Frequently Asked Questions
How secure is my payment information?
Your payment information is highly secure:
- We use Stripe, a trusted payment gateway, to process all transactions.
- All data is encrypted and handled in compliance with industry standards and regulations.
- Your bank details are never stored on our servers.
What information does Parenta software have access to?
The business only has access to the information necessary to process payments, such as your name, payment reference, and transaction history. Sensitive details like your bank account number are securely handled by Stripe.
How to setup a Direct Debit mandate
Parents can setup their Stripe Direct Debit mandate online through the Parent Portal app > Accounts page.
If your parents have not been setup for Parent Portal app, click here to find out how to send them an invite.
How long until the Direct Debit is setup
The parent will receive an email confirmation within 3 business days to confirm the Direct Debit has been setup.
Updating bank details
If a parent needs to setup a new Direct Debit mandate, they will first need to delete the Direct Debit instruction with their bank, then go through the Parent Portal Direct Debit setup process again.
Notifications for upcoming payments
Parents will receive a Parent Portal app notification to show the collection amount that will start the collection process within 24 hours. Stripe will send an email to the parent when the payment collection process has started.
Time to process the Direct Debit collection
It typically takes 3 business days to confirm the success or failure of a payment collection after the 24 hours queued collection period has expired.
Note: A new Direct Debit collection can take up to 6 business days to confirm the success or failure of a payment collection after the 24 hours queued collection period has expired.
What happens if a payment fails?
Failed payments will show in the Activity page.
Failed collections
Payment collections can fail for a number of reasons, these include:
Collections requested within 30 days of nursery opening a Stripe account
This is due to Stripe performing additional fraudulent checks on your business within the first 30 days of account setup, therefore flagging collections in this period as high risk. Request a new collection within Parenta Pay after 30 days from your account opening date in this scenario.
Insufficient funds
If the customer’s bank account does not have sufficient funds to cover the payment, the direct debit will be blocked.
Fraud detection
Stripe may block payments if they detect suspicious or potentially fraudulent activity related to the bank account or the transaction.
Mandate cancellation
If the customer has cancelled their direct debit mandate, Stripe will block further payment collections.
Payment dispute
If there’s a pending dispute or chargeback related to a previous payment, Stripe may block subsequent payment collections until the issue is resolved.
Cancelling an incorrect payment collection
There's a 24-hour window to cancel a requested payment collection. Click here to find out how.
After 24 hours, the payment collection process will start, and it will not possible to cancel. In this case, a refund will need to be processed.
Processing refunds
Refunds need to be processed within your Stripe account. Click here to find out how.
It takes typically 3-4 business days to process a refund. Note refunds for Direct Debit payments must be submitted within 180 days from the date of the original payment.
Payment disputes
For any questions regarding refunds, payment disputes, fees, please contact Stripe here.
Related Articles
Introduction to Parenta Pay
Parenta Pay: Streamline Your Nursery's Payment Process with Ease Parenta Pay simplifies and enhances the payment process for both settings and parents. By integrating Stripe payment gateway into our applications, Parenta Pay offers a seamless, ...Parent Direct Debit Setup Guide
Parenta Pay With Parenta Pay, you can easily set up Direct Debit payments directly through the Parent Portal app, so you no longer need to remember to make payments manually. Parenta Pay is powered by Stripe, a secure online payment gateway that ...Collecting Payments
To collect payments for outstanding balances, please do the following: Within Portal > Parenta Pay, click the Collect page. Here you can see each child you can and cannot collect payments from. Filter list by collection status You can filter by ...Importing & Reconciling Payments
To review and reconcile payments, please do the following: 1. Within Portal > Administration > Parenta Pay, click on 'Payment import' page. The names of the bill payers and the amount successfully collected through Stripe are displayed. 2. Click onto ...Parenta Pay Fees
There are no additional fees for using Parenta Pay feature. This means that you can take advantage of our Direct Debit payment collection service without incurring any extra costs from us. Our goal is to provide you with a convenient and ...