Booking policy
What should an appointment cancellation policy include?
A useful cancellation policy tells a client what to do, when to do it and what happens next. It also gives staff one clear path for a cancellation, a move and a no-show.
If you need an appointment cancellation policy in Australia, start with the work your team must do. Write plain rules that match that flow.
Clients need clear words. Staff need clear steps. The diary needs one final state. Test all three.
Short answer: state the notice rule, the way to cancel or move a booking, what counts as late or a no-show, what happens to any money already paid, fair exceptions, and what happens if your business cancels. Show the key terms before the client books. Repeat the short version in the confirmation, then make sure the diary, messages and staff actions all match.
Make seven decisions before you write the policy
Start with the real choices your team must make. Do not begin with a legal template and try to fit the business around it.
| Decision | What the policy should say | What the workflow needs |
|---|---|---|
| Notice | The cut-off and how it is measured | A clear date and time for the deadline |
| Cancel | Which contact path counts | A person or system that receives it |
| Move | Whether a reschedule follows the same rule | A new time and a closed old booking |
| No-show | When a missed booking gets that label | A diary state, staff note and next action |
| Money | What may happen to a deposit, prepayment or fee | A reviewed rule and a record of the decision |
| Exceptions | Who can make one and on what basis | A reason note and consistent approval path |
| Business change | What happens if you cancel or move the job | Fast notice and a refund or new-time process where due |
The ACCC explains that a contract can exist even when there is no signed paper. Clear written terms still help both sides see what they agreed. They also give staff a steady rule when a hard case lands on a busy day.
Keep cancellation, reschedule and no-show separate
These events are related, but they are not the same.
Cancelled
The client tells you the booking will not go ahead. The diary should close the old slot and record when notice arrived.
Rescheduled
The old booking ends and a new one is set. Both records should make the change clear so two times do not stay live.
No-show
The start time passes without the client attending or using the agreed contact path. Staff still need a set wait and follow-up rule.
Use these states in the policy and in the diary. If the policy says one thing while the booking tool uses another label, reports and client messages will drift.
Show the key terms before the booking is made
A policy link in a reminder is useful, but it should not be the client's first clear view of an important fee or rule. Put a short summary where the client books. Link the full terms beside it. Keep the same words in the confirmation.
The Australian Government's Australian Consumer Law guidance for businesses says contracts must be easy to understand and must not hide unfair terms or fees. It also says a store policy cannot remove rights that come from consumer guarantees.
For a phone booking, give staff a short script. They should say the key rule before the client agrees, then send the written confirmation. For a web booking, keep the summary near the final booking action. Do not rely on a long terms page that is hard to find.
If phone and web bookings use different steps, map them together. Our online versus phone booking guide shows how both channels can feed one diary.
Choose a notice rule from the real operating window
There is no useful universal cut-off for every service. A ten-minute phone consult, a full-day site job and a two-person treatment do not have the same cost, travel or chance of refill.
Write down what must happen after a client cancels:
- How long does the business need to offer the time to someone else?
- Are staff, rooms, stock, travel or equipment already locked in?
- Can the work move without causing another booking clash?
- Are weekends and public holidays part of the notice count?
- What exact time does the cut-off fall on?
Then write the rule with a real example. If a booking starts at 9 am on Thursday, say exactly when notice must reach the business. Words such as "one day" or "reasonable notice" can mean different things to different people.
Treat any fee as a legal and evidence decision
Do not copy another business's fee. A fee that suits one service may not fit your costs, terms or facts.
The ACCC says a standard term may be unfair if it creates a large imbalance, is not needed to protect a legitimate interest and could cause harm. The contract as a whole and the clarity of the term matter. Only a court can make the final decision that a term is unfair.
Consumer Affairs Victoria's cancellation guidance for tourism businesses says fees should not be excessive, terms should be shown before booking, and a business should consider whether it reduced its loss by filling the booking again. That page is written for tourism, so use it as a useful warning, not a rule for every appointment trade.
Before adding a fee: record the real loss the rule is meant to address, decide how the client will see and accept it, set the evidence staff must keep, and have the wording checked for your business. Never use "no refunds" wording to try to remove Australian Consumer Law rights.
A deposit is a separate choice. Read our booking deposit guide before you join the two rules.
Say what happens when the business cancels
A one-sided policy creates both trust and legal risk. Include the business side:
- how quickly you will tell the client;
- whether you will offer a new time, another worker or another practical option;
- how money already paid will be handled;
- who pays attention to related harm or urgent needs; and
- who can approve the final outcome.
Do not promise an option you cannot provide. Keep consumer guarantees and any industry rules above the policy. If the service has a fault or cannot be supplied as agreed, a change-of-mind rule may not decide the client's rights.
Put the policy into the booking workflow
- Show it. Place the short rule before the final booking action or say it on the call.
- Record agreement. Keep the accepted version, booking time and contact path.
- Confirm it. Send the date, time, place, change path and short policy link.
- Receive the change. Make sure a reply, call or form reaches a person or queue.
- Update the diary. Close the old booking, open a new one if needed and stop stale reminders.
- Apply the rule. Record the notice time, decision, exception and any money action.
- Tell the client. Send one clear outcome and the next useful step.
Square's Australian appointment support shows this same operating idea in a product workflow: a business can set a cut-off, choose whether clients may cancel or move online, show the policy in the booking flow and confirmation, and keep cancelled and no-show states apart. See Square's current cancellation and prepayment guide. Those are Square settings, not claims about Alice.
Match the policy with the messages. Our confirmation versus reminder guide explains why a confirmation, reminder and change notice have different jobs.
Run eight tests before the policy goes live
Use test clients, safe payment settings and staff who know it is a drill.
- Book online and check that the key rule is visible before the final action.
- Book by phone and check that the staff script and written confirmation match.
- Cancel before the cut-off and confirm the diary and client message show the right result.
- Cancel after the cut-off and check the case goes to the right decision path.
- Move a booking and make sure the old slot, old reminder and old worker assignment close.
- Mark a no-show and check the record is different from a client cancellation.
- Make a fair exception and confirm the reason and approver are saved.
- Cancel from the business side and test the notice, money and new-time path.
Check the real client phone and the real diary. A green set-up screen does not prove the message arrived or the old booking closed.
Use a plain-language structure, not a copied template
Your first draft can use this order:
- Scope: which bookings and services the policy covers.
- Client changes: how to cancel or move and the notice cut-off.
- Late changes and no-shows: the possible outcomes and how they are decided.
- Money: how deposits, prepayments, fees, refunds or credits may be handled.
- Exceptions: how to ask and who decides.
- Business changes: what you will do if you cannot keep the booking.
- Contact: the exact phone, reply, form or email path.
Write short sentences. Use the same labels in the booking form, staff guide, confirmation and diary. Then get advice on the actual terms, not just the spelling.
Frequently asked questions
Should every business use a 24-hour cancellation policy?
No. Choose a cut-off from the real time needed to refill the slot and manage staff, travel, stock or rooms. Make the deadline exact and easy to see.
Is rescheduling the same as cancelling?
No. A reschedule closes one booking and creates another. State whether the same notice rule applies, then make sure the old time and reminders are closed.
Can I charge a cancellation or no-show fee?
That depends on your terms, disclosure, facts and applicable law. Do not treat a copied fee as valid for your business. Record the real basis and get the wording checked.
Where should I show the policy?
Show the key terms before the client books. Link the full policy there, then repeat a short version in the confirmation and make it easy to find later.
What should happen after a client cancels?
Record when notice arrived, close the old booking, stop stale reminders, free the right staff or resource, decide the outcome, and send the client one clear next step.
Sources checked on 14 August 2026
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission: Contracts
- business.gov.au: Australian Consumer Law and your business
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: When customers cancel - guidance for tourism businesses
- Square Support Australia: Manage booking cancellations and prepayment policies
- LegalVision: Can I charge a cancellation fee for a service?
Australian law, regulator guidance and booking tools can change. Check the current sources and get advice for your actual terms before you rely on a fee or refund rule.
Keep the policy tied to the booking
See how Alice brings the client call and booking diary into one flow. Then test your own cancellation path from notice to final diary state.
See Alice in action