Customer has no PIN code (code missing, not showing yet, or only some codes)

A customer is at the lock and says there is no code. Work through this from the top. The first two sections solve most cases. If someone is waiting right now, jump to Give a waiting customer access right now at the end and come back afterwards.

If the customer has a code but the lock doesn't open with it, that is a different problem. See the guide The code is right but the lock won't open.

First: what does the booking show?

Go to Bookings and open the customer's booking.
Look at Order lines. A booking on locks has a Lock column. If at least one line is on an Igloohome padlock there is also a Pin Code column.

What you see	What it means	Where to go
A code in Pin Code	The code exists. The customer is too early, too late, or can't see their page.	When codes are created and when the customer sees them and The customer's page opens but shows no code
No PIN in Pin Code	No code has been created for that line yet, or creating it failed (a failed request is retried automatically).	When codes are created first, then Check the Locks tab for PIN code warnings
No Pin Code column, but a Lock column	The booking is on manual locks (or an Allockate unit). There is no per-booking code.	Manual locks: the code is the master PIN
No Lock column at all	No lock is attached to the booking. A location with staff (Manned) never uses locks.	Manned locations never get codes

The admin shows the code as soon as it exists, including hours before the customer's own page starts showing it. So you can always read it out to the customer from here.

Codes for storage locks and access points (a gate, a container) are not on the booking at all. See No code for the storage box, gate or container.

When codes are created and when the customer sees them

Most "no code" calls are about timing. The code is created, and shown, later than people expect.

When the code is created (Igloohome locks)

About 14 hours before the booking starts, in the location's time zone.
If the booking is made closer to the start than that, the code is created straight away.
For bookings paid online, the codes are set up once the payment has gone through. Bookings you create in the admin, and pay-on-site bookings, get them when the booking is made.
A booking whose online payment didn't go through gets no codes. If its payment status is Pending, Expired or Failed, the customer's page gives no codes and no unlock. If the customer has just paid, the page waits up to about 10 seconds for the payment to be confirmed before it shows the codes.
If Igloohome refuses the request, Rentalbuddy tries again by itself until the booking ends: after about 1, 2, 5, 15, 30 and 60 minutes, then every hour. When the cause is something only you can fix (the Igloohome connection, the Igloo Connect payment method, a lock that is marked as failing), it waits an hour between tries. A code that arrives after the start still works, and a customer who has the page open sees it appear.
Every 10 minutes Rentalbuddy also looks for paid bookings that should have their codes by now but were never asked for (for example after a failed payment message), and requests them.

When the lock accepts the code (Igloohome locks)

The code only works in the lock inside a time window:

From: one hour before the start if the booking starts on the full hour, otherwise from the full hour the booking starts in. (A booking that has already started when the code is created: from the current full hour.)
Until: the full hour after the booking ends. If the booking started later than 45 minutes past the hour, one hour more.
Example: a booking 11:00–12:30 gets a code that works from 10:00 to 13:00.
Bookings longer than 28 days get a day-based Igloohome code. It starts the same way, but it stays valid until the next time the clock reaches its start time after the window above ends (at most about a day longer). For example, a window starting at 10:00 and ending at 16:00 on the last day runs until 10:00 the day after. The customer's page still shows the code only in the times below.

When the customer's page shows the code

From 15 minutes before the start until 30 minutes after the end, for every kind of lock.
For an Igloohome lock, only while the lock also accepts it. For a booking starting at 10:10, for example, the code appears at 10:00, not at 9:55.

Before that, the customer's page says You are early and Your booking start at… with a Reload page button. After the 30 minutes it says Your booking is no longer valid. Both are normal and mean the timing is wrong, not the code.

So a customer who books three days ahead and opens the link the same evening sees no code yet. Ask when the booking starts before you look for a fault. If they need it early, read the code from the booking's Pin Code column. Remember the lock itself won't accept it before its window opens.

Times follow the Timezone of the location (Location settings tab, Language & Timezone card). A location set to the wrong time zone shifts every code window.

The customer's page opens but shows no code

There is no separate check-in the customer must do to get their codes. Opening the booking page (the email's button) inside the time window shows the codes, and that same visit checks the booking in: it becomes Picked up, and the Change log says Booking checked in by: Customer via Unlock page. The only step that can come first is your own Before Unlock (Optional) form (see below). You can read the code in the admin at any time.

The customer reaches their booking page, but where the code should be there is nothing, or something else. What they see tells you why:

You are early with Your booking start at…: more than 15 minutes before the start. See the timing above.
Your booking is no longer valid.: more than 30 minutes after the end.
Questions or a form instead of codes: the location has the Before Unlock (Optional) step switched on in its Customer flow. The codes appear once the customer has submitted it. See the customer flow guide.
You have not paid your whole booking with a Pay button: you have sent a payment link from the booking that is still unpaid. The codes show once the customer pays. If they paid you another way, remove the payment link on the booking and register the payment.
Your booking have been cancelled.: the booking is cancelled.
No codes, and the booking's payment status is Pending, Expired or Failed: the online payment didn't go through, so the booking gets no codes. See the guide Customer can't pay.
Thank you, your booking is fulfilled! instead of the codes: the booking is Returned. The customer pressed Confirm return and then Complete rental (they are asked Have you locked up and returned everything? first). You can set the booking back to Picked up in the admin, see the pickup and return guide.
The welcome text and Enter the pincode above when picking up and returning., but no code above it: the timing is right, but no code exists for that lock. The booking shows No PIN. Continue with the Locks tab below.

Only the locks that have a code are listed on the page. A lock without a code is simply missing from the list. That is why a customer with four kayaks may see only two codes (see Only some of the codes).

If you move the booking to another lock, or the booking is extended or moved, the code can change. A customer who has the page open sees Code updated within about a minute, or as soon as they switch back to the tab.

If the customer can't reach the page at all (the email button opens your front page, a "not found" page or an error), the booking page address on the location is wrong. See the guide Email link or QR code opens the wrong page. Codes are not sent in the email itself. The customer opens them with the email's button, by default Start booking.

Check the Locks tab for PIN code warnings

Go to Locations and open the location.
Open the Locks tab. (The old Stations page has moved here.)

If Rentalbuddy knows that a lock customers can book gives no code, you see it in red in several places at once: a red banner above the tables (for example "Lock 12 can't create PIN codes. Customers who book it get no code."), the Locks tab name turns red (tooltip Bookings without PIN codes), the lock's Bluetooth id has a red warning icon (hover it for the reason), the Locations list shows a red icon after the location's name, and Home shows Bookings without PIN codes. The location keeps taking bookings, which is why it is red: customers keep booking that lock.

The lines under the banner say why:

What you see	What it means	What to do
"Rentalbuddy could not get a code for them the last time it tried, so customers who book them may get no code…"	Igloohome refused the lock's code requests: at the test when the lock was placed, or twice in a row for bookings close to their start.	Check your Igloohome connection and the payment method in Igloo Connect (next section), and that the lock is paired in the Igloohome app. Then use Sync this lock from Igloo in the lock's row actions. Lock synced from Igloo means it works again.
"They may not be able to create PIN codes. First use “Sync Igloohome locks”…"	At the last sync Igloohome didn't list the lock for your account, or another Rentalbuddy account synced it.	Sync first: it clears the warning for every lock Igloohome still lists. If it stays, the lock has moved to another Igloohome account. Move its bookings, delete it here and sync it from the right account.
"Lock 12 has no code saved. Customers who book it get no code."	A manual lock without a Master PIN.	Open the lock with Edit and enter the code set on the physical lock.
Warning: Some Igloo locks at this location cannot create PIN codes. with "They were added by Bluetooth ID and are not linked to your Igloohome account, so customers who book them get no code." (amber)	An older Igloo lock that was typed in by hand. Nothing can issue its codes. It can't be switched on, and the location's readiness strip lists Locks can't create PIN codes.	Press Sync Igloohome locks. It links the lock in place. If it stays marked, the lock isn't paired in the Igloohome app under your connected account.

Good to know:

A failed code request doesn't count against the lock while there is still time to retry it. Only from 3 hours before the booking starts (or when no retry is left) does a failure count, and two of those in a row mark the lock. So the first customer can be without a code for a while before the Locks tab turns red.
When a lock fails for a booking that starts within 12 hours, your Account Contact E-mail addresses (or, if none are set, the users who can manage users) get an email in English, for example Lock 12 at Harbour cannot create PIN codes: a booking starts soon. At most one such email goes out per account per 24 hours. Failures found at other times, such as the test when you place a lock, are not emailed: watch the Locks tab and Home.
A marked lock can still be booked. Fix it, or switch it off, before more customers land on it.
A marked lock gets no new code requests until the mark is cleared. Sync this lock from Igloo or reconnecting Igloohome tests it again and clears the mark if it works. Then the bookings that are still waiting get their codes within a few minutes, as the banner says: "Affected bookings are retried automatically once the lock is fixed; their codes arrive within a few minutes." Bookings that have already ended get none.

How to fix these warnings on the Igloohome side is in the guide Set up Igloohome for Rentalbuddy. The Locks tab itself is covered in the guide Add and manage your locks on the Locks tab.

Igloohome connection or Igloo Connect payment method

Codes for Igloohome locks come from Igloohome. Two account-level problems stop every new code at once, while codes that already exist keep working. That is why it looks random at first.

The connection has run out. Connected under Settings → Integrations → Smart locks only means Rentalbuddy holds a login for your Igloohome account, not that it still works. When it is about to run out, the admin shows a Warning! dialog with Reconnect with Igloo home. Reconnect when you see it. Reconnecting also retests the locks marked as failing.
The payment method in Igloo Connect has lapsed. Igloohome then refuses new codes. When you sync you see Payment method required with Open Igloo Connect portal.
Igloohome refuses your saved login. Rentalbuddy asks Igloohome every night whether your login still works. After three refusals in a row, Home, Settings → Integrations and your Locks tabs show igloohome connection needs attention: "Rentalbuddy can no longer reach your igloohome account (since {{date}}). Until you connect again, new bookings will not get PIN codes." (or the same about a missing Igloo Connect payment method). This notice is not emailed.

Once you have reconnected or added the payment method, the bookings still waiting for a code get it within a few minutes. The step-by-step fix for both is in the guide Set up Igloohome for Rentalbuddy.

Nobody gets a code, and you changed nothing

When every booking at every location suddenly has No PIN:

Look for igloohome connection needs attention on Home, and for the Warning! reconnect dialog, and reconnect.
Check the payment method in the Igloo Connect portal.
Press Sync Igloohome locks on a Locks tab and watch for Payment method required.

If all of that looks fine, Igloohome itself may be having problems. Rentalbuddy keeps retrying failed code requests until each booking ends, quickly at first and then every hour, so the waiting bookings get their codes once Igloohome answers again. When locks on many accounts fail at the same time, Rentalbuddy treats it as an Igloohome outage: it retests the marked locks every hour and clears the marks of those that work again. In the meantime, give customers who are at the lock access as described at the end of this guide, and contact support.

Only some of the codes (a booking with several items)

Each booked unit has its own lock and its own code. A booking for four kayaks needs four codes, one per lock.

If the customer only sees some of them:

Open the booking and check Pin Code on every line. The lines showing No PIN are the problem ones.
Note the Lock of those lines, and check those locks on the Locks tab for warnings.
Fix what the warning says. The missing codes then arrive by themselves. If you need them right away, move just those lines (see Get a code now).

If the customer suddenly sees no code for any item, although the lines have codes, check whether one of the booking's locks or products was deleted earlier. One lock or product that no longer exists hides every code on the booking. Locks and products with upcoming bookings can no longer be deleted, so this only affects bookings whose lock or product was deleted before that check existed.

No code for the storage box, gate or container

Storage locks and access points (a shared container, a gate, a cabinet with life vests) are extra doors. Every booking at the location gets their codes on top of the code for the rental lock.

The customer's page shows them for the whole booking, in the same time windows as above. Manual storage codes show from 15 minutes before the start to 30 minutes after the end.
A storage lock that is switched off is not shown to customers.
Storage codes are not on the booking in the admin. For a manual storage lock, the code is its Master PIN on the Locks tab. For an Igloo storage lock, use the lock's master code in the Igloohome app.
An Igloo storage lock gets its codes when the booking's codes are set up. If you add or switch on an Igloo storage lock later, Rentalbuddy's 10-minute check requests its code for paid bookings that are within 14 hours of their start or have started recently. Bookings further back don't get it, and a customer who is waiting needs the master code.

Manual locks: the code is the master PIN

A manual lock has no electronics, so there is no per-booking code. Every booking on it gets the lock's Master PIN.

The customer sees it in the same window: from 15 minutes before the start to 30 minutes after the end.
You find it on the location's Locks tab, in the Manual locks table. It is hidden. Use Show Master PIN to reveal it.
The customer's page reads the Master PIN live. If you change it, customers see the new code straight away, so set the same code on the physical lock at the same time.

Manned locations never get codes

Codes are only created at locations without staff (Unmanned). A location set to Manned never creates a code for any booking, even if it has locks. Its Locks tab then warns "Locks do nothing at a manned location."

You see a location's setting as Staff presence on its Location settings tab. You can switch it yourself only until the location has its first booking or lock; a location with locks says "This can no longer be changed because the location has locks. Remove them first, or contact support." Otherwise, move the locks to an unmanned location. See the guide on locations.

A lock that was switched off, deleted or moved

Switched off (inactive): bookings already on the lock keep their codes. New customers can't book it. Nothing to fix for existing bookings.
Deleted: a lock with upcoming bookings can't be deleted. The dialog says "This lock has {{count}} upcoming bookings and cannot be deleted. Move them to another lock in booking management, or use Replace lock, then try again." and lists the bookings. If a lock with bookings was deleted before this check existed, those bookings lost their codes, and the customer's page can show no code for any item. Contact support with the booking numbers.
Moved to another location: a lock with upcoming bookings can't be moved, so this doesn't strand bookings.
Replaced with a spare: in Replace lock, keep the option to move the upcoming bookings ticked (for example Move 2 upcoming bookings to Lock 7). The moved bookings get new codes for the spare. Bookings left on the old lock keep the old lock's codes.

Get a code now: codes come by themselves once the cause is fixed

There is no "regenerate code" button, and usually you don't need one. A booking whose code request failed is retried automatically until it ends. Once you have fixed the cause (the Locks tab warning, the Igloohome connection or the payment method), the waiting bookings get their codes within a few minutes. Reconnecting Igloohome, Sync Igloohome locks and Sync this lock from Igloo bring the waiting retries forward, so they run within the minute. The code then appears in Pin Code and on the customer's page (the customer sees Code updated). Fix the cause first: otherwise every new attempt fails the same way.

If you need a code for one booking straight away, or the code was created before the lock was replaced or re-paired and no longer matches, move the booking line to another lock:

Open the booking and press Edit Lock above Order lines.
In the Lock column, pick another free lock with the same product. It is saved at once (Locks updated.).
If you want the customer on the original lock, pick it again. (Picking the lock the line is already on does nothing.)
Press Back.

You can do the same by dragging the booking to another lock row in Booking Management. Only locks that carry the same product, are switched on and are free at that time are offered.

What happens depends on timing:

Within about 14 hours of the start, or during the rental: a code for the chosen lock is requested straight away. If that request fails too, it joins the automatic retries.
Earlier than that: nothing is created yet. The code will be created for the chosen lock at the usual time.

A booking that is over (returned, or ended more than 30 minutes ago) can't be moved to another lock any more: "The booking is over. Its lock stays as the customer used it." Moving a booking needs permission to manage bookings, which Booking staff have too.

Give a waiting customer access right now

You don't have to solve the cause while someone is standing at the lock.

Igloohome lock, code exists: read it from the booking's Pin Code column and tell the customer, together with the lock number from the Lock column. It works in the lock inside its window (see the timing above).
Igloohome lock, no code: use the lock's master code from the Igloohome app. Rentalbuddy doesn't store it: "Master PINs are managed in the Igloohome app, not in Rentalbuddy. You can find them for each lock under Home → select lock → Access → Master PIN Code."
Manual lock or manual storage lock: open the location's Locks tab and use Show Master PIN. Every user who can open the Locks tab sees this button.
Allockate unit: the unit's table on the Locks tab has an open button per door. It is only shown to users who can manage locks: account viewers and Booking staff don't see it.

A master code opens the lock at any time, so treat it as staff information. If you have handed it out, change it afterwards: in the Igloohome app for an Igloo lock, and on the physical lock and in Master PIN for a manual lock.

If none of this helped

Contact support with the booking number, the location and the lock number, and say which of these checks you already did. That is usually enough to solve it without another round of questions.

Common questions

When is the code generated? 24 hours before? About 14 hours before the booking starts. A booking made closer to the start gets its code straight away (once paid, for online payments).

The customer booked yesterday and still has no code on their page. Is something broken? Probably not. The page shows the code from 15 minutes before the start. Before that it says You are early. You can read the code from the booking's Pin Code column already.

How long is the code valid after the booking ends? The customer's page shows it until 30 minutes after the end. An Igloohome code keeps working in the lock until the full hour after the end (one hour more if the booking started after :45).

The booking is for two months. Does the code still work? Yes. Bookings longer than 28 days get a day-based Igloohome code, which runs from the normal start of the window until its start time of day comes round again after the normal window ends.

The booking says No PIN. How do I make a new code? Fix the cause first (the Locks tab warning, the Igloohome connection or the payment method). Rentalbuddy then gets the code by itself within a few minutes. For a code right now, press Edit Lock on the booking and move the line to another free lock and back.

The lock is fixed. Do the customers who missed their code get one? Yes, if their booking hasn't ended. Failed code requests are retried automatically until the booking ends, and reconnecting Igloohome or Sync this lock from Igloo makes the waiting codes come within a few minutes.

Can you get pin codes without checking in? Yes. There is no separate check-in: the customer opens their booking page with the email's button, and the codes show from 15 minutes before the start. That visit also marks the booking Picked up. Only a Before Unlock (Optional) form comes first, if you have switched it on.

The customer says they paid, but their page shows no code. Why? Check the booking's payment status. If it is Pending, Expired or Failed, the online payment didn't go through and the booking gets no codes. Right after a payment, the page waits up to about 10 seconds for it to be confirmed.

Can Booking staff help a customer who is waiting at the lock? Yes, mostly. They can read the code from Pin Code, use Show Master PIN and move the booking with Edit Lock. The open buttons for Allockate units are hidden for them.

The customer booked 4 kayaks but only got 2 codes. Why? Two of the locks have no code. Check Pin Code on each line and look at those locks on the Locks tab. Once the cause is fixed the missing codes arrive by themselves; to get them at once, move just those lines.

Customers got a code for the boat but none for the storage box. Check that the storage lock is switched on. Storage codes aren't on the booking in the admin: give the manual storage lock's Master PIN, or the Igloo storage lock's master code from the Igloohome app.

Should I reconnect Igloohome? There is a warning about the connection. Yes. Press Reconnect with Igloo home in the Warning! dialog, or connect again under Settings → Integrations when Home says igloohome connection needs attention. While the connection doesn't work, new bookings get no codes; the waiting ones get them within minutes after you reconnect.

The Locks tab says a lock "can't create PIN codes". What does that mean? Rentalbuddy can't get codes for that lock: Igloohome refused its requests, no longer lists it, or (amber) it was typed in by hand. Use Sync this lock from Igloo or Sync Igloohome locks, and check the Igloohome connection and payment method.