Blocking out times
Add ad-hoc blocks (school run, MOT, dentist, quiet Friday afternoon) that the customer slot picker will always skip — without cluttering your Google Calendar.
When to use blocks
Google Calendar is good for scheduled meetings, appointments and events you want in your diary. But some things you'd rather not add there — a regular school run, a two-hour block on Friday afternoons when you never book new work, an MOT slot next Wednesday.
Blocked times give you a clean way to hide those windows from customers without adding an event to Google Calendar.
Add a block
Settings → Blocked times → Add a block. Fill in:
- Starts — the date and time the block begins (local UK time).
- Ends — the date and time it ends. Must be after the start.
- Reason (optional) — a private note for you, e.g. "School run". Customers never see it.
Click Add block. It appears in the Upcoming blocks list below the form.
Remove a block
Same page — each upcoming block has a Remove button. Removing takes effect immediately.
Past blocks (blocks whose end time has already passed) are hidden automatically. You don't need to tidy them up.
How blocks affect the customer
The customer's slot picker at /b/your-slug/book/<token> shows only slots that are:
- Inside your working hours (from Settings → Operations)
- NOT overlapping an existing TradesOps booking
- NOT overlapping a Google Calendar busy event (if connected)
- NOT overlapping a manual block
All four rules apply. A one-hour slot has to pass all four.
Recurring blocks
TradesOps doesn't yet support recurring blocks ("every Friday 3pm-5pm"). Add each week's block one at a time, or set a matching event in your Google Calendar as busy. Recurring blocks are a fast-follow — email help@tradesops.uk if this hurts you often.
Blocking a whole day off
Easiest way: add a single block from 08:00 to 18:00 (or your working hours). Or — if you want the day off from customers but still want the day to show in your Google Calendar for other purposes — add an all-day "busy" event there.