"So sorry, something came up!" Sent at 5:40 for a 6 pm lesson. Now you get to decide, on the spot, whether to charge a person you like for an hour you can't sell anymore.
That decision shouldn't exist. A written cancellation policy makes it once, in advance, for everyone. The client knows the deal when they book, you never have to improvise a price while annoyed, and nobody gets a surprise charge. The awkward conversation happens zero times because the policy already had it for you.
Below are three policies you can copy word for word, plus a short message for rolling it out to the clients you already have. Pick one, put it on your booking page, done.
Strip away the wording and every cancellation policy is just three numbers:
That's the whole design space. The templates below are the same three numbers turned up or down.
For a new coach, a small-town client base, or anyone whose stomach turns at charging full price. Half on a miss still changes behavior, and nobody can call it harsh.
Life happens, and I get it. Here's the deal so nobody's surprised.
Your card is saved when you book. Most of the time it never gets charged.
The one most coaches should use. A day's notice is free, a late cancel costs half, a no-show costs the lesson. Fair in both directions, and no reasonable client argues with it.
Plans change, and that's fine. Here's how it works so we're on the same page.
Your card is saved when you book. We only charge it if one of the above happens.
For the coach with a waitlist. If your evening slots are gone a week out and a Tuesday cancellation can't be refilled, a longer window and full price protect real income, not pride.
My schedule fills up ahead of time, so I keep a firm line on cancellations.
Your card is saved when you book. Please book a slot only if you plan to be on the court.
Whichever you pick, resist the urge to add clauses. Sick notes, weather, traffic, first-time forgiveness: the more exceptions you write in, the more you'll be asked to rule on. Keep the policy short and waive it by hand on the rare day it deserves waiving.
New clients see the policy on your booking page and agree by booking. Existing clients need a heads up, and this is where coaches stall for months. Don't make it a speech. Send this:
Hey [name]! Quick heads up. From [date] I'm putting my cancellation policy in writing for everyone: cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours ahead and it's free, inside 24 hours it's half the lesson, and a no-show is the full price. Same deal for every client, and it lives on my booking page. If you show up like you always do, nothing changes. See you on the court!
Three things make this land well: a start date in the future, the words "for everyone" so nobody feels singled out, and the reminder that reliable clients won't notice a difference. Send it to all of them on the same day and then stop thinking about it.
Here's the honest bit. A policy in writing still fails if a human has to enforce it. The client texts a sad story, you're between lessons, and waiving is one reply while charging is an invoice, a follow-up, and a weird vibe at the next lesson. So the fee never gets charged, and everyone quietly learns that.
The fix is to take yourself out of the loop. That's how Treyna runs it: the card is saved when the lesson is booked, and when someone cancels late or doesn't show, the fee charges itself, per your policy. You only step in to waive one, on purpose, when you choose to.