Why a booking or event was created even though you didn't expect it
A booking appears in the calendar at a time you thought was blocked. Before investigating, check one thing: was the blocking event set to Busy? Only Busy events prevent new bookings — Free events do not block availability, even if they appear at the same time.
TL;DR
Click the event → scroll to the light gray footer text (e.g. "Booked Fri, Nov 21, 2025 14:02 using online booking") → click it to see the booking source. Check that blocking events are set to Busy, not Free.
Investigate in 4 steps
Click the unexpected event in the calendar → scroll to the light gray footer at the bottom (e.g. "Booked Fri, Nov 21 14:02 using online booking") → click it to see the full booking source, form name, and timestamp.
Check the surrounding events — was the "blocking" event set to Busy or Free? Only Busy events block availability. Free events (placeholders, reminders) do not prevent bookings.
Check which booking form was used — different forms can have different travel rules, durations, and resource filters. The form name appears in the event's booking metadata.
Check the lead's History tab for any manual edits to the event — a booking may look unexpected if time, duration, or address was changed after creation.
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Busy vs. Free events explained
- Busy — blocks availability in booking forms, blocks auto-assignment, prevents new bookings in that slot
- Free — appears in the calendar but does NOT block any availability. Used for reminders, placeholders, informational entries
If you see an unexpected booking, the most common reason is that the blocking event was Free, not Busy.
Common reasons an unexpected booking can occur
- The blocking event was set to Free, not Busy
- Travel buffer rules allow tight placement between events (lenient settings)
- A different booking form with looser rules was used
- The event was manually moved or edited after original booking
- External calendar sync had a sync delay, so the Outlook/Google busy event wasn't seen in time
Best practices
- Always use Busy for calendar events that must block booking availability
- Align travel and buffer rules across all booking forms to prevent gaps
- Use the lead History and event footer to trace changes transparently
- If investigating an ongoing issue, temporarily disable the booking form to pause new bookings
Common searches
unexpected booking • booking when unavailable • double booking • event already blocked • booking source • free vs busy event
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