FareHarbor Waivers

FareHarbor waivers can help facilitate the exchange of waivers between your business and customers. Functionality includes:

• Waiver configuration: Input waiver-related information directly in your Dashboard. Customizable configuration includes:
  • Waiver details (such as title, instructions, internal name, etc.)
  • The body of the agreement
  • Associated items (Note: An item can only be associated with one waiver at a time, but a waiver can be associated with multiple items.)
• Convenient signing options: Facilitate easy access for signees. Customers can sign a waiver via the booking confirmation page, or via subsequent emails sent through FareHarbor.
• Viewing waiver status: A waiver’s status will appear in the Manifest, booking overview, and Contacts report after a customer has signed.
• Facilitating in-person signatures: Accommodate in-person digital signatures, or download and print a copy of the waiver for customers to sign.
• Sharing waiver access with multiple participants: Customers can share the waiver link with any other attendees who must sign prior to participating in the activity.
• Sending follow-up emails to all participants: All customers who have signed a waiver digitally will receive the booking’s follow-up email.

FareHarbor waivers appear as a standalone page that pops up when a customer clicks the waiver link post-booking. A customer can fill out their information, complete the acceptance, and submit the form after their booking has been created. FareHarbor waivers do not impact conversion rates, as they are not part of the booking flow.

You can create and update waivers immediately without enabling! (Note: Waivers cannot be linked to items until the feature has been enabled.)

Enabling FareHarbor waivers

FareHarbor waivers cannot be enabled along with SmartWaiver or Wherewolf.

You can create and update waivers immediately without enabling! (Note: Waivers cannot be linked to items until the feature has been enabled.)

1. Navigate to Settings > Advanced company settings (the gear icon in the upper right) Bookings, or use the search bar to search for FareHarbor Waivers.
2. Check the FareHarbor Waivers option.

3. Click the Save changes button to finalize the update.

   

Once the FareHarbor Waivers feature is enabled, waivers can be linked to the items of your choice.

User permissions

All users can view signed waivers regardless of permissions.

A user must have waiver-related permissions enabled for their permissions group before they can create or edit waivers. To update waiver permissions:

1. Navigate to Settings > Users & Permissions > Permissions Groups.
2. Select the relevant permissions group, and then navigate to Bookings & Payments > Setup.
3. Check the following permissions:
   • Edit Dashboard features, company contact info, and FareHarbor profile
   • Manage waivers
4. Click the Save changes button to finalize the permissions updates.

Please ensure your waivers meet legal requirements. FareHarbor cannot provide legal advice or be held responsible for errors or omissions.

Creating a new waiver

1. Navigate to Settings, and click the Waivers feature that appears under the Build section.
2. Click the + Create waiver button.

3. Enter the desired waiver information.

   Customize your waiver’s formatting with Markdown for added visual impact.

   Information that can be set up for a waiver includes:

• Internal name*: A name that allows you to quickly differentiate between waivers in the Dashboard. (Note: The internal name will not be visible to customers.)
• Items: Select the item(s) you want associated with the waiver. (Note: An item can only be associated with one waiver at a time, but a waiver can be associated with multiple items.)
• Waiver title*: The waiver name that is visible to customers.
• Waiver instructions: Supporting text that appears in waiver notifications after a booking has been submitted.
• Waiver text*: The risks, restrictions, or other considerations the customer must agree to before participating in the activity.
• Waiver sections: Add up to 10 sections to the waiver body when customers need to acknowledge specific parts of the agreement before submitting.
  When waiver sections are added, select one acknowledgment type for all sections:
  • Checkbox: Requires customers to check a box for each section.
  • Initials: Requires customers to enter their initials for each section.
    For checkbox acknowledgments, you can customize the checkbox label. Customers must complete all section acknowledgments before they can submit the waiver. All completed acknowledgments appear in the final signed PDF.
• Signature type*: Select the type of signature required for the waiver.
  • Handwritten signature: Requires customers to sign digitally
  • Acceptance checkbox: Requires customers to check a box
• Marketing checkbox*: Add a custom message inviting customers to subscribe for future marketing campaigns. (Note: We suggest including specifics, such as the marketing channel and/or campaign type. For example: “I want to receive coupon emails from dessertriders.com”.)
• Minors: Select whether minors can participate in activities outlined by the waiver. (Note: Parents or legal guardians must sign on behalf of minors. Date of birth information will be required from the guardian submitting the waiver.)
• Additional customer detail fields: These fields are not included in a waiver by default, but will be mandatory customer information if checked in your form configuration. Additional customer detail fields include:
  • Date of birth
  • Phone number
  • Home address
  • Driver’s license number and issuing state
  • Pre-select marketing checkbox
    
    *These fields are required for the waiver setup. Information must be provided for these fields before a waiver can be finalized or saved.
• When Pre-select marketing checkbox enabled, the marketing checkbox on the Waiver form is ON by default but customers may still uncheck it if needed. 
  Note: The Pre-select marketing checkbox option is only available for Dashboards that use USD currency.

1. Once all required information has been provided, click the Create waiver button to finalize your new waiver.

Note: You may make the Driver’s license field optional by checking the Make this field optional box when enabling the field in your Customer details settings.

Your new waiver will now appear on the FareHarbor Waivers page under Settings > Waivers.

Updating a pre-existing waiver

1. Navigate to Settings, and click the Waivers feature that appears under the Build section.
2. Click on the relevant waiver’s Edit option.
3. Update the information as needed. (Note: Information must be provided for all required fields before changes can be saved.)
4. Click the Save button to finalize your updates.

Character count limitations

Certain waivers fields have character count limitations. Additional text cannot be added once the character count limit is exceeded. Please see the table below for character count limits.

If copy and pasted content exceeds a field’s character count limit, the system will only paste the allowed number of characters.

Once a customer books an activity, they will be notified a waiver is ready to sign. This notice can occur via four different methods:

• The booking confirmation screen (if the customer books through the book form)
• The booking confirmation email
• The booking reminder email
• The booking reminder SMS (if enabled)

Emails sent to a customer manually will also include the waiver link.

A customer can choose to sign a waiver immediately after completing the booking, or sign later using the link provided via email.

Sequence of events from a customer’s perspective

1. The customer receives notice that a waiver is ready to sign. A link to the associated waiver is included in the communication.

2. They click the link and are directed to the waiver form.

   The form will display basic information about your business (such as name, website, the name of the booked activity), as well as the date and time of the booking.

   Customers can also view your company policies as currently listed under Settings > Info & Policies > General. (Note: If the policy text field is empty in your Dashboard, no policy information will appear on the waiver form.)

3. The customer fills out the form. (Note: The form will require the customer’s first and last name, and email address. Depending upon the waiver’s customized setup, it may also require date of birth, phone number, and/or home address.)
4. They check the acceptance box or sign the waiver. If waiver sections are included, they must also acknowledge each section by checking each box or entering their initials before submitting the form.
5. Once the form has been submitted, the customer will receive an email that includes a PDF version of the signed waiver.

If automatic follow-up emails are set up under Settings > Notifications Customer > Notifications, an email will be sent to all customers who signed the booking’s waiver digitally. This includes the customer who made the booking as well as any other booking participants who signed the waiver.

Signing waivers digitally in person

To accommodate customers who want or need to sign the waiver in person, there are two options under the booking’s Booking actions that facilitate an in-person customer signing the waiver digitally:

• Use the Sign waiver option to open the booking’s waiver on your device, allowing the customer to review and sign directly.

  This option may be a good fit for circumstances where a customer experiences difficulties navigating to the waiver on their own, and/or is not able to sign a waiver via a personal device.

• Use the Generate waiver QR code option to generate a unique QR code that directs to the booking’s waiver. Using their personal mobile device, the customer can scan the QR code to review and sign the waiver.

  This option may be a good fit for circumstances where a customer has a personal device available, and is able to scan a QR code using said device.

QR codes and waivers are booking-specific. Each booking’s waiver can accommodate up to 300 signings.

Printing waivers for in-person signatures

A waiver can also be printed out to accommodate in-person responses.

1. Navigate to Settings, and click the Waivers feature that appears under the Build section.
2. Click on the relevant waiver’s Print option.
3. Use your browser’s Print menu to select a printer and/or save a copy of the waiver as a PDF.

Booking-related waiver information can be viewed in the Manifest, booking overview, and Contacts report.

• Add Waivers or Waivers Breakdown columns to your Manifest view to see a bookings’ signing status at a glance.

  

• View a booking’s overview to see more granular information about the waiver submission. Details include:

  • The internal name of the waiver
  • The signee’s first and last name
  • The signee’s email address
  • A downloadable version of the waiver that includes the signee’s submitted answers

  

• Use the Contacts report (Reports > Contacts) to review the contact information of customers who have signed a waiver.

  • Check the Only show FareHarbor Waiver contacts option from the Filters menu to view waiver contacts only.

  

  • Click the View column arrow to view the booking information associated with a contact.

Note: If a booking is canceled after the waiver has been signed, and is later rebooked, the signed waiver will be moved to the most recent booking (as long as the rebooked item or availability requires the same waiver).

An Emergency contact section can be added to your waivers so that customers can designate a person to be contacted in the case of an emergency.

By default, the Emergency contact option is disabled. It can be enabled per waiver in your waiver settings. Once enabled, an Emergency contact details section will appear in the waiver. This section consists of First name, Last name, Phone number, and Home address fields, all of which are mandatory.

Once the Emergency contact section is enabled, completing this section will always be required when an adult customer signs a waiver. Emergency contact fields will not appear for minors as parents or legal guardians must already sign on their behalf.

To enable the Emergency contact addition:

1. Navigate to Settings, and click the Waivers feature that appears under the Build section.
2. Click Edit under an existing waiver or click the + Create waiver button if you have not previously created a waiver.

3. Under the Customer details section of your waiver settings, check the Emergency contact box. 

   

4. Click Save.

Note: Emergency contact fields are predefined and cannot be customized in your waiver settings.

In addition to signing a waiver as an adult, parents or legal guardians may also sign waivers on behalf of a child. You may select whether minors can participate in activities outlined by a waiver in the waiver’s settings. By default, the Minors option is disabled.

To allow minors to participate in the activity outlined by a waiver:

1. Navigate to Waivers under the Build section of your Settings.
2. Click Edit to edit an existing waiver or click +Create waiver to create a new one.

3. In the waiver settings, check the box under Minors. 

   

4. Click Save.

Once you’ve enabled the Minors option in your waiver settings, customers may fill in details for minors of whom they are a parent or legal guardian:

Viewing minor waiver details in the Dashboard

When a FareHarbor waiver is signed on behalf of a minor, the names of all minors will appear in your manifest, grouped with their associated guardian.

To view the children for whom a waiver has been signed and their corresponding guardians in your manifest, the Waiver Breakdown column must be visible. More information about adding this column to your manifest can be found in the Viewing waiver information in the Dashboard section of this help page.

Additionally, parents and minors are grouped in the waiver section of the booking overview:

More information on accessing a booking overview from your manifest can be found in the Manifest overview help page.

Switch from using a third-party integration (such as Smartwaiver or Wherewolf) to FareHarbor waivers by following the steps below.

1. Create waivers directly in your FareHarbor Dashboard.

   a. Note: FareHarbor Waivers can be used to create waivers while your third-party waiver integration is still enabled.

   b. Copy and paste content from your third-party waivers into FareHarbor waivers as desired.

   c. The third-party waiver integration should remain enabled so customers can continue filling out third-party waivers during this phase.

2. Remove any custom fields associated with the third-party waivers from your items. (Please reach out to FareHarbor Support if you need assistance with this process.)

3. Disable your third-party waiver integration.

   a. Navigate to Settings Advanced company settings (the gear icon in the upper right corner of your view) Bookings.

   b. Uncheck your third-party waiver type, then click the Save changes button to finalize the update.

   c. Proceed with Step 4 as soon as possible to help mitigate gaps in waiver accessibility.

4. Enable and set up FareHarbor Waivers.

   a. Navigate to Settings > Advanced company settings (the gear icon in the upper right corner of your view) > Bookings.

   b. Check the FareHarbor Waivers option, then click the Save changes button to finalize the update.

   c. Link items to a waiver by navigating to Settings > Waivers > Edit and selecting items via the Item section. (Note: An item can only be associated with one waiver at a time, but a waiver can be associated with multiple items.)

Once the FareHarbor Waivers feature has been enabled and a waiver is linked to an item, customers booking the item will be prompted to sign the waiver at the final step of the booking process. See The customer experience for expanded details.

Are FareHarbor waivers free of charge?

Yes, there is no additional cost to use FareHarbor waivers.

How does the waiver signing process work?

FareHarbor waivers appear as a standalone page that pops up when a customer clicks the Sign waiver link post-booking. A customer can fill out their information, complete the acceptance, and submit the form after their booking has been created. FareHarbor waivers do not impact conversion rates, as they are not part of the booking flow.

How long are signed waivers stored?

Signed waivers are retained for seven years from the signing date. After seven years, the waiver submission details will no longer be available.

Can I use more than one waiver for one item?

An item can only be associated with one waiver at a time. However, a single waiver can be associated with multiple items.

What customer information is collected during the waiver signing process?

Each waiver requires a customer’s first name, last name, and email address. Depending upon the waiver’s customized setup, it may also require date of birth, phone number, and/or home address.

How can I access the data of customers who have signed waivers?

You can view a customer’s first name, last name, and email address via the associated booking overview, the manifest, and the Contacts report. See the Viewing waiver information section for expanded details.

What if a customer hasn’t signed a waiver in advance?

Customers can still sign the waiver via their confirmation email, or sign a digital or hard copy of the waiver in person.

Can I attach a waiver signed in person to the booking?

No, waivers signed in person cannot be uploaded to or attached to a booking in the FareHarbor Dashboard.

Can waivers be signed after an availability’s start time has passed?

Yes, waivers can be signed via the booking’s waiver link even after the start time has passed.

Can I use FareHarbor waivers in conjunction with SmartWaiver or WhereWolf?

No, FareHarbor waivers cannot be used in conjunction with a third-party waiver integration (such as SmartWaiver or WhereWolf). See this section for step-by-step instructions to transition from a third-party waiver integration.

If my customer purchases a group booking, how do the rest of the participants sign waivers?

Customers can share their secure, booking-specific waiver link with other participants. This link is provided via the booking confirmation screen as well as in the confirmation and reminder emails. (Note: Information submitted via the secure waiver link will not be disclosed to unauthorized parties.)

Is there a limit to how many waivers can be signed for a single booking?

Up to 300 participants can sign the waiver for a specific booking. (Note: This is a per-booking limit, not a per-availability limit.)

Will customers who book through an API connection receive waivers?

Waivers are included in all communications sent by FareHarbor. If you have an API connection with one or more online travel agencies like Expedia or Viator, it’s important to note that confirmation emails sent via those channels will not include waiver information. This means that customers booking through online travel agencies will not automatically receive their waivers.

You can send an updated confirmation email through FareHarbor to ensure that these customers receive waiver information. Complete the steps below to send an updated confirmation email.

1. Verify that the customer’s email address is included on the booking.
2. Click Send email or text (located under Booking actions).
3. Select Confirmation as the email type, then click the Send email button.

Can a specific person sign the waiver more than once?

A specific customer can sign the waiver for a booking more than once. For example, this scenario might occur if a customer forgets they already signed the waiver for a booking.

Can I change the Submit waiver button text in the confirmation page and emails?

The Submit waiver button is hard coded, and cannot be customized. The “Next Steps: Sign [Waiver Title]” message and the subsequent instructions are pulled from the waiver’s settings.

Can waivers be displayed in multiple languages?

No, translations are not available for waivers. The waiver will display in whatever language is entered during the waiver creation process.

Can waivers be signed for minors?

A waiver can be set up to allow a parent or legal guardian to sign on behalf of a minor. Date of birth information for both the minor and guardian will be required from the guardian submitting the waiver.

Can I require customers to acknowledge specific waiver sections?

Yes. You can add up to 10 sections to the waiver body and require customers to acknowledge each section before submitting the waiver.

Can different waiver sections use different acknowledgment types?

No. The acknowledgment type is selected once and applies to all sections. Sections can require either checkboxes or initials.