The withdrawal function for online bookings

What is the withdrawal function?

The withdrawal function allows your customers to electronically exercise a statutory right of withdrawal for an online booking.

A withdrawal is different from a regular cancellation or rescheduling of an appointment. Your individual cancellation policy and the statutory rules regarding withdrawal are two separate matters.

Why is there a withdrawal function?

The background is new European requirements for contracts concluded online. Where a statutory right of withdrawal applies, consumers must be provided with an electronic way to exercise this right.

Shore provides the necessary technical functionality within Online Booking.

Does the right of withdrawal apply to every service?

No. A statutory right of withdrawal does not automatically apply to every contract concluded online. Depending on the type of service you offer, legal exceptions may apply.

Whether the right of withdrawal applies to your business and your specific services must therefore be assessed individually.

Important: Shore provides the technical functionality but does not provide individual legal advice or determine the legal classification of your services. You are responsible for checking which legal requirements apply to your business.

In which countries is the withdrawal function relevant?

The underlying requirements are based on European law and are implemented into national law by individual EU Member States. Specific requirements and exceptions may therefore vary depending on the country.

Please check the legal requirements that apply to your business and country.

How do I enable or disable the withdrawal function?

You can decide whether the withdrawal function should be enabled for your Shore Online Booking.

Go to:

Settings → Booking Settings → Enable withdrawal function

Use the toggle to enable or disable the function.

Enabled: Your customers are provided with the technical option to submit a withdrawal for online bookings.

Disabled: The withdrawal function is not offered to your customers.

When should I disable the function?

Whether you need the withdrawal function depends on the legal requirements that apply to your business and the services you offer.

If you have determined that no statutory right of withdrawal applies to your services or that a legal exception applies, you can disable the function in your Booking Settings.

If you are unsure whether a right of withdrawal applies to your services, we recommend seeking legal advice.

What is the difference between a withdrawal and a cancellation?

A cancellation is subject to the cancellation conditions you have defined. In Shore, for example, you can specify how long before an appointment your customers are allowed to cancel or reschedule online.

A withdrawal, on the other hand, is based on a statutory right of withdrawal where such a right applies to the respective contract.

Your Cancellation / Rescheduling Limit therefore does not determine whether a customer can exercise an applicable statutory right of withdrawal.

Note:

Shore only provides the technical solution for the withdrawal function. We cannot determine whether a statutory right of withdrawal or an exception applies to your business or individual services.

Please check the legal requirements applicable to your business and enable or disable the withdrawal function accordingly.

How does the withdrawal process work for my customers?

If you have enabled the withdrawal function, your customers will see the option “Declare withdrawal” after completing an online booking.

This option is available both directly after the online booking has been completed and via the appointment link in the booking confirmation.

When your customer clicks “Declare withdrawal”, a confirmation window with the appointment details will open. The withdrawal is only submitted once the customer clicks “Confirm withdrawal”.

What happens when a customer withdraws from an appointment?

As soon as a customer submits a withdrawal, you will be notified in Shore:

The withdrawal for the respective appointment will appear in your calendar notifications.
You will also receive an email informing you about the withdrawal.
The affected appointment will be marked accordingly in your calendar.
When you open the appointment, you will see that the contract for this appointment has been withdrawn.

This allows you to easily identify which appointment is affected by a withdrawal.