Cleaning up canceled reservation charges

Q: I have some reservations that I had canceled and did not zero the balances, so I need to clean those up. Could you email me step-by-step instructions?

A: It's difficult to give details since there are many possible issues that might need "cleaned up", but here are some basic tips for handling cancellations:

If you have version 3.6 and you're using auto-rates, go into Maintenance / Program Options / Auto-rates, and check the bottom box ("Assume no auto...").  Then if you go back into the canceled reservation and click Auto-Calculate, it may clean itself up (negate the original auto-charges).

If that doesn't solve it, then basically you need to enter opposing Charge transactions, e.g. for each previous charge, enter an equal one with a negative quantity to balance it out (don't forget to select the same category as the original charge, and apply applicable taxes).  You want to end up with a negative balance equal to the original deposit or payment made, or if no deposit or payment was made then you want a $0 balance.

You can also add a cancellation charge if necessary, which will reduce the amount of refund to be given (if any).

Finally, if you need to refund the deposit or payment then enter an appropriate Refund transaction to balance it out.