Duplicate-RO guard: add to existing vs new

Split tickets are a quiet money leak. When the same car ends up on two repair orders, parts get double-ordered, labor gets miscounted, and the customer gets a confusing invoice. Pista's duplicate-RO guard catches this the moment it happens and lets you make the right call before any damage is done.

What triggers the guard

When you start a new RO for a vehicle that already has an open repair order, Pista pauses and warns you. The match is on the VIN first, with the plate and customer as backups, so it catches the duplicate even if someone typed the details slightly differently.

The warning shows you the existing RO so you can see exactly what is already open: its number, status, and the work already on it.

Choose: add to existing, or start new

You get two clear paths.

Add to the existing RO

Pick this when it is the same visit, for example the customer mentioned a new noise while the car is still in the shop.

1. Click Add to existing RO.
2. Pista takes you to the open ticket.
3. Add the new job there so all the work, parts, and labor stay on one invoice.

This keeps the visit clean: one RO, one set of approvals, one payment at checkout.

Start a separate RO

Pick this when it is genuinely a different visit, for example the car came back a week later for unrelated work, or you intentionally track a comeback separately.

1. Click Create new anyway.
2. Pista opens the fresh RO.
3. The original stays untouched.

Good to know: A comeback or warranty return is a real reason to open a new RO so it reports separately. The guard is not blocking you, it is making sure the split is a decision, not an accident.

Why this matters

A few real-world wins from keeping one visit on one ticket:

• Parts ordered once. No two writers ordering the same brake kit.
• Accurate labor and totals. The customer sees one honest invoice.
• Clean history. The customer's record shows distinct visits, not phantom duplicates.
• Trustworthy reports. Your sales and car-count numbers reflect reality. See Reports.

Tips

1. When in doubt at the counter, add to existing. Merging later is harder than keeping it together now.
2. Use the Quick RO flow at drop-off and the guard still runs, so curb-side speed never costs you a clean ticket. See Quick RO: tag or VIN to ticket in seconds.