The cloud refused a bill or a payment
The red 1 refused chip, the list The cloud refused this work, a bill marked The cloud refused this bill, and a payment the cloud would not record. Why the cloud refuses work, what each kind means for the bill and the money, and what a manager does, step by step, on the Windows and the Android POS.
On this page
Every POS saves its work first and sends it to the cloud after. Almost always the cloud takes it. Now and then it refuses a piece of work: it answered, looked at it, and will never take it, however often it is sent. A refusal is not the internet being down. Work that only waits for the line is unsynced, not refused, and goes by itself; see The internet is down.
A refused piece of work is set aside, so it never holds up the rest, and it is listed for a manager. This guide says where you see it, why it happens, and what to do.
Before you start
- A manager or the owner should deal with refused work: it can mean money the cloud's reports do not have.
- Nothing needs the back office. Everything below is done on the POS that shows the refusal.
Where you see it
The red chip on the table screen
- 3 unsynced, amber: work still on its way. It goes by itself. Not a refusal.
- 1 refused, red: how many pieces of work the cloud refused. Rest the pointer on it (Windows): Work the cloud refused. It will not retry. It does not go away by itself. Tap it for the list.
The list: The cloud refused this work
- The cloud refused this work, on red, with It is not queued and will not retry. Anything here has to be redone.
- What it was, in plain words (see the table below).
- Why: the cloud's own sentence, as it sent it, in English. With none: No reason given. A refund made on this POS says Refund R0005 of bill SO-0412, RM 12.00: the cloud did not accept it. with the reason.
- When it was done on this POS, by this device's clock.
- Leave it: closes the list. Nothing changes; the red chip stays for a manager.
- I have dealt with it: in red. Marks every row on the list as dealt with, and the chip goes. The record stays on this POS; nothing is deleted.
On Android the list is the same, with its first ten rows, and Leave it and I have dealt with it (in red) as two text buttons at its foot.
On the bill, and on the payment window
A refusal of a bill or of money is also said where it happened, at once:
| Where | What it says |
|---|---|
| At the top of the bill, in red | The cloud refused this bill, the reason, then Nothing more can go on it. Go back and start a new one. Back on the table screen: The cloud refused this bill. Start a new one. |
| The payment window, in amber | Saved on this POS, and it counts on this bill. The cloud would not record it (…), so it is listed for a manager. |
| Closing a bill with nothing left to pay | Closed on this POS. The cloud would not close it (…), so it is listed for a manager. |
| Taking a payment back | The cloud would not take this payment back (…), so it counts on the bill again and is listed for a manager. |
| Changing a payment method | The cloud would not change this payment method (…), so the payment is back as it was and is listed for a manager. |
The reason the cloud gave is in the brackets.
What was refused
The first line of each row says what the work was. The ones you will meet most:
| The row says | What it means for the bill |
|---|---|
| A bill could not be opened | The bill exists on this POS only. It is marked dead: nothing more can go on it, and nothing on it was sent. |
| An item could not be added / A quantity change could not be made / An item could not be voided | That one change is on this POS's bill but not on the cloud's. |
| A kitchen ticket could not be sent | The cloud has no record that those dishes were sent. Check with the kitchen that they were cooked. |
| A payment could not be recorded | The money was taken and counts on this POS's bill, but the cloud's sales do not have it. |
| A payment could not be taken back, so it counts on the bill again | The payment stands, on both. |
| A bill could not be voided / A table could not be cleared | The cloud still has the bill open, or the table in use. |
| A move to another table could not be made, so the bill went back to its table | The bill is at its first table again. |
| A bill split on this POS could not be made on the cloud, so the new bill is finished on this POS | The new bill is finished here; the cloud has the original only. |
| A shift opened on this POS could not be recorded in the cloud / A shift closed on this POS could not be recorded in the cloud / A pay-in or pay-out could not be recorded in the cloud | The drawer's records on this POS and on the cloud differ. |
| The day could not be closed | The day end did not reach the cloud. |
Why the cloud refuses work
The cloud checks every piece of work against what it already holds. It refuses one that no longer fits, nearly always because another POS, or the back office, got there first while this POS was offline or slow. Examples of the cloud's own sentences:
| The reason says | Because |
|---|---|
| Table T6 is already occupied | Another POS seated a party at that table first. In most cases the POS does not show this: it opens that party's bill instead. |
| That bill is already settled / That bill was voided | The bill was paid or voided at another POS before this work arrived. |
| That bill is already fully paid | Another payment for the same bill reached the cloud first. |
| The shift this payment was counted in has been cashed up, so it cannot be taken back | The shift was closed before the take-back arrived. |
| That line was voided | The dish was voided at another POS first. |
A refusal of the whole restaurant (suspended, subscription lapsed) is not a refusal of work: everything is kept and sent later. See The internet is down.
What to do
- On the table screen, tap the red 1 refused chip. The list opens.
- Read each row: what was refused, the reason, and when.
- Redo on the POS what has to be redone, by its kind (see below).
- Write down, for the owner, any row about money: the bill, the amount, the time and the reason.
- Press I have dealt with it. The chip goes.
A bill that was refused
- Go back to the table screen. The refused bill cannot be changed or sent.
- Open the table again and ring the dishes on a new bill. If the table is in use on another POS, the guests' bill is there: carry on with it there.
- Do not send the dishes to the kitchen again unless the kitchen did not make them.
A payment the cloud would not record
- Read the reason. That bill is already settled or That bill is already fully paid means the bill was paid elsewhere too.
- Ask at the other POS whether the same guest paid there. If they paid twice, give back what was paid twice, as your restaurant does for any overpayment.
- The money is in this POS's drawer, but the cloud's reports do not have it. Tell the owner, with what you wrote down, so the drawer and the reports can be explained.
A shift or a day end that was refused
The drawer's figures on this POS and on the cloud now differ. Count the drawer, write the count down, and tell the owner. Do not open or close the shift twice to make the figures match.