Dealing with Last-minute Cancellations

[jarred767]

So, I know that it's been brought up before on here, but just curious if anyone has any new thoughts/ideas/processes on how you go about customers canceling on you?

I always call my appointments the day before to give them a reminder (unless they booked in the last 48 or so hours), so yesterday afternoon I call my appointment for this afternoon (full interior detail on an SUV ~$200). No answer, so I left a voicemail and requested a call or text back. Didn't hear anything, so I call again this morning and no answer so I leave another message.

Then at about 12:30 this afternoon (1.5 hours before I'm supposed to be there) they call and say that they actually cleaned it up themselves over the weekend and didn't need to have it done anymore

I don't really have a choice in that situation but to say okay, and move on. I know that getting upset with them doesn't solve anything and only gives them an opportunity say something negative about me online or to their friends, thus hurting my reputation. It just sucks because it's so last minute and there's very little chance that I can get a new job in that quickly, and therefore I'm just out $200.

Is there a better way to deal with this in the moment? And do you guys do anything that helps avoid this happening?

Thanks guys!

[North26]

I have a similar process as you. Where I will call the day before and if no answer then voicemail. I do not however, call back again. There is a fine line between reminding and bothering and I feel multiple calls cross that line.

The only way to possibly maneuver around this is if you do an estimate. If you do estimates and they sign on the line, you could include a disclaimer stating that cancellations or no answers will result in an $x fee. However these documents are not always legally binding, and you run the risk of having a bad rep. Also the legal fees could not even make enforcing such a policy financially viable.

It's a tricky situation we have all been in. Best bet is to move on and of they call again in the future add 10% to their bill

[onsite]

Good question, i would try offering another client that spot if you happened to have one following this one. Still out the $ but can make it better for the customer that is available. However, i wouldnt state you had a csncellation as that could make it seem like something is wrong with you or the service. Id state that your ahead of scheduleabd can get to them sooner if they would like!

[Billy Baldone]

You live in Oregon right? On the last episode of Dexter, wasn't he in the pacific North West working as a logger? I'm just saying.......

[Buff-N-Glo]

There's really no other way to deal with it than to just move on. Yeah you can charge them a fee and all this other paperwork, but that will just scare off customers from using you in the future. Cancellations are going to happen, it's the hard part of having this job. It's best to tell them to have a nice day and move on.

[VP Mark]

Unfortunately this is just a crappy part of our work. Every single business in the service industry deals with the same thing on a daily basis.

Usually I book 2 weeks or so in advance, so I will ask my clients if I have a cancellation, would they like to get in sooner? Most jump at that so I have a list ready if I get a last minute cancellation.

More than a couple of times I have filled in a cancellation at the last minute with a good appointment.

Its not an ideal solution, but the only one I've found to hedge my schedule against last minute cancellations.

[jarred767]

I have a similar process as you. Where I will call the day before and if no answer then voicemail. I do not however, call back again. There is a fine line between reminding and bothering and I feel multiple calls cross that line.

The only way to possibly maneuver around this is if you do an estimate. If you do estimates and they sign on the line, you could include a disclaimer stating that cancellations or no answers will result in an fee. However these documents are not always legally binding, and you run the risk of having a bad rep. Also the legal fees could not even make enforcing such a policy financially viable.

It's a tricky situation we have all been in. Best bet is to move on and of they call again in the future add 10% to their bill

So if you don't call back a second time and don't hear back from them, do you just show up anyways, or do you just assume that they're canceling? I usually don't call back a second time, but that's because people usually return the first call.

Good question, i would try offering another client that spot if you happened to have one following this one. Still out the $ but can make it better for the customer that is available. However, i wouldnt state you had a csncellation as that could make it seem like something is wrong with you or the service. Id state that your ahead of scheduleabd can get to them sooner if they would like!

Yeah, usually I try and do that, but with such short notice it can be tough. If they cancel when I call the day before, then I usually will simply bump someone else up and they're happy about it, but with only an hours notice it's a little more difficult.

You live in Oregon right? On the last episode of Dexter, wasn't he in the pacific North West working as a logger? I'm just saying.......

Sorry, never watched Dexter, so I'm not sure I'm picking up what you're implying; heard it was good though.

There's really no other way to deal with it than to just move on. Yeah you can charge them a fee and all this other paperwork, but that will just scare off customers from using you in the future. Cancellations are going to happen, it's the hard part of having this job. It's best to tell them to have a nice day and move on.

Yeah, just a part of the game I guess, it still irks me, especially when there's not a legitimate excuse, or they simply say that they did it themselves 5 days ago and didn't bother to tell me.

Unfortunately this is just a crappy part of our work. Every single business in the service industry deals with the same thing on a daily basis.

Usually I book 2 weeks or so in advance, so I will ask my clients if I have a cancellation, would they like to get in sooner? Most jump at that so I have a list ready if I get a last minute cancellation.

More than a couple of times I have filled in a cancellation at the last minute with a good appointment.

Its not an ideal solution, but the only one I've found to hedge my schedule against last minute cancellations.

Thank Mark, Yeah, I will usually have a list available of people who might be interested in getting bumped up. Back in Seattle this was always the case as I'd get rained on and need to try and bump someone up that had a garage that I could work in. Being that I'm only two months in in a brand new location, the back-log isn't quite there yet, (but it is starting) so I think that's what made this one sting a little extra.

Thanks for the advice everyone, and more so, for listening to me vent. Sometimes it just feels good to get this stuff out when it happens and there's no better place than here on AG.

[onsite]

ya that kind of notice would be hard to fill. Not only for you, but the person your bumping up. Unfortunate that this happens, little curtousy is nice so we can plan accordingly.

[Billy Baldone]

Lol. Sorry if you didn't get it. He was a serial killer of bad people. And for the record, if you watched the show, that joke would have killed.... See what I did there? Wow! too early to be drinking...

[Meticulous-Detail]

Had a cancellation mid-week for Saturday the 23rd, back filled with another customer, that customer cancelled, then back filled for a Sunday spot and that customer cancelled the day of. All 3 are friends, was super pissed.