How do you handle a client who is always late?

State the cutoff before it happens again, not during the appointment. A policy sent with the booking confirmation is far easier to enforce than one invented on the day.

How do you charge a no-show fee without losing the client?

Reference the policy they already agreed to, keep it short, and offer the next available slot in the same message so the relationship continues.

Cancellation policy and late client templates

Late arrivals and last-minute cancellations are the hardest messages to write in the moment, because you are annoyed and the client is a regular. These state the policy calmly and offer the reschedule in the same breath.

4 replies - free to copy or install

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The messages

Copy any of these as they are, or install the beauty pack to keep them on your keyboard. Anything in brackets is a blank the app fills as you send.

Late-client response

Hi [Client Name], I have you down for [Time] - are you still on your way? I can hold your spot for a few more minutes.
Cancellation policy

A quick heads up on my policy: cancellations within 24 hours are subject to a fee. Let me know as early as you can if you need to reschedule.
Reschedule response

No problem at all! Here's what I have open: [Options]. Which works best for you?
Appointment reminder

Reminder: your appointment is [Date] at [Time]. Reply here if anything changes.

These are part of the Beauty pack, which installs all 10 replies in one tap.

Questions

How do you handle a client who is always late?: State the cutoff before it happens again, not during the appointment. A policy sent with the booking confirmation is far easier to enforce than one invented on the day.
How do you charge a no-show fee without losing the client?: Reference the policy they already agreed to, keep it short, and offer the next available slot in the same message so the relationship continues.

More beauty messages

Booking confirmation and deposit request templates

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