Adapting to Real-World Needs
At GlobalAssist, our goal has always been to provide seamless, trustworthy, and flexible booking experiences for both our customers and our local suppliers. For a long time, we followed a very strict payment policy to ensure reliability and security on both sides of each transaction. However, as we've grown and expanded across regions, we've encountered real-world scenarios that challenged our original approach. This blog post outlines how and why we adapted our payment policies—based on supplier needs, customer expectations, and operational realities.
Our Original Payment Model
Previously, our payment structure was simple and rigid: customers were required to pay 100% upfront at the time of booking. This payment was first processed via Stripe and transferred to our Swiss bank account, where it remained until 24 hours before the event. At that point, we would transfer the funds to our Orange Money account in Madagascar. The supplier would only receive the funds after the customer arrived and presented the booking number, at which point our payment manager would release the payment immediately.
Why This Policy Was Originally Introduced
This policy emerged from an early issue: a customer once agreed to pay upon arrival, but upon delivery of the service (a car rental), they refused the vehicle and did not pay. This left the supplier frustrated and burdened with costs. In order to protect our local partners and ensure a fair experience, we decided that all future bookings would require full prepayment from the customer to prevent such cases.
Challenges with a Rigid Model
Over time, however, this rigidity began to cause friction. Several suppliers started requesting partial advance payments—such as 10% or 50% at the time of reservation. Our response was always the same: we would only work with suppliers who accepted our "payment upon customer arrival" policy. While this allowed us to maintain control, it increased the workload for our booking managers, who often had to call multiple suppliers until they found one willing to comply. In some cases, this limited our supplier pool and potentially affected service quality.
On the customer side, some travelers—especially those booking high-value services exceeding €1,000—also requested to pay in installments, such as 50% upfront and 50% upon arrival. Again, we declined, sticking to our 100% advance payment policy. This led to lost bookings and customer dissatisfaction, especially in high-volume scenarios.
Our New Flexible Policy
After listening to feedback and analyzing the recurring challenges, we’ve now adopted a more flexible yet structured approach to payments:
- In 90% of cases, our standard model remains: 100% upfront from the customer, with supplier payout upon customer arrival.
- If a supplier requests an advance payment, we first attempt to find an alternative supplier who does not require one.
- If no such alternative is available, we inform the customer that this particular supplier requires a non-refundable deposit (e.g., 10% or 20%) and explain that this portion is not eligible for refund even if the booking is canceled.
- Surprisingly, most customers have accepted these conditions without hesitation.
Similarly, if a customer explicitly requests to pay in parts, our booking managers now have the discretion to accept partial payments, especially for large bookings or those scheduled far in the future. In these cases, the supplier is informed that the remaining portion will only be paid upon customer arrival and is not guaranteed in advance. While such cases are rare, we believe in transparency and managing expectations on both sides.
Operational Adjustments and Risks
Introducing flexibility sounds simple, but it required significant adjustments behind the scenes. Each booking now carries a record of specific payment terms, and our internal systems must track what has already been paid and what is still outstanding. Our developers implemented new documentation processes, but the system still relies on attentive human oversight.
We acknowledge that this increases the risk of error, which is why we're actively working on additional checks and safeguards to catch potential discrepancies early. Our booking managers continue to do an excellent job managing these changes, and we are proud of their adaptability and commitment to quality.
Continuous Improvement as a Core Value
Perfection isn't the starting point—it's the destination. We believe in continuous, incremental improvements. Our new payment policy is not the final version; it's a step closer to a model that balances customer convenience, supplier trust, and operational integrity. Each day, we review, refine, and push our systems and policies forward, staying true to our mission of improving lives—especially for our local partners—while offering a trustworthy and customer-centric booking platform.
Looking Ahead
As we grow and enter more markets, we’ll continue to refine our payment infrastructure to be both robust and flexible. Whether it’s introducing more automation, enhancing refund policies, or improving transparency, our aim is always to serve better—step by step, improvement by improvement.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
