When a customer with a confirmed reservation cancels their spot, the system may temporarily hold the spot instead of making it instantly bookable. This behavior varies depending on whether the waitlist auto-fill window is still active.
During the Auto-Fill Window
When a cancellation occurs within the auto-fill window, the system:
Holds the newly available spot for about 5–7 minutes.
Automatically moves the top waitlisted customer into class during this time.
Prevents anyone else from booking the spot while this auto-fill process is happening.
This short delay ensures the right person from the waitlist is promoted before someone else can grab the spot.
After the Auto-Fill Window Has Passed
If the cancellation happens after the auto-fill window has closed:
The system does not auto-fill from the waitlist.
The newly opened spot is placed on hold by default.
A staff member must:
Manually add a waitlisted customer to the class, or
Manually release the spot so it's bookable by anyone.
Simultaneous Cancellations
In rare cases where two customers cancel at the same time and there’s a waitlist:
The system will hold both spots, even if only one waitlisted customer is available.
This happens because the system only checks if a waitlist exists, not how many customers are on it.
Let’s say there are two simultaneous cancellations and one waitlisted customer:
The system moves one waitlisted customer into class.
The second spot remains on hold.
Even if another customer joins the waitlist later, the held spot is not automatically filled.
A staff member must manually release the second held spot.
This behavior helps protect the auto-fill logic but may require staff action in edge cases.