Skip to main content

Cooldown Periods

Notification cooldown periods help you control how often you receive alerts for each appointment location, preventing your inbox from being overwhelmed while ensuring you don't miss important opportunities.

What is a Cooldown Period?​

A cooldown period is the minimum amount of time that must pass between notifications for each specific location. Think of it as a "pause" button that prevents spam while keeping you informed.

This is a critical feature that protects you from receiving a bunch of back-to-back notices from a location that releases a large number of appointment slots all at the same time.

How It Works​

Per-Location Spam Protection
  • Per Location: You have a separate cooldown timer for each location
  • Automatic Trigger: The timer automatically activates every time you receive a notification from a location
  • Smart Filtering: While the cooldown timer is active, any new appointments for that location will be ignored
  • New Messages: You will recieve alerts for new openings that are detected after the cooldown period expires

Example​

Let's say you set a 15-minute cooldown:

  1. 2:00 PM - You get notified about appointments at Seattle location
  2. 2:05 PM - More appointments become available at Seattle → No notification (cooldown active)
  3. 2:10 PM - New appointments at Portland location → Notification sent (different location)
  4. 2:16 PM - More appointments at Seattle → Notification sent (cooldown expired at 2:15PM)

Choosing Your Cooldown Period​

15-30 minutes (Recommended): Balanced approach that keeps you informed without overwhelming your inbox. Good for most people.

5-10 minutes (Active Monitoring): More frequent updates, ideal if you're actively booking and want to see appointments as they become available.

30-60 minutes (Selective Updates): Less frequent notifications, perfect if you only want to hear about significant changes or have a flexible schedule.

Default Cooldown

Start with the default 15-minute setting and adjust based on your experience. You can change it anytime!

Considerations​

  • Appointment Frequency: Popular locations may have appointments appear and disappear quickly
  • Your Schedule: Consider how often you can realistically check and act on notifications
  • Notification Method: Email can handle more frequent updates than SMS

Adjusting Your Settings​

Not Editable in Trial Mode
  1. Go to your Profile page
  2. Find the Notification Preferences section
  3. Click Edit to modify your cooldown period
  4. Use the slider to select between 5-60 minutes
  5. Click Save to apply changes

Resetting a Cooldown Timer​

Not Editable in Trial Mode
Enable Alerts by Cancelling a Timer

If you're unable to find a suitable appointment after receiving an alert, you have the option to manually reset the Cooldown timer for one or more locations to get notified immediately if new openings are detected.

  1. Go to your Profile page
  2. Find the Notification Preferences section
  3. Review active Cooldown periods
  4. Click Clear All or Clear next to a specific Location

Start with the default 15-minute setting and adjust based on your experience. You can change it anytime!

Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: Does this affect all my notification methods?
A: Yes, cooldown periods apply to all notification methods (email, SMS, browser, app) for consistency.

Q: What if I want immediate updates for urgent situations?
A: Set your cooldown to the minimum 5 minutes. Remember, you can adjust this anytime based on your needs.

Q: Do cooldowns reset when I book an appointment?
A: Cooldowns are independent of booking actions. They only reset when you receive a notification for that specific location.

Q: Can I set different cooldowns for different locations?
A: Currently, you set one cooldown period that applies to all locations. This keeps the system simple and prevents confusion.

Q: I want to check for appointments now but I'm in a cooldown period. What can I do?
A: You can manually clear cooldown timers from your Profile page. In the Notification Preferences section, you'll see any active cooldowns with options to clear individual locations or all locations at once. This immediately re-enables notifications for those locations.

Need More Help?​

If you're receiving too many or too few notifications, check out our troubleshooting guides:

Or contact our support team for personalized assistance.