Deposit and cancellation policy wording you can copy
A policy only works if the customer sees it before they book, agrees to it in writing, and gets reminded of it before the appointment. The wording below covers all three points. Keep it to three short sentences: how much the deposit is, how much notice you need, and what happens if that notice is not given.
The policy itself, in three sentences
Long policies do not get read and do not get enforced. The version people actually agree to is short enough to fit in a text message. Fill in your own numbers and use the same wording everywhere: your website, your booking confirmation and your reminder.
"To hold your appointment we take a £{amount} deposit, which comes off the final price. If you need to move or cancel, please give us at least {24 or 48} hours' notice and we will move the deposit to your new date. Less than that, or a no-show, and the deposit covers the slot we could not fill."
Notice what that does. It explains the deposit is not an extra charge, it names the notice period as a number rather than "reasonable notice", and it gives the reason for the charge instead of just the threat. Customers argue with rules. They rarely argue with an empty slot.
Where the wording has to appear
- On the booking page or in the message where the appointment is agreed, before any money changes hands
- In the confirmation, so there is a written record they received it
- In the reminder the day before, in one short line rather than the full policy
- On the invoice or receipt, so the deposit shows as coming off the total
Asking for the deposit without sounding suspicious
By text: "Lovely, I can do {day} at {time}. To hold it I take a £{amount} deposit which comes off the price on the day. Here is the link: {link}. Once that is in you will get a confirmation."
By email: "Happy to book you in for {day} at {time}. We hold slots with a £{amount} deposit, taken off your final bill. You can pay it here: {link}. If anything changes, just give us {24 or 48} hours and we will move it across at no cost."
On the phone: "I can put you in for {day}. I will send a link for the £{amount} deposit, that just holds the slot and comes off what you pay on the day."
The phrase that does the work is "comes off the price". Most resistance to deposits is a fear of paying twice, not a fear of paying early.
The reminder that stops the cancellation
"Hi {name}, looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at {time} at {place}. If tomorrow no longer works, reply to this message today and we will move you at no cost."
That last line is the whole trick. You are not warning them about a charge, you are offering them an easy way out that happens to fall inside your notice period. A customer who moves the appointment keeps their deposit and you keep the booking.
What to say when somebody cancels late
- Acknowledge it first, because most late cancellations are genuinely bad luck
- State what the policy does rather than what they did wrong
- Offer the new date in the same message, so the conversation ends on a booking
- Decide in advance when you will waive it, so it is a rule and not a mood
Wording: "No problem at all, these things happen. As it is inside the {24} hours the deposit covers the slot, but I can get you back in on {day} if that helps. Shall I hold it?"
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Send me the free BlueprintWhy most policies fail
Almost nobody fails at writing the policy. They fail at sending it every single time. The confirmation goes out when you remember, the reminder goes out when you are not on a job, and the one customer who never got either is the one who argues. That is the same gap that causes appointment no-shows in the first place.
GoHighLevel can take the deposit, attach the policy to the confirmation and send the day-before reminder automatically, so every customer gets the identical wording without you doing anything. The appointment reminder text templates are the messages that go around it.
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Common questions
How much should a deposit be?
Enough to hurt a little, not enough to lose the booking. For most service businesses that is somewhere between a fifth and a third of the job, or a flat amount that roughly covers the slot you could not resell. Round numbers such as £20 or £50 get queried less than odd ones.
Is 24 hours or 48 hours better notice?
Pick the time you would realistically need to fill the slot. A salon can often fill tomorrow, so 24 hours is fair. A tradesperson who has travelled or ordered materials needs longer, so 48 hours is fair. Whichever you pick, use the same number in every message.
Can I keep a deposit if someone cancels late?
In the UK you can retain an amount that reflects your genuine loss, and a deposit that is a fair estimate of the slot you could not fill is normally defensible. A charge that looks like a penalty rather than a loss is not. Get the customer's agreement in writing before you take the money and keep the amount proportionate.
Should I ever waive the fee?
Yes, and decide when in advance. A regular customer with a genuine emergency, once, is good business. The point of writing the rule down is so that waiving it is a favour you chose, not a row you lost.