⚠️ Important: Credit Card Layaway Refunds

SimpleConsign does not support refunding layaway payments made by credit card directly back to the card.

If a customer requires a refund to their credit card, you must log in to your credit card processor’s portal (e.g., CardPointe for SimplePay and Fiserv/CardConnect users) and manually issue the refund from there. This cannot be done within SimpleConsign.

Handling Mistaken Layaway Payments in SimpleConsign

Layaways in SimpleConsign can involve multiple payments using different payment methods, making adjustments complex. If an incorrect payment is added or the layaway is accidentally paid off, you must return and recreate the layaway—you cannot simply remove or reverse individual payments.

Below are detailed instructions for both common scenarios:

✅ Scenario 1: Layaway Was Paid Off by Mistake

This scenario occurs when a customer’s layaway has been marked as fully paid, either unintentionally or prematurely. Since SimpleConsign doesn’t allow removing the final payment, you'll need to return the sale and re-create the layaway.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Go to the Transaction Tab

   • Navigate to the Transaction tab from the left-side menu.

   • Locate the transaction using the date, customer name, or transaction ID.

   • Double-click on the transaction. You'll see a yellow label icon indicating it was originally a layaway.

   • Write down or print the list of items that were included in the layaway. If possible, gather the physical items again to scan them in later.

2. Check the Customer’s Store Credit Balance

   • Click on the Customer tab.

   • Search for and double-click the customer associated with the layaway.

   • Note how much store credit they currently have—this is essential to make sure their account is reset properly later.

3. Return the Transaction to Store Credit

   • Go to the Returns tab.

   • Find the original transaction and return it.

   • When prompted for a refund method, select “Store Credit”.

   • This will issue the full value of the layaway to the customer's store credit balance.

4. Recreate the Layaway

   • Go to the Checkout tab.

   • Scan all the items that were in the original layaway (refer to your notes or the printed list).

   • Assign the customer to the transaction by selecting their name from the customer lookup.

   • Apply the necessary payments (cash, card, store credit) to mirror the original layaway. This ensures the customer’s payment history is restored accurately.

5. Reset the Store Credit Balance

   • Return to the Customer tab.

   • Recheck the store credit balance.

   • Adjust the remaining credit back to what it was in Step 2 by either applying it to the layaway, issuing a manual store credit adjustment, or zeroing it out.

✅ Scenario 2: Incorrect Payment Made on an Active Layaway

This scenario covers cases where a customer makes a wrong or extra payment toward a layaway that is still in progress—not fully paid.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Check the Customer’s Store Credit Balance

   • Go to the Customer tab.

   • Search for and open the customer profile.

   • Note the current store credit amount before making any changes.

2. Cancel the Existing Layaway and Refund to Store Credit

   • Navigate to the Layaway tab.

   • Locate the specific layaway in question.

   • Return the items to inventory by selecting them and choosing the “Return to Inventory” option.

   • When asked how to refund the existing payments, select “Store Credit”.

   • This refunds all previous payments made on the layaway to the customer's store credit account.

3. Recreate the Layaway with Corrected Payment Info

   • Switch to the Checkout tab.

   • Re-scan each of the original layaway items.

   • Add the customer to the sale.

   • Apply payments correctly, ensuring only the accurate payment method(s) are used this time.

4. Adjust Store Credit to Match Original Balance

   • Return to the Customer tab.

   • Confirm the store credit balance.

   • If the customer’s store credit is higher than it was before, manually adjust it down.

   • If it’s lower, issue a store credit to match what was originally recorded in Step 1.