Paying a deposit at the hairdressers?

My daughter runs a beauty salon and I help with reception. I don't think the general public realise how these missed appointments affect a business. My daughter just this morning had a client ring up at the time she had made her appointment for to say she had over-slept so would not be keeping her appointment. Another lady booked for treatments which would take 2 hours. She had two reminders but did not show and did not phone to explain. People don't understand that a huge 2 hour gap can cost a business a lot of money. An appointment system is not like a walk-in, if someone does not show you do not have a another client ready to fill the gap hence lost income. There are many of the general public who do not even have the courtesy to phone and say they cannot keep their appointments....... we are getting fed up with a lot of their attitudes, I think people would change their tune if it was their business and livelihood that was at stake.

My GP practice does tell people to go elsewhere after 3 no shows, there is a big notice in the surgery in a prominent place, I've only ever witnessed one person complaining, her husband had been removed from the list and told to go elsewhere.

I can understand a deposit for new customers or unreliable customers, but not for longstanding regular customers. I can only ever remember once missing an appointment,

When I go to the hairdresser for an appointment I book the next appointment. I may well change it, nearer the time, but would always try to give a weeks notice.

Well charma I'm with you. It's always the same people who mess you about.
Those of us that work to an appointment system with regular clients know when someone has a genuine reason for a no show and wouldn't penalise them. I've only once got rid of a client by charging her for 2 missed appointments. She'd been a pain in the neck for a couple of years.
If a client is a no show then it's too late to ring someone who may be waiting for an appointment.
When I had a salon with 5 therapist and me I could have paid for another member of staff some weeks with the last minute cancellations or no shows we had.
It happens a lot.
I missed an appointment with my hairdresser a couple of months ago, total mind wipe out. I paid her, she has bills to pay.

Why is someone allowed to no show 10 times I would have stopped making appointments after three no shows
I m glad no one here does that I wouldn't be paying ahead at my hairdressers

BlueBelle, were you referring to teetimes post with the 10 times no show. I think any individual who doesn't attend 10 appointments would find all the staff busy when she phoned up to book.!

If any of you went to work and there wasn't much for you to do would you be happy if your employer deducted a couple of hours pay for inactivity. Hairdressers etc. wouldn't appreciate it either.

We are in a difficult position, we want to be nice , we want to give excellent service (if we didn't we probably wouldn't be in business long) but we have to be financially viable too.

I wonder if anyone challenges those who don't attend?

It seems it's not only the customers who don't attend. I'm still waiting for a dishwasher repair man who was going to 'call in on the way home' last night.