Time-based tariffs and turnstile — Paloma365 Classic (Windows POS)

This article covers Paloma365 Classic, the Windows POS application. Its rate module is for businesses that charge for time — anti-cafes, game clubs, billiards. The POS tracks time per object (table, room, console), bills it by tariff, and can control entry gates with barcode bracelets ("Turnstile" mode).

Overview

The rate module is an add-on enabled for the account. A tariff has a base price per time interval and a service item for the bill; schedule rules by weekday and hours set different prices for specific periods. Tariffs are linked to hall objects.

Client entry and starting time

Select an object, optionally set the planned duration (the POS shows the "Sum"), then start the session: "Pay later" — the client pays on exit; "Pay now" — the planned time is paid up front. "Start the rate" attaches time to a new bill; "Добавить к счету" (Add to a bill) attaches the object to an already open bill — the POS lists the open, unprinted bills of the current shift (number, client, barcode, table) and asks for confirmation before linking the table to the chosen bill.

If exactly one tariff is linked to the object, the POS picks it automatically without showing the selection window; with several tariffs it asks which to use; with none it reports that the object has no linked tariffs. Five minutes before the planned end, the object's status on the hall map changes to "Завершается" (finishing).

The search field above the object map finds a session by bill number: the POS highlights the object and offers to open the bill; if nothing matches, it reports that the bill was not found. The "Журнал" (Journal) button on the map opens the booking journal (see Journal and booking); "Моб. официант" opens the mobile-waiter connection.

Session barcode

If session barcode printing is enabled for the account, the POS prints a slip with the bill's barcode automatically when a session starts, and the "Распечатать штрихКод" (Print barcode) button on the object-status tab reprints it. At checkout, scan the slip in the cash interface: "Фильтр" (Filter) → the "ШК счёта на оплату" (bill barcode) field — the POS instantly finds the session's bill. The barcode field is active when barcode printing on bills is enabled.

Prepayment

The "Предоплата" (Prepayment) button (on the bills tab of the object map and in the cash interface) takes a prepayment on a saved bill: the regular payment window opens and a prepayment receipt is printed. Possible messages:

• "Prepayment error" with a reason — the prepayment failed;
• "Bill already printed" — a pre-check has been printed, prepayment is impossible;
• "Bill already paid!" — the bill is already closed;
• "Printing subsystem is busy!" — another print job is running, retry shortly;
• "Bill has been prepayed! Prepayment sum …" with the question "Cancel prepayment?" — the bill already has a prepayment; confirming removes it;
• an error about printing the prepayment receipt — the payment went through but the receipt failed to print.

Exit and settlement

• "End now" — closes the session at the current moment (with confirmation).
• "End with planned time" — closes with the planned time, or lets you pick a closing time.
• "Продлить" (Extend) — adds time to an open session: set hours and minutes and confirm the "extend the session time by …" question.
• When planned time runs out, the session closes automatically with a "Time is up" notification — the "Rater" window shows the bill number, note, object and client. "Open receipt" opens the bill for settlement (available until the bill is paid). "Read" dismisses the notification, and the POS double-checks: "Are you sure, you want to close the session end notification for unprinted bills?". The notifications themselves are toggled by the session-close notification switch on the rate object map.

The amount is calculated per minute: minutes inside a scheduled period use its price, the rest use the base rate. The bill gets a line with the tariff's service — quantity in minutes, per-minute price, object and period in the note — and is paid as a regular bill, see Order payment. While the tariff is open, the bill can only be modified in the rate interface.

Turnstile

In POS settings, on the "Turnstile control" tab, enable the turnstile button and set the controller COM port, "Entry channel" and "Exit channel" ("Check the turnstile" tests the gates).

• Selling a bracelet ("Turnstile" product type): the POS opens "Enter or scan the barcode"; the same code cannot be added to a bill twice.
• Entry and exit. With the "Turnstile" button in sales mode, the first scan of a sold bracelet marks "ENTRY BRACELET", the next — "EXIT BRACELET", opening the matching gate. "Exchange" moves a visit to another bracelet.
• Bracelet replacement. The POS refuses the exchange when: both scanned codes are identical ("Entered codes match"); an employee code was scanned instead of a bracelet ("Employee code entered"); the new bracelet is already attached to an active visit ("Bracelet was sold earlier"); the old bracelet was never sold ("Bracelet was not sold") or its exit is already recorded ("Bracele was already used").

Common problems

• "Нельзя распечатать счет пока не закрыта игра..." (cannot print the bill until the game is closed) — the object (table, lane, zone) is still on the clock; the pre-check does not print until the session is closed. End the session and print again.
• "Bracelet was sold earlier" — the code is attached to an unfinished visit.
• "Bracelet was not sold" — the code is not among sold bracelets.
• "Bracele was already used" — entry and exit are already recorded.
• "Bracelet can not be sold in current interface..." — sell bracelets in sales modes only.
• Turnstile does not react — check the COM port and channels.

FAQ

How is the amount calculated when the price changes during the day?

Per minute, by the tariff schedule for that weekday and hour; the total is rounded to cents.

What if the client overstays the paid time?

The session closes automatically at the planned time — extend it in advance or start a new one.

Can I give a discount on time?

Yes — the tariff line is a regular service in the bill; see Clients and discounts.