I have a pretty lax cancellation policy where I don’t require 24 hrs notice. Most of my clients never take advantage of this. I actually have a very low no-show rate and a very low day-before cancellation rate.
But I have one client who keeps canceling the evening before for an appointment the next morning. This has happened a number of weeks in a row usually with different reasons (not that I’m asking them for a reason). This hasn’t always been the case for this person, but has been in recent months.
Obviously there are discussions to be had when (if?) I next see them: to see if something is going on, if they feel like stopping, if there’s anything they’re avoiding talking about/confronting, etc.
But I’m torn about shifting my cancellation with this client. Part of me feels it’s “wrong” making an exception for one person, but at the same time I was clear at intake that I keep my cancellation policy lax because people have been good about it.
I’m curious what people think if I message this person saying I’ll need 24 hrs cancellation notice moving forward. Or for a period of time?
Part of me thinks that it’s harsh to change my policy. Part of me says that take is just me being hard on myself as this is my business, and if they’re not engaged, then I need them to disengage, either for a period of time, or at least with giving me more notice before they cancel.
I’m clearly torn, folks. Thoughts?