Blocking a client stops them booking online and receiving marketing, while keeping their record and history intact. It's a soft block: staff can still book them deliberately, and nothing already on the calendar is touched.
What does blocking a client actually do?
| Surface | Blocked client |
|---|---|
| Online / portal booking | Refused |
| Marketing emails and SMS | Stopped |
| Staff booking at the desk | Allowed, with a warning you can override — the override is audited |
| Existing future appointments | Untouched — never auto-cancelled |
| Their record and history | Fully intact |
When you block, any upcoming appointments are listed for you to review — cancel them yourself if that's the intent; Owneli won't decide for you.
How do I block a client?
You need permission to manage clients.
Open the client and choose Block
From the profile panel's header actions.
Pick a reason
Choose from the fixed list — repeated no-shows, payment issues, behaviour, and so on. Other requires a note explaining it. The Safety concern reason is reserved for admins and owners, because it carries more weight and more liability.
Add a note and an optional review date
The note is internal. A review date is a nudge to reconsider the block later — it doesn't auto-unblock.
Confirm
The profile header now shows the block, when it was applied, and by whom. If the client has upcoming appointments, the confirmation tells you how many to review.
Unblock
Open the same panel on a blocked client and choose Unblock. The block details are cleared and online booking works again. A safety-concern block can only be lifted by an admin or owner.
Common questions
Will the client know they're blocked?
They aren't notified. They'll simply find online booking unavailable to them; how you communicate the decision is up to you.
Why did a blocked client still show up on the calendar?
Either the appointment predated the block — existing bookings are never auto-cancelled — or a staff member booked them past the warning, which the audit trail records.
Does the review date unblock automatically?
No. It's a reminder for a human decision; the block stays until someone lifts it.