Problem: The class, course session or event shows as full, yet there are more participants than its capacity. This article explains when Zenamu allows a booking above capacity and how to fix it. Clients can never book above capacity themselves; an extra participant is always added by your team in the admin.
Why this can happen
Zenamu behaves differently depending on the activity type:
Classes (one-off and recurring):
On the public schedule, clients can't book a full class. If the waitlist is on, they can join the waitlist instead.
In the admin, Add participant on a full in-person class shows a warning: "The class is at full capacity. Are you sure you want to add another participant over the limit?" The warning doesn't block the booking, so the client is added above capacity. For the online capacity of a class, you can't add a client once it's full.
On the Waitlist tab in the class detail, Convert to regular participant moves a waitlisted client into the class. If the class is full, a Class is full dialog asks: "This class is currently at full capacity. Do you really want to promote this waitlisted client beyond the capacity limit?" After Yes, convert, the client is a regular participant above capacity.
Events (workshops):
From the admin panel you can add a participant above capacity. A warning appears: "This event is fully booked. Do you really want to add another participant over capacity?" — but it doesn't block the action.
Courses:
When any of the selected sessions is full, the whole course can't be booked — neither by clients nor from the admin. Clients see "Course is fully booked".
A single session of a course can be added from the admin even when that session is full; the same capacity warning as for classes appears.
What to check
Who created the booking — if it was created from the admin panel, it may have been a manual addition above capacity or a waitlist client converted to a regular participant.
Activity type — classes, single course sessions and events allow adding participants above capacity from the admin panel after a warning.
Cancellation in between — between the time a spot appeared available and the booking was completed, a cancellation and re-booking may have occurred.
Current participant list — compare the actual number of participants with the capacity set in the class detail.
How to resolve it
If the extra booking is fine operationally, keep it and let your team know.
If it's not, contact the extra participant and offer an alternative.
Consider increasing the capacity if you have the space and an available instructor.
How do I let clients join a waitlist when a class is full?
Go to Settings › Bookings and rules, open the Bookings tab and, in the Waitlist section, tick Let clients join the waitlist when a class is fully booked.
Clients then see on a full class: "This class is fully booked. You can join the waitlist or set up an email notification in case a spot opens up."
The waitlist is available on the current Expert and Ultimate plans.
Important: The waitlist feature is available for logged-in clients paying with credits, entries, a membership, credit/debit card (Stripe), or PayPal. Free classes have no waitlist. More in Waitlist for fully booked classes.
FAQ
Can a client exceed capacity on their own?
No. From the public page, it's not possible to book above capacity. Overbooking can only happen from the admin panel.
How do I prevent accidental overbooking?
Zenamu doesn't block your team from adding a participant to a full class, course session or event; it only shows a warning. Make sure everyone who adds participants reads the full-capacity warning before confirming.
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