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Legal

Payment Failure Policy

Effective:
Last updated:
Jurisdiction:
United States

1. OVERVIEW

This Payment Failure Policy explains what happens if your payment cannot be processed on the bartendersNow™ platform, including grace periods, account restrictions, and resolution procedures.

Key Principle: We provide reasonable grace periods to resolve payment issues. If a payment is not resolved within its grace period, the booking is cancelled and treated as a Host cancellation, and the amount you owe is handled through the collections process in Section 7.

2. TYPES OF PAYMENT FAILURES

2.1 Card Save Failure at Booking

When it happens: Your card cannot be securely saved when you attempt to complete a booking.

What to do:

  • Try a different payment method
  • Contact your bank if you believe the card should work
  • No penalties apply—simply use an alternative card

2.2 Card Becomes Invalid Before Scheduled Charge

When it happens: Between booking and your scheduled payment trigger, your stored card becomes invalid (card expires, is reported lost or stolen, account closed, or issuer flags it).

Grace Period: 24 hours from the first detection or notification, not to extend beyond your scheduled payment trigger.

What happens:

  1. You receive immediate notification (email, SMS, in-app) when we detect the issue
  2. You have 24 hours (or until your scheduled charge, whichever comes first) to update your payment method
  3. If not resolved before your scheduled charge, the failure is handled per Section 2.3 (48-hour lock) or Section 2.5 (short-notice)

2.3 Payment Capture Failure at 48-Hour Lock

When it happens: At 48 hours before your event, we attempt to charge your card. If it fails:

Grace Period: 24 hours.

What happens:

  1. You receive urgent notifications via email and SMS (and in-app, possibly phone) detailing the payment failure
  2. You have 24 hours from the initial failure notification to update your payment method
  3. If payment is not successfully updated within the grace period, the booking is cancelled and treated as a Host cancellation within 7 days; because no payment was collected, no payout is issued, and the amount you owe is handled under Section 7.

2.4 Payment Capture Failure at Cancellation

When it happens: You cancel your booking but we cannot process the payment.

Grace Period: 24 hours

What happens:

  1. Your cancellation is processed, but payment is pending
  2. You have 24 hours to update your payment method
  3. Your Bartender's cancellation compensation is issued once your payment is resolved.
  4. Your account is restricted until payment is resolved

2.5 Payment Capture Failure at Short-Notice Commitment

When it happens: You are creating a short-notice booking (event less than 48 hours away) and the charge at your commitment action fails.

Grace Period: None. Short-notice captures are evaluated in real time. If the charge does not succeed, the booking does not proceed.

There are two subcases depending on which flow you are in:

Case A — You requested a specific Bartender.

  1. You submit a request to a specific Bartender
  2. The charge attempt fails (declined, expired, insufficient funds, or other issuer decline)
  3. Your request is not delivered to the Bartender.
  4. You receive immediate notification that the booking did not go through, with a link to update your payment method
  5. You may update your payment method and resubmit the request, or cancel the event

Case B — A Bartender requested to work your public event.

  1. A Bartender submits a request to work your publicly-posted event
  2. You review the request and tap to accept
  3. The charge attempt at acceptance fails
  4. Your acceptance does not finalize. The Bartender's pending request simply remains pending from their perspective, and is removed from both views shortly thereafter.
  5. You receive immediate notification that the charge did not go through, with a link to update your payment method
  6. Once resolved, you may accept a Bartender's request again. A failed charge attempt is not communicated to the Bartender.

This behavior is intentional. The Bartender does not receive a confirmation notification for an event that has not been paid for, and does not receive an error notification either. This prevents a Bartender from preparing, traveling, or committing their time to an event that has not been paid.

3. GRACE PERIODS

3.1 Grace Period Summary

Payment Failure TypeGrace PeriodConsequence if Not Resolved
Card invalidated before scheduled charge24 hours (or until scheduled charge)Handled per 48-hour-lock or short-notice rules below
48-hour lock capture24 hoursBooking cancelled, $0 refund, no payout issued, debt recorded
Short-notice commitment captureNone (real-time)Booking does not proceed; no Bartender notification sent
Cancellation capture24 hoursAccount suspended, debt recorded

3.2 During Grace Periods

You CAN:

  • Update your payment method
  • Try multiple different cards
  • Contact support for assistance

You CANNOT:

  • Make new bookings (account temporarily restricted)
  • Delay resolution beyond the grace period

4. 48-HOUR PAYMENT FAILURE (CRITICAL)

4.1 Urgency of 48-Hour Failures

Payment failures at the 48-hour mark are critical because:

  • Your Bartender is actively preparing for your event
  • There is minimal time to find replacement work
  • Your event is imminent

4.2 What Happens

Immediate notification:

Example:

CRITICAL: PAYMENT FAILED - YOUR EVENT IS AT RISK

Your payment of $504.00 could not be processed.
Card ending in XXXX was declined.

You have 24 HOURS to update your payment method
or your event will be automatically cancelled.

CONSEQUENCES IF NOT RESOLVED:
• Your event will be CANCELLED
• You will receive $0 refund
• The amount you owe will be sent to collections

*Update Payment Method Now*

Time Remaining: *Countdown*

4.3 If Grace Period Expires

If you do not resolve the payment within 24 hours of the initial charge failure:

  • Your booking is automatically cancelled and treated as a Host cancellation within 7 days
  • You receive NO refund
  • No payment is collected, so no payout is issued for this booking; the amount you owe is handled under Section 7.
  • Your account may be suspended pending resolution

This outcome is governed by Section 6.4 of the Terms of Service (Payment Failures & Grace Periods), which controls in the event of any conflict with this policy.

5. ACCOUNT RESTRICTIONS

5.1 Temporary Restriction (During Grace Period)

While you have an active payment issue:

  • You cannot make new bookings
  • You CAN update your payment method
  • Your existing other bookings are unaffected

5.2 Account Suspension (Unresolved Payment)

If a grace period expires without payment resolution:

  • You cannot make new bookings
  • You cannot search for Bartenders
  • You CAN pay your outstanding balance
  • Existing future bookings may be cancelled

5.3 Account Termination (Repeated Failures)

Repeated payment failures (3+ in 12 months) or suspected fraud may result in:

  • Permanent account termination
  • Inability to create new accounts
  • Referral to collections for outstanding balances

6. BARTENDER PAYMENT PROTECTION

6.1 What Protection Means

When a booking is arranged and paid through bartendersNow™, the payment runs through our system and is backed by our support and dispute process. Payment still depends on the Host's card clearing and on the booking's terms being met — it is not a guarantee by bartendersNow™.

6.2 How It Works

  • If your payment fails and you resolve it within the grace period: standard process, and your Bartender is paid on the normal schedule, provided their payout setup is complete — if it isn't, their earnings are held for them and released when they finish (see our Bartender Payout Policy).
  • If your payment fails and you do not resolve it within the grace period: the booking is cancelled under Section 4.3 of this policy and Section 6.4 of the Terms of Service. No payment is collected, so no payout is issued for that booking. We pursue the amount you owe through the collections process in Section 7.
  • If you file a chargeback: we contest it through Stripe's dispute process. A payout already made to your Bartender is not reversed against them.

We don't share your payment method or billing details with your Bartender. If a booking is cancelled because payment was not collected, your Bartender is told that the booking was cancelled, that the payment was not collected, and that no payout applies.

7. COLLECTIONS PROCESS

7.1 If You Have Unresolved Debt

Days 1-7: Internal reminders via email Days 8-30: Escalated communications with warnings Day 31+: Referral to external collections agency

7.2 Collections Consequences

  • Additional fees may be added by collections agency
  • May impact your credit report
  • Account permanently terminated
  • Platform reserves right to pursue legal action for significant debts

7.3 Resolving Outstanding Balances

To restore your account:

  1. Log into your account
  2. Navigate to "Outstanding Balance"
  3. Pay the full amount due
  4. Account restrictions are lifted immediately upon payment

8. CHARGEBACK POLICY

8.1 What Is a Chargeback?

A chargeback is when you dispute a charge directly with your credit card company rather than through our platform.

8.2 Our Position

  • We encourage you to resolve disputes through our platform first
  • We will contest chargebacks with evidence of service provided
  • Fraudulent chargebacks (disputing legitimate charges) result in account termination
  • Multiple chargebacks (2+ in 12 months) may require alternative payment arrangements

8.3 If You Have a Legitimate Complaint

Please contact us at disputes@bartendersnow.com BEFORE filing a chargeback. We're committed to fair resolution and can often resolve issues faster than the chargeback process.

9. PREVENTING PAYMENT FAILURES

9.1 Best Practices

  • Keep your payment method current (update before cards expire)
  • Ensure sufficient funds before your 48-hour charge
  • Respond immediately to any payment alerts
  • Add a backup payment method if available

9.2 Payment Reminders

We send reminders to help you avoid payment issues:

  • When your card is expiring before your event
  • 72 hours before your 48-hour charge
  • Immediately if any payment issue is detected

10. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What if my card is declined at the 48-hour mark? A: You'll receive immediate email and SMS notifications and a short grace period to update your payment method; the deadline is stated in Section 6.4 of the Terms of Service. If it is not resolved, your booking is cancelled for non-payment and treated as a Host cancellation within 7 days (no refund). No payout is issued for the booking, and the amount you owe is handled under Section 7.

Q: Why didn't my short-notice booking go through? A: Short-notice bookings are charged at the moment you commit to a Bartender. If the charge is declined, the booking does not proceed and your Bartender is not notified. Update your payment method and try again.

Q: Can I try multiple cards during the grace period? A: Yes! You can try as many payment methods as needed during your grace period. As soon as one succeeds, your booking is saved.

Q: What if I can't pay right now? A: Contact support@bartendersnow.com immediately. Grace periods are firm, but we may be able to discuss options in extreme circumstances.

Q: Will a payment failure affect my credit score? A: Not immediately. However, if your debt is referred to collections (after 30+ days unresolved), it may impact your credit.

Q: What if I dispute a charge with my bank? A: We encourage platform dispute resolution first. Chargebacks bypass our process, may take longer, and can result in account penalties if deemed fraudulent.

11. CONTACT US

Payment Issues:

Outstanding Balances:

Disputes:

This Payment Failure Policy is incorporated by reference into the bartendersNow™ Terms of Service.

Last Updated: September 8, 2026 Version: 1.6