What customers do at the kiosk: common questions

Short answers to the questions shops get about what customers do at the kiosk. Each answer links to the full article.

Walk-ins: Reserve now

What does a customer see on the kiosk home screen?

"Welcome to" and your business name, your logo, and up to three big buttons: Reserve now (under "I don't have a reservation"), Here to pick up (under "I already have a reservation") and Start return (under "Returning gear"). If you added a tutorial video, a Watch how it works button sits under the logo. See What the kiosk is.

How does a walk-in customer book at the kiosk?

They tap Reserve now. Your online booking page opens inside the kiosk with today's date already filled in. They choose gear, enter their details and pay exactly as on your website, and then the kiosk moves on by itself to the pick-up screens for that booking. See Reserve now.

Does Reserve now charge a real card?

Yes. It is your real online checkout. That is why it is switched off in Try kiosk.

The customer paid but the kiosk did not continue. What do they see?

A short message telling them to ask staff, for example "We couldn't open that booking here. Please ask a member of staff.", "Something went wrong. Please ask a member of staff.", or, if the connection dropped, "Your booking is confirmed. Please see a member of staff to pick up." The booking is saved, so you can find it under Bookings. The kiosk only continues on its own for a booking made at your business in the last 30 minutes that is still open.

Finding a booking

How does a customer find their booking?

They tap Here to pick up (titled "Find your reservation") or Start return (titled "Return your gear"), type their Last name and Phone number, and press Find my reservation. Both must match the same customer on the booking. See How customers find their booking at the kiosk.

Why is "Find my reservation" greyed out?

It stays off until the last name is filled in and the phone number has at least 7 digits.

Does the customer need to type their whole name?

No, only the last name, matched to the end of the name on the booking. For "Maria de la Cruz", "Cruz" and "de la Cruz" both work; "Maria" does not. Capital letters, accents and punctuation are ignored, so "OBrien" matches "O'Brien". The phone is matched on its last 10 digits.

Can a rider use their own name or phone?

No. The name and phone must be those of the person who made the booking, not a rider added to it.

Why can't the kiosk find a booking?

Pick-up only finds a booking whose pickup is today in your business's time zone, with a status of Pending, Pending payment, Confirmed or Active. Return only finds Active bookings. The name or phone may also not match the customer record. Every miss shows the same message, "We couldn't find a reservation matching that name and phone." on purpose. See Kiosk troubleshooting.

What is the "Which booking?" screen?

The customer matched more than one booking. It lists them by pickup time, with the return time and confirmation number under each, and they tap the right one.

What does "Too many tries" mean?

That tablet tried more than 12 times in 5 minutes (or 60 in an hour), and shows "Too many tries. Please wait a few minutes or ask a member of staff." Other tablets are not affected.

Pick up

What steps does the customer go through at pick-up?

Only the steps you ticked that their booking has not already finished, one at a time with a "Step 2 of 3" bar: Customer details, ID photo, Waiver, Pay remaining balance and Deposit hold. A signed waiver, a photo already on file or a paid balance is skipped. See Pick up at the kiosk.

Can the customer pay at the kiosk?

If the booking still owes money and you ticked Pay remaining balance, the kiosk shows your payment page. If nothing is owed it skips the step. If a balance is owed but no payment link was sent, the customer is sent to staff instead.

What does "Almost there!" mean?

A heading of "Almost there" (with the customer's first name) and the line "A team member will be right over to finish your pick-up." mean something needs a person, such as a missing deposit hold, a balance with no payment link, or a waiver the kiosk could not set up. Staff get a notification listing what is needed under "Needs staff". "You're all set" means nothing else is needed from the customer.

Why does the kiosk say there is no security deposit hold?

The kiosk cannot place a hold. It only checks that every part of the deposit is on the customer's card or collected. A hold scheduled for later, a failed hold, or none at all sends the customer to staff, who can place it on the booking.

What happens after pick-up at a Staffed kiosk?

A team member is notified ("[Customer name] is ready for pickup"), and the customer sees "You're all set, [name]! A team member will bring your gear out." The booking stays as it was, so staff hand over the gear and press Start as usual.

What happens after pick-up at a self-serve kiosk?

The kiosk checks the customer out itself and the booking becomes Active. The customer taps Unlock your gear to see a door code. It only works on a Confirmed booking; a booking that is not Confirmed yet (such as Pending payment) alerts staff instead.

What is "Before you ride"?

On a self-serve pick-up, a list of your pre-ride inspection items for each machine ("Check each item and tick it off."). Continue stays greyed out until every box is ticked. It only appears for machines set to require an inspection.

Why did the customer see "We couldn't reach the team — please see the counter"?

Renta could not send the staff notification, so the customer is told to go to the counter.

Door codes

When does a customer get a door code, and for how long does it work?

Only on a self-serve kiosk, after pick-up is complete, for a lock paired to the equipment. It starts at the earlier of now and the pickup time, and ends one hour after the return time, so the customer can get back in at drop-off. The code is also emailed to the address on the customer's record. See Door codes at the kiosk.

Why did the customer not get a door code?

Common reasons: your hand-off is Staff hands over gear; something needed staff, so the kiosk did not check them out; no igloohome lock is paired to that equipment ("Your gear is ready — see the counter."); some locks failed ("Some doors couldn't get a code — please see the counter for those."); or it is a practice booking, which never gets a real code.

Return

How does a customer return gear?

They tap Start return, find their rental, then work through the steps you ticked: Condition photos, Return checklist, Report damage, Leave a tip and Leave a review. See Returning gear at the kiosk.

What happens when a customer reports damage?

They answer Yes to "Did anything get damaged?", add an optional description and at least one photo, and press Send report. The report is filed on the booking, and a return with a damage report always goes to staff.

What if the customer leaves checklist items unticked?

They can still continue. The kiosk says "Anything you can't tick, a team member will check", and the return goes to staff.

How do tips work at the kiosk?

After the return steps the customer picks a percentage button, types a Custom amount, or presses No tip. The next screen shows the tip, a Renta booking fee line and the total, and the customer pays by card on the tablet. A tip is a separate card charge and never counts toward the rent. See Tips at the kiosk.

Why was the customer not offered a tip?

Tips are only offered on a rental that has started (Active or Completed), and only if Tip is ticked under Return in your kiosk settings.

How does the review QR code work?

The customer scans a QR code with their own phone to leave a review at one of your active review links. If you have no active review link, the step is skipped.

What happens when the return is finished?

It depends on When the return finishes. If staff review, the customer sees "Thanks, [name]! A team member will check your gear shortly." and staff finish it with the Finish button. If automatic, a clean return becomes Completed and the customer sees "All done, [name]! Your deposit will be released." Many cases still go to staff. See When automatic finish hands a return to staff.

Resetting

When does the kiosk go back to the start by itself?

After 80 seconds with no touch it shows "Still there?" and "Starting over in 10 seconds.", then starts over. Finished screens (the door code or "All done") return after 60 seconds or when the customer presses Done. This keeps the next customer from seeing the last one's details. See Kiosk troubleshooting.

What does Start over do on the Reserve now screen?

Start over, at the top left, clears the screen for the next customer. A booking that was already paid is saved.