You can enable/disable this function in the builder. What it means is that if you place limits on events, then when the event is full, the system will automatically organise a waiting list.
This allows athletes to enter, pay their money and go onto a waiting list. If or when an athlete is pulled from a full event, the system will automatically place the person in position 1 from the waiting list into the event and send them an email to let them know they have made the event.
Why pay upfront ? As the system is automatic, if we didn’t take payment, what does the system do, how long does it wait after telling position 1 via email that if they pay in the next x hours they can make the event. If this person does not answer, the system goes to position 2 and so on. Then what would happen when you are on position 2 and you get a call from position 1 saying, I didn’t see the email, it went to spam etc. It will just create issues.
So the easiest is, if they want to go on the waiting list, they pay up front and keep the process simple.
They get a screen, explaining this to them if they do choose to go on the waiting list and that if they do make it, nothing else is required.
If they don’t make it, the system credits their account on a date configured in the builder minus a waiting list fee.
example.
Entry fee is £10. Transaction fee is 85p
The competition is on 10th Jan and waiting list pay-outs is set to 12th Jan.
Athlete 1 at position 1 does automatically get put in the event on the 8th Jan. They receive email to say they are in and no credit is made.
Athlete 2 at position 2, moves to position 1 when athlete is moved off the waiting list. However no more changes are made and as of the competition date ( 10th Jan ) they are still on the waiting list.
Officially they are now not in the event and are entitled to a refund.
Why process refunds x days after event.
Athlete 2 may still turn up to the event in the opportunity of still racing. If they do, the organiser can go to the system and manually move them off the waiting list before the processing date. ( This processing date means, the organiser has a little time after the event to do this rather than having to rush on the day of the competition etc. ).
On the day of waiting list processing, the system automatically puts a credit on to the account of all those now left on the waiting list, so if athlete 2 is still on the waiting list on the 12th, they will receive £10. The 85p is the charge for using this function.