Online Booking · updated 2026-09-16
In rare cases a customer's card is approved by the bank but the order is not created on our side, usually because the browser lost the connection right after the card was approved. This article explains what the customer sees, what your team sees, and what to do. The short version: the customer has not been charged, and a card is never charged without an order.
After the card is approved, the booking page shows "Card approved. Creating your order with {Your Company}..." while our server creates the order. If the order cannot be confirmed, the page does not claim success. It shows "We could not confirm your order" with your phone number and email, a Reference code (it starts with pi_), the amount, and the date. It tells the customer that the card has not been charged, that what they may see on their statement is a temporary hold, that the hold is never turned into a payment without an order, and asks them not to pay again.
Open "Rental History" and the leads panel (the same place as abandoned carts). A red card titled "Card authorized, no order created" appears at the top about 5 minutes after the approval, with the customer's name, the amount, the dumpster size, the delivery date, how long ago the card was authorized, when the hold expires, and "Call" and "SMS" buttons. If the hold has already been released, the card changes to "Authorization released, no order created".
Call before you investigate anything. Say what is true in every case: their card was approved, the order was not recorded on our side, and they have not been charged. On a credit card the hold only reserves credit limit. On a debit card the bank can reduce the available balance until the hold is released, usually within a few business days. Never tell a customer there is no order and it may be a scam: the customer did everything right, and the confirmation they saw came from our system.
If the customer still wants the dumpster, create the order in "Order History" with "New order" and take payment through the normal order flow (payment link or invoice). The original hold is never reused for a new order, so ask Dumpster Controls support to release it before you take a new payment, so the customer does not see two holds. If the customer does not want the dumpster, nothing else is needed on your side: the hold is released automatically by the card network within 7 days at most, and it is never captured. Either way, write to the customer so they have it in writing.
The Dumpster Controls team is alerted automatically 15 minutes after any approved card without an order, and can release the hold right away so the customer's bank returns the money sooner. Send the Reference code (pi_...) the customer received, or the card from your leads panel, to support@dumpstercontrols.io.
On a debit card a hold reduces the available balance even though it is not a charge. It comes back when the hold is released, usually within 1 to 5 business days depending on the bank. Ask Dumpster Controls support to release it right away if the customer needs the money sooner.
The card appears about 5 minutes after the approval, and only for cards approved through your booking page or widget. Ask the customer for the Reference code from their screen (it starts with pi_) and send it to support@dumpstercontrols.io; the platform team can find the payment with it.
Yes, through a new order and the normal payment flow, but ask for the original hold to be released first. Taking a second payment while the first hold is still active means the customer sees two amounts reserved on their card until the first one is released.
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