Somebody books in March for an appointment in July. In June her father is taken ill, she asks to move it, and is told the deposit is gone.
She is not being difficult and the studio is not being unreasonable. Neither of them ever agreed what would happen, because it was never written down.
The checklist
Publish these and the argument stops happening.
1. What the deposit is for
Securing the day and paying for design time. Clients who understand it is work already done are considerably more accepting of losing it.
2. How much notice is required
A stated number of days. Not reasonable notice, which means something different to each party.
3. What happens within that notice
Whether the deposit transfers to a new date, once or more than once. Most studios allow one move and should say so.
4. What happens with less notice
Whether it is forfeited, partially retained or transferable. Whichever it is, published beforehand it is a term rather than a penalty.
5. What happens if somebody does not attend
Plainly, because it is the case that costs the artist most and the one clients most expect leniency for.
6. How many times it can be moved
Because serial rescheduling is a real problem and a stated limit is fairer than an improvised decision.
7. Whether the deposit expires
If a client moves an appointment indefinitely, and how long it remains valid. Studios hold deposits for years without a position.
8. Whether it is transferable to another person
Or to a different design. It occasionally solves a problem for everybody.
9. What happens if the artist cancels
Rearranged at the client's convenience, deposit protected and any compensation. A policy that only runs one way is not a policy, which is the same fairness as cancellation policy questions small guesthouses face.
10. The genuine emergency position
That discretion exists, exercised by a person, for illness and bereavement. Staff should have permission to be kind without setting a precedent.
11. How it is communicated
At booking, in writing, and again in the confirmation. A policy mentioned once in March is not a policy in July.
12. Send a reminder ahead of the appointment
A week and a day before, which prevents most forgotten appointments and gives somebody the chance to move it within notice.
13. Offer the slot to somebody else
A cancellation list, contacted immediately. It recovers a day that would otherwise be lost and makes leniency affordable.
13b. Say how a new date is found
Moving an appointment means finding another slot in a diary that may be booked for months. Telling a client how far ahead the next availability usually is, and whether short notice gaps are offered to people who have rescheduled, prevents somebody assuming a move means a wait until next year.
14. Handle difficult messages carefully
Because somebody cancelling for a serious reason needs a person rather than a policy, which is the discipline in how to handle sensitive questions in your chatbot, alongside deposit, age and consent questions for tattoo studios and pricing, deposits and session questions.
Getting started
Publish the notice period, what happens at each stage and the emergency position, send reminders and take reschedules at any hour. SpideyChat for studios and salons answers from your published pages, plans are on the pricing page, and the chatbot ROI calculator works through the numbers.