If you have to cancel a performance for any reason, you'll want to contact the patrons immediately to let them know if you will be rescheduling or cancelling, and how you'll be handling refunds of their ticket purchase if appropriate. It is very important that you notify patrons of a cancellation immediately and inform them of their refund or options. Your client agreement stipulates this and will help prevent costly charge-backs, where a patron disputes the charge with their credit card company.
First, if you are able to reschedule the performance, you can move all existing sales easily by simply changing the performance date and time. In this situation you will not need to refund, however it is still important to contact the patrons immediately to inform them. To reschedule a performance go to Setup > Performances. Look up the show, then click the pencil icon to edit the performance row to a new date and time (remove the day of the week as the system will generate that automatically). Finally, click Save. All existing sales from the original performance will be remain on this new performance date. Then you can use the marketing screen to pull up a list of your patrons with tickets and email them to let them know and provide exchange/refund options as well.
But if you have to cancel without rescheduling, here are some recommended steps:
1) Set each performance to "not avail online" - Go to Setup > Performances, lookup the show, click the pencil icon to edit the performance and scroll to the far right side to check the box for "not avail online". Then click Save. Repeat for each performance as needed. This will remove those performances from view on the public page where patrons select a performance.
Make sure your box officers know NOT to sell that performance either.
You cannot delete the performance until all tickets are released from it. If the entire show is canceled you might want to put a note in the long description (on the show setup screen) explaining the cancellation and let it continue to display online for patrons who might be looking for it. Otherwise if you want to remove the show from display on the main ticketing public page, input an on-sale date below the long description that is past the performance dates.
Note that if you are using show-specific or performance-specific links on your website, these should be removed to prevent purchases, as these will still function even if the show or performances are marked as not available online.
2) Pull a Door List report for the performance(s) and print for reference.
3) Go to Marketing > Targeted Lists and generate a list of ticket buyers for that show or performance.*
4) Send an email to that list (use override email opt-out FIRST to be sure all patrons with email will receive it). Tell them about the cancellation and that you'll be issuing them a refund.
5) Go to Reports > Standard Reports > Tickets > Door List: select season, show, & performance > include columns for email and phone numbers. Call patrons without an email address listed and tell them about the cancellation and that you'll be issuing them a refund.
6) Go into each patron account on the box office screen from the Door List report you printed in step 2, click the View link into each order, record the full amount of their order on your door list report for reference. Then release the tickets inputting "show canceled" perhaps as the reason. Input a refund for the full amount in the refund field, choosing the method you'll be refunding back to the patron. This will make your reports show that you issued a refund.
7) Refund to credit card when possible, or cut checks and mail to the ticket buyers. You can print out labels by using your ticket buyers list and override postal opt-out on the Marketing screen.
* Additional detail on how to create targeted patron lists and send an email:
- Navigate to Marketing > Targeted lists > 5 Ticket buyers (by show or performance)
- On the right click the Get shows button then select a show from the dropdown menu, choose performance if necessary.
- Name the list in the Name of the new list: field
- Click the blue Go button, which takes you to the Lists & Mailings screen
- Under Select Output on the right, select Email patrons as the Output
- Click the Override email opt-out button, click the blue OK button, then check the Override email opt-out (I have read the warnings, I know what I’m doing): checkbox
- Enter a subject in the Email subject field and then type your message in the HTML email field (recommend saving this in a text document incase you lose it)
- Check the Include box for the list you’d like to send this email to on the left under the Mailing Lists section
- Check the Include/Exclude Household Members checkbox for the same list
- Check the Yes I’m ready to send email checkbox then click the blue Go button to send
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
How to move a refunded ticket into a donation
How to move a refunded ticket into a gift certificate
Please let us know if you have any questions via the help desk.