Refund Functionality in Sierra
Currently, Sierra does not provide built-in functionality for processing or tracking refunds. While the system records partial payments that result in credits (displayed as negative fines) and waivers applied by staff (visible in Fines Paid), there is no equivalent workflow or tracking for refunds.
We request the addition of a refund tracking feature within the patron record, ensuring that staff can see when a refund has been issued. Specifically, we propose:
A clear refund indicator in the patron record.
A display of refund amounts including payment method in the Fines tab, similar to how fines and waivers are shown.
An optional setting to enable/disable this feature based on library needs.
This enhancement would improve transparency, streamline financial tracking, and ensure staff can verify refund activity within Sierra.
Jacqueline Huck
shared this idea
The product team will review this idea for consideration for a future release.
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Sarah Kasprzak
commented
Currently we have a complicated procedure for refunds where we add a new Charge for the refund amount. In the Reason field we enter details as follows:
“Refund given, item barcode #, pr (for patron returned) or fos (for found on shelf), as much of the title as there is room for, initials/location”. (E.g. “Refund given 22104024859813 pr Flappy Waggy Wiggly dk/sh.) The charge must then be waived to remove it from the patron’s list of fines owing. This allows us to create a record of the refund having been given in Fines Paid.
This creates a more accurate history and prevents a patron from receiving a refund for the same item more than once.
It would be very helpful to have a better built-in process for this. It would also be nice if Refunding an item would clear up item notes related to Billing.