Paying is not the last step — your chosen vet still has to accept the booking before it's confirmed. Here are the stages your booking passes through and what happens at each one.
The three stages
| What the app shows | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pending | The slot is reserved but checkout isn't finished yet. |
| Awaiting vet | You've paid. The vet hasn't accepted yet. |
| Confirmed | The vet accepted. Your Google Meet link is ready. |
Right after payment
- You get a Payment received notification: "Your booking with {vet name} is confirmed. A receipt was sent by email."
- Stripe emails you its own payment receipt.
- The appointment shows the banner: "Awaiting vet acceptance. If the vet does not accept before {date} at {time}, the booking will be automatically cancelled and you'll receive a full refund."
Please note: nothing is set up at payment time. The meeting link, the recording assistant and your call reminders are all created the moment the vet accepts — so there's no link to open while a booking is still Awaiting vet.
[CONFIRM: how quickly vets are expected to accept a booking, if the team wants to publish a service-level expectation.]
When the vet accepts
Three things happen at once:
- Your Google Meet link is created and a Join Meeting button appears on the appointment.
- You and the vet both receive a Google Calendar invite email containing the same Meet link. The event is titled "Telehealth consultation between {you} and {vet}" and is shown in your own time zone.
- Your reminders are scheduled — 2 hours before and 30 minutes before the call.
You'll also get the notification "Your appointment with {vet name} is confirmed / Tap to view the details."
If the vet declines
You're refunded in full automatically, the meeting link is removed, and you're notified that the appointment was cancelled. You're welcome to book again with the same vet or a different one.
If the vet never responds
If a paid booking still hasn't been accepted by the time its scheduled start passes, Ask A Vet cancels it automatically and issues a full refund. You'll get the notification "Your appointment was cancelled — refund issued / {vet name} did not accept it before the scheduled time. A full refund has been issued."
Tip: the appointment screen refreshes itself every few seconds while your booking is pending or awaiting a vet, so there's nothing to tap — just leave it open.
Related articles