last minute cancellations

[i12flytoday]

I guess I'm mistaken then. I would like to see the some medical or dental offices try to bill the HMOs or Dental Insurance Companies for missed appointments.

They don't, in most cases the Doctors are charging the customer ahead of time anyway. Then they bill the insurance and refund the customer what the insurance covers. Some HMO's will only do business this way, and in fact actually cut the check directly to the customer. Many doctors also have a policy of not accepting appointments anymore from someone that cancels without notice.



I'm not saying everyone does it, nor should everyone do it... I'm just saying that it is a common practice among professionals. When I lived in Washington state there was a law passed that caused all sorts of issues at first, but they were all worked out. In WA, if you book an appointment, you are forming a contract under the law, and the business you booked with can charge a "reasonable" fee for breaking the contract. The problem is, nobody defined what "reasonable" is. LOL



Just trying to help...

 

[akimel]

I imagine that the decision to charge a customer for a cancelled appointment really depends on the type of business one is conducting. Many lawyers, for example, do not depend on repeat business in the way that doctors (especially general practitioners), detailers, or hairdressers do. I had to cancel a haircut the other day at the last minute. If the hairdresser had informed me that I was going to be charged a cancellation fee, she would have lost me forever as a customer. I imagine most people feel that way about their detailer.



Psychologists and therapists will often charge their clients for sudden cancellations. They carefully explain this ahead of time. It is an essential part of the therapist/client contract. They do this not just because they want to get paid for time lost, but also to maintain the consistency and continuity of the therapy.

 

[i12flytoday]

I imagine that the decision to charge a customer for a cancelled appointment really depends on the type of business one is conducting. Many lawyers, for example, do not depend on repeat business in the way that doctors (especially general practitioners), detailers, or hairdressers do. I had to cancel a haircut the other day at the last minute. If the hairdresser had informed me that I was going to be charged a cancellation fee, she would have lost me forever as a customer. I imagine most people feel that way about their detailer.



Psychologists and therapists will often charge their clients for sudden cancellations. They carefully explain this ahead of time. It is an essential part of the therapist/client contract. They do this not just because they want to get paid for time lost, but also to maintain the consistency and continuity of the therapy.

akimel - I understand your point, but in regards to your comment about lawyers not depending on repeat business, that really depends on the area of practice you are in. Almost all of my business is repeat business. This is because I deal primarily with intellectual property and corporations.



I think someone put it best above when they said they simply don't allow that person to book anymore after the second no show. I suppose it also has a lot to do with what type of clientele. Some of these high class guys that only book a bunch of really high end cars could probably get away with it a lot better than a guy trying to scrape buy. That's why I said in the end it's all about what you are comfortable with.

 

[safetyman2010]

If somebody is canceling at 200AM because they do not have the money, they are probably someone you would not want as a customer. If it truly is a major problem, make your cancellation policy very clear when the person books the appointment.

I had a guy that is a chronic problem customer come in a couple of weeks ago to get his "new" Mercedes SUV detailed (slipped by me that it was him because his "cousin" booked it for him under her name) who perennially does that crap. The truck was trashed and it was booked for a simple wash/vac so we didn't have time to do it that day. He begged to rebook for Easter monday and I made a very strong point of telling him that if he couldn't make it I needed to know at least 48 hrs in advance so I could fill his appointment because he cancels so much. Long story short he called at 9:30 the night before and left a message that he decided to go out of town and wasn't going to make it in. Long story short, his $300 detail is now going to cost him $450 if he wants it done since I had staff there waiting to do his job at 8 am. I'm hoping he just goes to another shop though, pain in the *** customers like that are nothing but a headache.

 

[safetyman2010]

I don't have a detailing business, but most industries don't charge for no show appointments. No work was done so you'll have a very difficult time convincing anyone that you are owed money.



Dentists and doctors often say that they'll charge for missed appointments, but they rarely do and would probably lose if challenged in court.

Wrong. I worked in the moving industry in college and every single truck reserved was guaranteed with a $80 deposit - fully refundable if cancellation was at least 48 hours in advance. After that, you forfeit the deposit because we lost the ability to rent that truck for your time slot. Same goes for hotels, rental car companies, airlines and many other businesses. Stuff comes up, **** happens for sure and sometimes you just can't plan for that and need to cancel on short notice. However, some people have no comprehension of the concept of other people's time having at least the same value as their own. At my business we do not charge cancellation fees but if you burn me more than once you're getting hit with the "******* tax" and your prices are going up considerably.

 

[PresdntialDtail]

I had a guy that is a chronic problem customer come in a couple of weeks ago to get his "new" Mercedes SUV detailed (slipped by me that it was him because his "cousin" booked it for him under her name) who perennially does that crap. The truck was trashed and it was booked for a simple wash/vac so we didn't have time to do it that day. He begged to rebook for Easter monday and I made a very strong point of telling him that if he couldn't make it I needed to know at least 48 hrs in advance so I could fill his appointment because he cancels so much. Long story short he called at 9:30 the night before and left a message that he decided to go out of town and wasn't going to make it in. Long story short, his $300 detail is now going to cost him $450 if he wants it done since I had staff there waiting to do his job at 8 am. I'm hoping he just goes to another shop though, pain in the *** customers like that are nothing but a headache.

Gotta ask, why the heck did you let him schedule in the first place?!? I would have just denied him if it was after several no shows already.

 

[safetyman2010]

Gotta ask, why the heck did you let him schedule in the first place?!? I would have just denied him if it was after several no shows already.

Honestly it caught me off guard when he showed up and I hadn't seen him in the schedule (his cousin booked the truck in under her name). I made a point of telling the guy when he said he wanted to reschedule that based on his spotty record of showing up and cancelling I needed him to make sure if he couldn't make it in I needed 2 business days notice to cancel so I could book someone else in his spot. He assured me that he was coming for sure and that was that. I get all my business voicemail e-mailed to me and got the e-mailed voicemail from him on the night before at 9:30. I forgot to mention he was also lying saying that he was out of town because his caller id showed that the call was made from his family's restaurant. Like I said, if and when he comes in again he's getting hit with a major price increase or he can pound salt and go someplace else. I don't have time to waste on dipshits like that.

 

[EcoAutoCT]

Some business ethics being tossed around in this thread, maybe I can pick some brains for my most recent scheduling problem:



I opened some large accounts last year, and gave away a few gift certificates with clearly marked expiration dates of 03/30/09. I got a call on 04/17/09 from a person who wanted to put the value of the expired certificate towards an upgraded service. The service they wanted was advertised at $85 for a small vehicle, the vehicle in question was an Armada- the price goes up to $100-$110. Minus the value of the certificate and I told her I could do it for $60- which I thought was very generous on my behalf. This person wanted it for $85- $50 = $35, I told her I couldn't accommodate her and was sorry.



This person has had the certificate since Christmas, and in CT it's illegal to use an expiration date on a certificate that has been purchased by a customer. This was a promotional/thank you campaign out of my own pocket so the law does not apply.



Come to find out she is now threatening to bad mouth me to her office mates and anyone else who will listen. Was I wrong to deny her a full interior detail on a three row SUV for $35? I don't think so, and don't plan on providing any service to her if she does call back.

 

[safetyman2010]

Some business ethics being tossed around in this thread, maybe I can pick some brains for my most recent scheduling problem:



I opened some large accounts last year, and gave away a few gift certificates with clearly marked expiration dates of 03/30/09. I got a call on 04/17/09 from a person who wanted to put the value of the expired certificate towards an upgraded service. The service they wanted was advertised at $85 for a small vehicle, the vehicle in question was an Armada- the price goes up to $100-$110. Minus the value of the certificate and I told her I could do it for $60- which I thought was very generous on my behalf. This person wanted it for $85- $50 = $35, I told her I couldn't accommodate her and was sorry.



This person has had the certificate since Christmas, and in CT it's illegal to use an expiration date on a certificate that has been purchased by a customer. This was a promotional/thank you campaign out of my own pocket so the law does not apply.



Come to find out she is now threatening to bad mouth me to her office mates and anyone else who will listen. Was I wrong to deny her a full interior detail on a three row SUV for $35? I don't think so, and don't plan on providing any service to her if she does call back.

All you have to do is clearly state in your advertising that you charge based on the size and condition of the vehicle. We have 3 basic starting points for vehicles:

- cars

- midsize minivans/suvs/pickups

- large vans/suvs/pickups



There are NO arguments when someone tries to book an appointment here as to which is which. Not to mention doing a full interior detail for $85 is nuts her expecting you to do the job for the wrong price is ridiculous. We did a similar promotional giveaway last fall and had a woman come in with a $50 certificate and wanted a wash/vac on her van. The interior was absolutely trashed and needed a full detail - no way around it. I told her I couldn't perform that service because it wouldn't correct the problems with her interior and offered her 5-10 different other things I could do if she only wanted to spend the $50. She stood and argued for another 10 minutes when I finally put a stop to it and just thanked her for her time and politely told her I couldn't help her out. No matter what you do in that situation you lose. You do what they want you lose money on the job. You do the cheapo job their way to accomodate what they want to spend they aren't happy because they expect the full detail results. I won't do a job unless I am doing it properly and profitably. Reasonable people understand that you have to make something for your time and will pay you if you educate them properly. The others you don't want as a customer anyway - you'll never make any money off them and they will be your most critical customers.

 

[imported_Ivan Rajic]

Some business ethics being tossed around in this thread, maybe I can pick some brains for my most recent scheduling problem:



I opened some large accounts last year, and gave away a few gift certificates with clearly marked expiration dates of 03/30/09. I got a call on 04/17/09 from a person who wanted to put the value of the expired certificate towards an upgraded service. The service they wanted was advertised at $85 for a small vehicle, the vehicle in question was an Armada- the price goes up to $100-$110. Minus the value of the certificate and I told her I could do it for $60- which I thought was very generous on my behalf. This person wanted it for $85- $50 = $35, I told her I couldn't accommodate her and was sorry.



This person has had the certificate since Christmas, and in CT it's illegal to use an expiration date on a certificate that has been purchased by a customer. This was a promotional/thank you campaign out of my own pocket so the law does not apply.



Come to find out she is now threatening to bad mouth me to her office mates and anyone else who will listen. Was I wrong to deny her a full interior detail on a three row SUV for $35? I don't think so, and don't plan on providing any service to her if she does call back.

No you weren't... if there's a clear expiration date tell her to go screw herself and her office mates and get a new pair of reading glasses... I know the exact type of person you're talking about and have luckily met only 1-2... if I was a higher volume shop I'm sure I would meet more but thankfully I've been lucky in that regard...

 

[EcoAutoCT]

All you have to do is clearly state in your advertising that you charge based on the size and condition of the vehicle. We have 3 basic starting points for vehicles:

- cars

- midsize minivans/suvs/pickups

- large vans/suvs/pickups...



The others you don't want as a customer anyway - you'll never make any money off them and they will be your most critical customers.

Pricing surcharges are all clearly stated in our pricing and advertisements, I use a set percentage. These kind of customers are the worst, they want 110% of the work for a 75% discount. I was polite, understanding and as accommodating as I could be- after that it's out of my hands.

No you weren't... if there's a clear expiration date tell her to go screw herself and her office mates and get a new pair of reading glasses...

My reasoning exactly. She started her entitlement crusade last week, and just after posting that message I got a call from the head of another company on the same floor- scheduling him for next Wed.

 

[imported_Jakerooni]

Tell her the "law" applies to gift certificates and what she is holding in her hand is a "coupon" that dosen't hold to the same laws. (unless of course you have "Gift Certificate" clearly printed on the thing then you might actually be hosed)



Take head guys. The laws are changing very very quickly on Gift Certs and what you can and can't do with them. I know Michigan is a 5 year experation minimum. Meaning we HAVE to honor it by law for 5 years if it says gift certificate on it anywhere. (the way around it is above) Other states like California have mandated no experation date at all. So they can hold you accountable forever for that. Last I knew there were at least 5 states that made it illegal to put experation dates on them. And a LOT of states that have years of minimum "valid" dates. Check you're local laws carefully and constantly because it's almost a month to month thing. If you're state hasn't done it yet they may here soon.