Quotes: common questions

Short answers to the questions shops ask about quotes. Each answer links to the full article.

Creating and sending a quote

What is a quote, and when should I use one instead of a booking?

A quote is a booking you send to the customer so they can accept it and pay online. Use it when someone asks "what would this cost?" and has not committed. You choose how long the gear is held while they decide. See Sending a price quote before booking.

How do I create a quote?

Click Quotes → New quote (or Bookings → + New Booking). Both open the same New Booking screen. Add the customer, dates and items, then press Generate quote, which sits under Continue to Payment. See Building and sending a quote.

Why is the "Generate quote" button greyed out on the New Booking screen?

It needs a customer, rental dates and at least one item, and any required item choice (such as a size, or a package for items priced by package) must be made. It also stays grey while a booking is being created.

What does "Reserve the items for" mean in the Generate quote window?

It is how long nobody else can book that gear while the customer decides, set in days and hours, up to 90 days in total. The hold never runs past the pickup time. Set it to 0 and nothing is held: the items are released as soon as the quote is created.

What does "After the hold period, the quote remains open / expires" do?

That tick box (ticked by default) decides what happens when the hold ends. Remains open means the items are released but the customer can still accept until pickup if the gear is still free. Expires means the customer can only accept while the items are held.

Why can't I press Generate quote in the window?

You set no hold time (0 days and 0 hours) and also unticked "remains open". That combination would create a quote that is dead on arrival, so the window says "Set a hold time, or keep the quote open after the hold."

How do I email the quote to the customer?

Leave Email the quote to <their email> now ticked in the Generate quote window. If you skipped it, open the quote from Quotes and press Send to customer. Once it has been sent, that button reads Resend to customer.

Why is "Send to customer" greyed out?

Either the customer has no email address on file ("This customer has no email address on file, so the quote cannot be sent yet", so add one on their profile), or the quote has passed its valid-until date ("Create a new one to re-quote these dates").

Can I edit a quote after sending it?

The quote page has no Edit button; its actions are Send to customer (or Resend to customer) and Withdraw. To change the price or dates, withdraw the quote and build a new one.

How do I cancel a quote?

Open it and press Withdraw. The customer's link stops working ("Quote withdrawn — the customer's link no longer works"), the quote shows as Withdrawn, and the gear it held is released.

Statuses

What do the quote statuses mean?

Draft has not been sent. Awaiting reply has been sent and is still valid. Accepted means the customer accepted. Declined means they said no. Expired means its valid-until date has passed. Withdrawn means you cancelled it. The tabs on the Quotes page are All, Drafts, Awaiting reply, Accepted, Declined and Expired.

What is "Valid until" on a quote?

It is the last moment the customer can accept. If you left the quote open after the hold, it is the pickup date. If you chose "expires", it is the end of the hold.

Why is a quote brown on my calendar?

Brown marks an open quote that is holding gear and has not been paid yet. Once the customer pays, it turns into a normal booking colour. See Booking statuses explained.

What the customer sees and does

What does the customer see when they open the quote link?

A page listing each item at its full price, each automatic discount on its own line, any coupon, tax, and your custom lines such as delivery, then the total (Total due when a Renta booking fee applies). If you added a note (the optional "Note to the customer" box in the Generate quote window), it shows on the page too. They get two buttons: Accept and continue to payment and No thanks.

What happens when the customer accepts?

Renta holds the gear for 60 minutes while they pay on the normal payment page, checking availability first if your original hold had ended. If they leave without paying, the link shows Continue to payment so they can finish. Once they pay, the quote becomes a regular booking and the quote page shows "Paid — this quote is now a booking."

What if the gear was booked by someone else before the customer accepted?

The customer sees "Sorry — some of these items have been booked since this quote was sent." and is asked to contact you, and you get a notification titled "Quote <number>: customer tried to accept, items unavailable".

How will I know if a customer accepts or declines?

Renta sends your team a notification titled "Quote <number> accepted" or "Quote <number> declined". A declined quote releases its hold straight away.

Does the customer pay the quoted price even if my prices change?

Yes. The booking is not re-priced when they accept; they pay the figure on the quote.

What if the customer says the link does not work?

The link shows "This quote link is invalid" for a wrong or old link. A quote you withdrew, a declined quote and an expired one cannot be accepted: an expired quote says "Ask us for an updated one", so build a new quote for them.