Timezone problem with OS Services Booking - New York time vs visitor time

Hi,I have a problem with time zones on my Joomla 5 website using OS Services Booking. (all latest versions).My server and joomla website are both set to New York time (America/New_York).
The booking service is available from 8 AM to 8 PM New York time.Everything looks fine for people in New York, but I realized that visitors in other countries would also see those times the same when their times are different times. For example:

• In the UK, 8 AM New York = 1 PM UK time
• In California, 8 AM New York = 5 AM local time

So visitors from other places might think they are booking their own local time (8am for example), but really they are booking based on New York time.My questions:

1. Can this be fixed?
2. Is there a way for visitors to automatically see the available times converted into their own time zone?
3. Or at least to show a small note like “All times shown are New York time (your local time is X hours ahead/behind)”?

I just want customers and service providers to be in sync, so everyone knows exactly what time the booking is for.Thanks for any help!

Hi Stephen,
Thank you for your question regarding time zone handling in OS Services Booking.

If your customers are registered Joomla users and their user profiles specify a different time zone, the timeslots displayed to them will automatically be shown according to their selected time zone. This helps ensure that booking times are clear and accurate for users in different locations.
Thanks
Dam

Thanks Dam,

The problem with that is that the process on the front is:
Select Time slot >> Login / Register >> Checkout >> Confirm

Is there no way to see that on the front end? During this booking process?

Hi Stephen,
In the latest version of OS Services Booking, there is now a feature that allows users to log in before selecting a timeslot. With this, the system can display timeslots according to the user's timezone.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please let me know.
Best regards,
Dam

Awesome Dam. I wont be upgrading just yet. (possibly after the 15th asap. But I will let you know how I go on, and any additional ideas/thoughts. But I'm sure you will have done a bang on job. Catchup soon.

Stephen H

You're welcome Stephen.
Thanks
Dam

Hi dam. I am only just getting around to this.
can you give me instruction how to implement this?
I have checked but cant find anything so far.
I am continuing to serch and test though.

Thanks

I was using the old V5. Using the Download ID it doesnt show an available update in joomla admin. and the download ID at joomdonation isnt setting the domain. The site is in a subdirectory. ie. mysite.com/coaching folder.

So I downloaded the new version 7, and installed and its visible now. I still need to work a system workaround because:

1: people come into the coaching site through a specific user. eg: thedrummingcoach, translated as thedrummingcoach-1 on joomla.

2: The popup works great and the user can register.

After registering is the issue. As the user is then locked into the joomla admin member area.
He then loses the connection to the specific coach that brought him into the site.

I will first try to add a button link to the profile page where he sets his Timezone.
That way he can begin (visit the redirected link into the specific coach), the procesess again with his Timezones set correctly, and make a booking. etc.

I realize my system is different and I may have many coaches not just a couple ties to a specific business/company.

Mine will be affiliates that are redirectd from an affiliate link (specific partner/coach).

It would'nt be good for him to lose the person he brought in.

I will work on it and let you know how I get on.

Thanks, it looks a lot better too.

Cheers Dam.

Hi Stephen,
You can use the System - Redirect plugin to redirect users to the booking page after they register.
I am also considering a solution that allows users to select their Timezone directly from the booking page, and possibly update it in their profile automatically.
However, I am still wondering if this approach might confuse users.
If you have any suggestions or preferences, please let me know.
Thanks
Dam

Hi Dam,

Thanks - I managed to solve it.

Here’s the architecture I implemented so you can see the logic.

Partner Layer
I run affiliate partner sites. Each partner has a coaching link like:

/coaching/coach-area/{username}

Example:
/coaching/coach-area/thedrumcoach

I maintain a simple JSON map:

{
"thedrumcoach": "booking-coach-9"
}

When someone visits the partner URL, a system plugin redirects to the canonical OSB slug:

/coaching/coach-area/booking-coach-9

So the correct OSB profile is always used.

Registration + Timezone
Since correct time slots depend on timezone, I added the timezone field to the Joomla registration form via plugin. The timezone is saved to the user’s params.

Sticky Partner Logic
The core requirement in my model is that the client belongs to the partner who brought them in.

After registration and activation, I redirect the user back to their assigned coach page on login.
ie: /coaching/coach-area/booking-coach-9

To make it persistent:

The partner slug is stored temporarily via session/cookie.

On first login, it is written to the user’s params.

From then on, every login redirects the user to their assigned coach page.

This works across browsers and devices.

So effectively:

Partner → Client → Permanent Association → Always lands on correct coach page.

The only manual step remaining is adding new partners to usermap.json, which I’m working on automating.

If any of this is useful for OSB core (especially partner stickiness or timezone handling), I’m happy to share the implementation details.

Best,
Stephen