add a descriptive label such as “Monthly Access” or “1-Month Pass.” This helps customers understand they are selecting a one-month booking, not multiple individual bookings.

Is it possible for a booking made between 11 PM and 1 AM to be considered as part of the selected date (i.e., not shift the booking date after midnight)?

The booking system is designed to reset bookings at midnight, so combining slots across dates (such as treating 12:30 AM as part of the previous day) is not feasible. Even with customization, bookings made after midnight (e.g., 12:30 AM) will be recorded for the new date, and it is not possible to merge or reinterpret these times as part of the previous day. The customization can only display the next day's slots alongside the selected date, without altering the underlying date logic of the system.

Is it possible for booking start times to be automatically aligned with chosen custom intervals (e.g., 20-minute slots showing 9:00, 9:20, 9:40; 30-minute slots showing 9:00, 9:30, etc.) using the PluginHive Custom Booking Intervals add-on?

With the PluginHive Custom Booking Intervals add-on, it is not possible to dynamically align booking start times based on the interval selected by each customer. The booking slot can only be set in one standard interval for the product. Based on the custom interval selected, the timeslots are automatically selected, but independent alignment of timeslots per interval is not supported. The system does not natively display slot start times that adjust dynamically according to each chosen booking duration.

Is it possible for clients to book a service by calculating their required installation duration themselves (e.g., totaling the time based on items to be installed) and then selecting an available time slot of that length on the booking calendar?

No, this scenario is not feasible with the PluginHive WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin. The system does not support allowing customers to select custom booking durations based on self-calculated installation times. Booking durations and time slots are predetermined for each product and cannot dynamically adjust to match a customer's aggregate time requirement calculated from selected services or items. Even with explanatory text directing clients to calculate their own required duration, the plugin does not provide a way to let customers directly select a custom duration or ensure that a continuous block of time matching that need is available for booking. Customization for this workflow is also not available at this time.

Is it possible to allow customers to select both a specific date and time for the start of a fixed 5-day (120-hour) reservation?

It is not feasible to allow selection of both specific date and time for a fixed 120-hour (5-day) booking block. The system only provides a time selection for slot durations less than 24 hours. For 5-day bookings, you can configure the reservation as a 5-day slot and mention the time of entry in the product description for customer reference. This workaround provides entry time information, although the booking interface will not allow customers to choose the time alongside the date.

Is it possible to allow recurring bookings with different time slots on different days in the PluginHive booking plugin?

No, the PluginHive booking plugin does not support setting up recurring bookings with variable or different slot ranges on different days. Recurring bookings must use fixed blocks of time, and varying the time slots for different days within a recurring series is not possible.

Is it possible to allow users to select one-hour booking slots with possible start times every 30 minutes (e.g., 9:30-10:30, 10:00-11:00), so that slots overlap, using the Bookings and Appointments plugin?

The Bookings and Appointments plugin does not support overlapping time slots. This means you cannot have a slot from 9:30 to 10:30 and another from 10:00 to 11:00, as these slots would overlap. Booking slots must be set so that there is no overlap between them. If you choose one-hour blocks, each new slot must begin after the previous slot ends (e.g., 9:00–10:00, 10:00–11:00, etc.).

Is it possible to apply a discount for a specific booking time slot only during the month of April using the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin?

No, the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin does not support restricting discounts for a specific time slot to only one month (such as April). Any cost rule you set for a time slot will apply to all bookings in that slot across all months. If date-based discounting is crucial, using WooCommerce coupons or considering a third-party plugin with advanced date-based discount capabilities is recommended.

Is it possible to assign a 'guide' with a specific timesheet to every bookable product, so that when one product is booked for a time slot, the same time slot becomes unavailable for all other bookable products using your plugin?

Yes, this is possible with the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin by using the "Booking Assets" feature. You can configure a guide as an asset and set its quantity to 1. Once a product is booked with this guide for a specific time, the same guide (and thus the same time slot) will be unavailable for booking in all other products that share this asset. This prevents double booking of the guide across different products for the same time slot. For step-by-step setup instructions, refer to: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/how-to-set-booking-assets-using-woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin/

Is it possible to automatically increase the service duration per participant using the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin? For example, if each participant adds 30 minutes to the booking, can this be handled so that the total booking time reflects the number of participants?

Currently, the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin does not support dynamic adjustment of service duration based on the participant count. The booking duration cannot automatically increase per participant. If you require this specific functionality, a custom paid solution can be developed to fulfill your requirement.

Is it possible to change the hold cart time for a booking slot to be different from the default 15 minutes?

While it is technically possible to change the cart hold time for booking slots, PluginHive does not recommend modifying this setting. If you still want to change the duration, you can use the following hook: ph_schedule_unfreez_time_in_minutes_for_bookings_in_cart. Please note that PluginHive does not provide support for any custom code related to this hook and any changes should be made at your own risk. After implementing customizations, clear your website and server cache before testing the changes to ensure they take effect.

Is it possible to configure the booking plugin so that customers can choose only the start time and not see multiple slots selected, especially when products have different durations?

To ensure customers only select a start time and are not confused by multiple slots being automatically selected, create a separate bookable product for each booking duration. For example:

• Create a dedicated product for 30-minute bookings and set the Booking period as "Fixed block of 30 minutes" so the customer can only select a single 30-minute slot.
• Do the same for 60-minute and 90-minute tastings—each as a separate product with corresponding fixed block durations.

Is it possible to create a product for sector A, including 38 warehouse availabilities in this sector, within the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin?

The WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin does not handle product stock management or allow you to configure and assign individual warehouses with addresses. However, you can set up a single Bookable Product for sector A and distinguish it by giving it a specific name, such as “Sector A Warehouses.” If you wish to make each booking time slot available 38 times (to represent the 38 warehouses), you can use the “Max Bookings per slot” feature. This way, up to 38 separate bookings can be made for the same time slot on that product.

Is it possible to create a single bookable product that offers both half-day (morning/afternoon) and full-day options with specific, non-overlapping start and end times?

It is not possible to set two different booking periods (like fixed morning and afternoon sessions) with unique start and end times within a single bookable product using the plugin’s block-based system. Although Asset management allows you to define availability, the system cannot display customizable morning, afternoon, or full-day time slots in one product without using blocks. You may inform customers of the exact timings in the product description, but the plugin-generated slots will still be based on uniform block durations.

Is it possible to display a “Choose a time” text where the customer selects a time in the YITH WooCommerce Booking and Appointment plugin?

It is not possible to display a "Choose a time" text in the calendar of the YITH WooCommerce Booking and Appointment plugin. Customers must select a time slot to proceed with their booking, as this step is mandatory. If desired, you can explore the “Calendar design 3” option, which prominently displays the start and end time and may better suit your requirements visually.

Is it possible to enable hourly bookings (e.g., 1-hour time slots) across days, such as from 7pm to 9am the next day?

You can set the booking period to 1 hour; however, it is not possible to set a booking that starts at 7pm and ends at 9am the next day. While hourly bookings are supported within the same day, the plugin does not currently allow booking slots that extend beyond midnight into the next day.

Is it possible to have a booking system where the client selects their area for a call out fee and then chooses the number and size of items to be installed, which dynamically adjusts the total booking duration and available time slots based on the total installation time required?

The PluginHive WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin does not currently support dynamically adjusting the booking duration or available time slots based on the number and type of items selected. With the current plugin features, the booking calendar is set up for each product with a predetermined booking period, and there is no functionality to recalculate time slots according to the combined installation time of selected items. As a result, the scenario described—where the booking duration and time slots are determined by the quantity and size of items chosen by the customer—is not achievable with the current version of the plugin.

Is it possible to have a single product where customers can choose between different time packages (booking durations) using the WooCommerce Bookings plugin?

The WooCommerce Bookings plugin does not natively support offering multiple duration packages (booking periods) within a single product. Each Bookable product can have only one fixed booking period. If you need to allow customers to select different time packages within a single product, you would need a custom solution. PluginHive offers a custom paid add-on called "Custom Booking Interval" that enables this functionality. With this add-on, you can define different time packages within one Bookable product. The add-on is priced at $250 (non-refundable). Ensure it meets your business needs before purchasing. For more details, refer to the article: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/woocommerce-bookings-custom-booking-interval/

Is it possible to have the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin automatically block overlapping or conflicting time slots when one is booked, so that booking "Morning" or "Full Day" for the same boat prevents double booking?

By default, the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin's "Resource" feature does not control overlapping or conflicting time slots—resources act as additional options and are not linked in a way that automatically prevents bookings of different time slots for the same asset. To achieve blocking of overlapping time slots, you need to:

1. Create two separate Bookable products: one for Morning & Afternoon slots, and another for Full Day bookings.
2. Create a shared asset with a quantity of 1 (representing the boat) and assign it to both products. This ensures that once a time slot is booked for that asset, it becomes unavailable for other products or time slots that would conflict.

Is it possible to have the WooCommerce Bookings plugin fully “auto-select” a package of days when a user clicks on any day within that period, as seen on the shalayhna.net website?

No, this specific behavior—where clicking any day within the package (e.g., THU, FRI, or SAT) auto-selects the whole package—cannot be achieved within the WooCommerce Bookings plugin itself. The plugin allows you to make only the package’s start day (such as THU) selectable, automatically including the full duration when that day is chosen by the customer. This is the closest available method to grouping days into a booking package.

Is it possible to let customers extend their timeslot duration during the booking process, so that subsequent available slots adjust dynamically?

Currently, it is not possible to allow customers to extend their timeslot within the booking process and have the next available booking slot update dynamically based on the extended duration. The plugin does not support variable timeslots that adjust automated scheduling in real-time according to additional customer selections.

Is it possible to modify the recurring addon so customers can choose flexible periods, such as 1/2/3 hours every day/week/month a specific number of times, instead of only preset durations?

The Recurring Bookings plugin is designed to work with a fixed booking period and does not support fully flexible recurring intervals (such as custom hours or custom combinations of days or months). Allowing customers to select arbitrary ranges introduces complexities that can lead to issues such as double bookings and availability conflicts. For optimal performance and reliability, the recurring addon only supports recurring bookings with a fixed period, and it is not feasible to modify this behavior at this time.

Is it possible to offer only two bookable time slots in one day (e.g., Morning: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Afternoon: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and allow customers to choose only one of them, but not both?

Yes, using the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointment plugin, you can configure your product to offer only two distinct time slots per day, such as 8 AM to 12 PM (morning) and 2 PM to 6 PM (afternoon). Customers can select and book only one of these time slots per booking.

Is it possible to set custom minimum and maximum bookable durations or slots for each product in WooCommerce Bookings?

Yes, you can set custom minimum and maximum bookable slots or durations for each product using PluginHive’s custom paid add-on called "Customize Minimum/Maximum Booking Duration Add-on." This add-on allows you to:

• Define unique minimum/maximum slots or durations required for booking at the product level.
• Customize booking requirements based on specific business needs.

Is it possible to set different available places (capacities) for each individual time slot so that some slots have 3 places and others have 12?

Currently, the available places (capacities) are set globally and apply equally to all time slots. There is no built-in feature to assign different capacities to individual time slots in the system at this time. All slots will display the same number of available places as set in the product configuration.

Is it possible to set different capacities (available places) for individual time slots?

The plugin does not currently support assigning different capacities to individual time slots. The available places setting is global and applies to all time slots equally within the product configuration. All time slots will display the same number of available booking spots.

Is it possible to set different timeslots per day for product hire bookings?

Yes, the plugin supports configuring multiple timeslots per day for hire products. You can:

• Define specific time intervals available for booking on each day
• Allow customers to select from these timeslots when placing a booking

Is it possible to set flexible slot durations dynamically using the PluginHive booking add-on?

No, the PluginHive booking add-on does not support dynamic changes to slot duration. The slot duration must be set when you create the booking product and remains fixed throughout. If you require a different duration, you will need to adjust the product’s booking period settings accordingly before publishing or updating the product.

Is it possible to split a booking over two separate date periods, such as having the first few days in one week and another day in a different week?

Yes, this is possible using the WooCommerce Multiple Non-Adjacent Bookings add-on in combination with the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin. This add-on allows customers to select and book non-adjacent calendar slots for bookable products. It is not a standalone solution and must be used alongside the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin. Customers can choose random time and day slots according to their requirements, enabling bookings to be split across different dates. For more details and to see how it works, you can explore the demo product linked here: https://privileged-mantis-b281ff.instawp.co/product/physiotherapy-sessions/.

Is it safe for PluginHive support to place test orders on my site, and how should these be handled?

Yes, it is acceptable and safe for PluginHive support to place test orders on your site when investigating booking issues. These test orders are typically made with a 100% discount coupon and should be created for dates at least six months in the future to avoid interfering with actual bookings. After testing is complete, you can safely delete these test orders from your system. This helps verify correct slot deduction and identify ongoing issues.

Is there a feature to automatically select the minimum available booking slots for users?

Yes, the plugin provides an "Auto-Select Minimum Booking Slots" feature. This option can be enabled to automatically pick the minimum available booking duration for the user, streamlining the booking process and ensuring that only viable, bookable time slots are selected based on asset availability.

Is there a report or built-in PluginHive tool to identify all orders missing from the bookings availability database so I can systematically fix double booking issues?

Currently, PluginHive’s system does not have a built-in report or tool to identify missing orders from the bookings availability table (ph_bookings_availability_calculation_data). Such database issues are extremely rare, and generating this information would be complex due to the large data volume. As a result, missing bookings must be identified manually—typically when customers report double bookings. Once identified, you can manually block the affected slots using product availability rules.

Is there a way to analyze which time slot is the most popular or most booked using the plugin?

The current PluginHive system does not provide features or reports to analyze or determine which time slot is the most popular. This functionality is not available within the plugin.

Is tiered or variable pricing based on the number of sessions booked managed within the core PluginHive Bookings and Appointments plugin, or is additional functionality required?

Tiered or variable pricing based on the number of sessions or time slots booked is managed directly within the core WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin from PluginHive. The plugin provides options to set dynamic pricing based on booking quantities or duration, without needing additional plugins or customizations for this feature.

Using your plugin, is it possible to prevent a customer from booking two Buoys at the same time and limit the total number of booking days per customer?

The WooCommerce Bookings And Appointments plugin allows you to prevent double bookings by setting the asset quantity and enabling auto-assign, ensuring each booking only reserves one unique Buoy at a given time. However, the plugin does not currently support automatically limiting the total number of booking days per customer within a season. You can allow single Buoy bookings per customer at any time, but you would need to monitor cumulative booking days manually. For stricter enforcement, customizations or additional plugins would be required.

What are the costs for using the WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin with the Custom Booking Interval addon?

The WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments plugin costs $99 for a single site license and includes a 30-day refund period. The "Custom Booking Interval" addon, which enables custom time slots as per your requirements, costs an additional $200 and is non-refundable. It is recommended to try the main Bookings plugin first to ensure it fits your business needs before purchasing the addon.

What can I do if the last time slot (e.g., 21:00–21:30) does not appear or the displayed booking times confuse customers?

The PluginHive plugin displays available booking times based on your Booking period and slot duration settings. If the last slot does not appear, it's likely because the Booking period end time is set to match the last booking's start time. To avoid customer confusion:

• Consider turning off "Display Slot End Time" in the plugin settings; this results in only the start time (e.g., "20:30") being shown, and clarifies that booking from that time will include the minimal duration (e.g., two slots: 20:30–21:30).
• If displaying only start times does not suit your needs, ensure the Booking period and slot duration settings align exactly with your intended schedule so that all expected slots appear. For even more clarity, add explanatory text on the booking page describing how the selection process works for the end-of-day slots.
• Currently, the plugin does not support automatically marking the previous cell or auto-adding an additional slot indicator for the last time slot selection; any such enhancements can be considered as suggestions for future plugin development.

What clarifications are required before starting custom development for automatically adding a security deposit product in WooCommerce based on booking participants?

Before proceeding with custom development, it is important to clarify the following:

1. Whether the security deposit product to be added is a Simple Product in WooCommerce.
2. If the deposit product should be added just like any other Simple Product, with the quantity equal to the number of booking participants.
3. How many bookable products you offer in your store, and whether the feature should apply to all of them.
4. The desired behavior when a customer adds multiple bookings or bookings with different participant counts and time slots (ensuring a deposit is added per booking accordingly).
5. Whether the security deposit product should be non-editable in the cart (only removed if the corresponding booking is removed).

What does the "Max Bookings per block" setting do in the PluginHive booking system?

The "Max Bookings per block" option determines how many bookings can be accepted for the same time slot. Setting it to 1 ensures only one booking is allowed per slot, blocking additional bookings at that time for that product. If set higher, multiple bookings can be scheduled simultaneously for the same slot, potentially leading to overlaps if buffer time is not managed appropriately. Adjusting this setting helps control booking overlaps for each product individually.

What does the error message "Selected blocks not available" mean when trying to book a slot?

The "Selected blocks not available" message typically appears if:

• A customer has added a time slot to their cart and hasn't checked out within 15 minutes, making that slot temporarily unavailable to others.

1. Wait until the cart hold expires or remove the slot from the cart.
2. Clear your website and browser cache (server-side and client-side) before retrying the booking.

What does the “Time Zone Conversion” option do in the Bookings & Appointments plugin, and could it cause booking time discrepancies for international customers?

The “Time Zone Conversion” option in the Bookings & Appointments plugin displays booking slots in the customer's local time zone. If this feature is enabled, customers see available times converted to their own time zone, while the slot is recorded and blocked according to the store's primary time zone. The email confirmation sent to the customer will also display the booking time in their local time zone. However, the system will still prevent double bookings—if a time slot is booked by one user in any time zone, it is blocked from being booked by another customer, regardless of where they are located. Any difference you observe between the admin view and the confirmation email is due to the display of times in different time zones, not an actual time conflict.

What if bookings are missing when customers add bookings to their cart and complete payment a few days later?

The bookings plugin holds a slot in the cart for a default duration (typically 15 minutes) to prevent double bookings, using cron jobs to manage this. If customers leave bookings in their cart and return after several days to complete the purchase, the original slots may no longer be reserved, leading to missing booking entries on the order—even though the full amount is charged. Ensure that all necessary site cron jobs are running, so slot releases and booking availability are properly managed. Test this order flow by adding bookings for multiple dates/products, waiting more than 15 minutes, and then completing the purchase to observe if the issue repeats.

What information do I need to provide to get assistance configuring booking availability rules for my products?

To receive help setting up your product’s availability rules, provide the following details to PluginHive support:

• The specific product link or product ID
• The number and timing of booking slots you want on each day
• The booking duration (e.g., 1 hour)
• The months and days of availability (e.g., Wednesdays in June–August)
• Any additional preferences for visibility or disabled days

What is the best way to set up shared horses as bookable resources in WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments to avoid double-bookings across multiple services?

For your scenario, it is recommended to create the horses as a single shared asset (such as a "Horse Pool" with a total quantity matching the number of available horses). Assign this asset to all relevant bookable products (e.g., Private Riding Lessons, Trail Rides). This configuration ensures that if, for example, two horses are booked for a trail ride at a certain time, only the remaining horses are available for other services at that same time. The plugin manages resource allocation automatically to prevent double-booking across products and time slots.

What is the holding time for a booking slot in the PluginHive Bookings plugin, and can it be changed?

The holding time for a booking slot in the PluginHive Bookings plugin is 15 minutes. During this period, the selected slot is reserved in the cart and unavailable to others, reducing the risk of double bookings. After 15 minutes, if the customer has not completed the purchase, the slot is automatically released and made available again. It is not recommended to reduce this holding time, as doing so may increase the chances of double booking conflicts.

What is the PluginHive Bookings plugin’s mechanism for preventing double bookings of the same slot?

The Bookings plugin blocks a slot for 15 minutes as soon as it is added to a customer's cart. During this time, no other customers can reserve the same slot. If the original customer does not complete the purchase within 15 minutes, the slot is automatically released and made available for others to book. If the slot is removed from the cart or not purchased within this window, it becomes available for new bookings. It is not recommended to modify the hold cart time. More details are available here: https://www.pluginhive.com/knowledge-base/woocommerce-bookings-and-appointments-plugin-faqs/#BookingInCart

What is the PluginHive Bookings plugin’s mechanism for preventing double bookings of the same slot?

The Bookings plugin automatically blocks a slot for 15 minutes once it is added to a customer's cart, preventing others from reserving that same slot during this period. If the customer does not complete the purchase within 15 minutes or removes the slot from the cart, the slot is released and becomes available for others to book. It is not recommended to change the default cart hold time.

What should I check if the slot availability is not matching actual bookings after updates or reconfigurations?

If availability counts do not match after updates or reconfigurations, verify the following:

1. Confirm that no bookings have a time range that extends across multiple slots.
2. Check for any manual modifications to booking times via the “edit order” or “edit booking” screens.
3. Ensure that old or incorrect bookings are either updated to match the correct slot or deleted if they’re test entries.
4. After changes, refresh the site and recheck the slot availability for each time range.

• Investigate the database records for overlapping bookings.
• Test new bookings after adjusting settings to confirm the system displays updated availability.

What should I do if extras for certain times are not being added to my bookings?

If extras for specific time slots are not being added to bookings, please:

1. Share your complete business requirement and a live example of how you want the plugin to function with PluginHive support.
2. Provide your WordPress Admin access so support can log in and directly review your configuration.

What should I do to ensure the booking plugin fits my business needs?

Share your business case and specific booking requirements with the PluginHive team. By understanding your unique needs, we can recommend the most suitable solution and help configure the plugin for your business scenario. Please provide details about your services, booking durations, availability rules, and any special considerations.

Why are classes with durations of less than one hour (e.g., 45-minute classes for 5-6 year olds) not appearing on the booking page?

To investigate why classes with durations less than an hour are not displaying on the booking page, please provide a screenshot of your product edit page settings along with details of the issue. Additionally, share which version of the Bookings plugin you are using. This information will help in diagnosing and resolving the issue effectively.

Why are customers required to select a minimum of 28 days for booking, and how can I change the minimum booking period to 7 days?

The current booking configuration sets a booking period of 7 days and a 'Minimum Duration' of 4, resulting in a minimum booking of 28 days (7 days x 4 slots). To allow customers to book for a minimum of 7 days:

1. Navigate to your product’s booking settings.
2. Change the "Minimum Duration" setting from 4 to 1. This will make one slot equal to the 7-day booking period.
3. Save the changes.

Why are previously migrated bookings not blocking off the correct time slots, even though new bookings work correctly after migrating my site?

When migrating your site, it is important to ensure that all required database tables, including the custom table ph_bookings_availability_calculation_data, are transferred correctly. If this table is missing or not imported, the plugin cannot accurately determine which time slots are already booked, leading to double bookings. Additionally, ensure that the timezone settings on your new server match those of your old server. Any mismatch in timezones can cause booking slot times to shift and result in incorrect slot availability. Check and confirm both these aspects to resolve the time slot issues with migrated bookings.

Why are some appointment slot times not showing in the Recurring Bookings calendar when setting up multi-hour bookings?

The Recurring Bookings feature in WooCommerce Bookings and Appointments currently only supports fixed booking blocks. Selecting a dynamic or varying range of time slots for recurring bookings is not supported at this time. Using a calendar range with variable start times can introduce complexities with availability checks and may lead to issues like double bookings. For optimal and reliable slot display, use the recurring plugin with a fixed booking period. If you need to display recurring bookings effectively, ensure your booking period is set to a fixed duration rather than a dynamic range.

Why are the plugin's time slots not matching the specific start and end times I set (e.g., 09:30-13:00 and 14:00-18:00), and how can I fix this?

The plugin slots are generated based on the block size you define. If you set "calendar Range with Blocks of" 4 hours, the plugin will create consecutive 4-hour blocks, such as 09:30-13:30 and 13:30-17:30. The plugin does not allow for custom block end times that do not match the block duration (e.g., you cannot create a 09:30-13:00 slot if your block is 4 hours). Displaying time slots with custom durations like 09:30-13:00 and 14:00-18:00 is not feasible in a single calendar using the current block-based system.

Why aren’t my time slots displaying as 11:00–14:00 and 14:00–17:00 when using a 3-hour booking duration and buffer time with WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments?

The plugin calculates available time slots by adding the booking duration and buffer time together, and then starts the next available slot after the total period. With a 3-hour booking duration and a 1-hour buffer after each slot, the system will create:

• 11:00–14:00 (booking)
• 14:00–15:00 (buffer)
• 15:00–18:00 (booking), and so forth.

Why can't I find the "Auto-Select Minimum Booking Slots" option, and how do I enable it?

The "Auto-Select Minimum Booking Slots" option appears when you set the minimum booking duration greater than 1. This feature automatically selects the minimum number of required booking slots when a user chooses an available date or time slot. Ensure that your minimum booking duration is greater than 1 to see this option enabled in the backend.

Why do all booking slots become unbookable when the slot’s start time has passed, even if slots are available, and how can customers be allowed to book until the slot end time?

By default, most booking systems close booking availability as soon as the slot’s start time arrives, which is standard behavior for most users. To allow customers to continue booking until the slot’s end time—even after the slot has started—you will need a custom extension. PluginHive offers a paid add-on called "Allow Bookings For Past Times." With this add-on, you can configure the system to allow bookings for a specified duration after the initial start time ([X] Minutes, Hours, or Days). However, please note:

• The add-on does not check for product availability; it allows bookings for past and ongoing slots, regardless of actual availability.
• This solution is especially useful for accommodating late bookings beyond the official start time.
• The "Allow Bookings For Past Times" add-on is available for a one-time, non-refundable fee.

Why does setting a buffer time in the WooCommerce Bookings & Appointments plugin shift the booking slots, and how can I align time slots to start at a specific time?

When the 'First booking starts at' setting is not configured, the plugin defaults to creating time slots starting from 00:00. This causes slots to shift when buffer times are added. For example, with a 3-hour booking duration and a 1-hour buffer, slots are generated as follows: 00:00–03:00, 04:00–07:00, 08:00–11:00, 12:00–15:00, 16:00–19:00, and 20:00–23:59. Your product’s availability restriction (e.g., 11:00–19:00) will only allow certain of these slots to be bookable (like 12:00–15:00 and 16:00–19:00). To have slots start at your desired time (e.g., 11:00), set the 'First booking starts at' value to 11:00 in the product’s booking settings. This will generate bookings starting exactly at 11:00, ensuring alignment with your schedule.

Why is the buffer time not working between different booking products, even though I've set a buffer after booking for each product?

Buffer time configured for one product applies only to bookings made for that specific product. It does not block or affect the availability of slots for other products, even if their times overlap. For example, if you have "Group Extreme Smash for 2" and "Group Extreme Smash for 4" as separate products, a booking (and its buffer) in one will not restrict bookings in the other. Each product manages its own buffer independently.

Will the double booking problem persist for new orders after the database issue is resolved?

No. After resolving the database issue, all new test orders should correctly block the respective slots in the calendar, confirming that the plugin is working as expected. The issue should only affect existing bookings that were present when the database entries were lost; new bookings will function normally.

Will the plugin correctly manage total capacity per hour, even when reservations overlap (e.g., limit to 100 people per hour)?

Yes, you can set a specific capacity per hour (such as 100 people), and the plugin will manage overall booking availability correctly, accounting for overlapping reservations within that hourly capacity.