The Sewing Place

Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments

Bloobell

Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« on: February 22, 2018, 12:20:08 PM »
I'm lucky in that this doesn't happen all that often, but today appears to be my lucky day (again). My 11am booking didn't turn up. They only booked the appointment on Tuesday so I didn't send a reminder.

I hate it when this happens. I have to tidy my darn workroom in order to make it look semi-presentable, and pack away the bridal dress I was working on about 20 mins before the appointment, to give me time to hoover quickly.

Then I have to sit and wait on them, just in case they were delayed in traffic. Thirty minutes after the appointment time, I finally give in, and get back on with my day. That's an hour I lose, each and every time someone just hasn't the manners to let me know they've changed their mind and aren't coming.

Where are people's manners nowadays? They'd be charged by a dentist now for being late, or non-attendance, so maybe I need to do the same.

I had an email address for this person, and have emailed them to say they've missed their appointment and I regret that I no longer feel it's possible for me to fit them into my busy schedule.

Does this happen to us all? How does everyone else deal with it?

b15erk

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2018, 12:31:05 PM »
Well done for that email bloobell!  That's just plain rude!  Not to mention the cost to your working day...

Hope it really inconveniences them!

Jessie

Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

UttaRetch

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2018, 12:41:32 PM »
If they try and make another appointment - I doubt it - just tell them to find somebody else.

Samantha

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2018, 13:17:59 PM »
You could maybe charge for the first appointment (and payment before the date too) which then gets taken off the bill at the end?

My husband teaches privately and he always asks for payment as soon as the date is booked. On the odd occasion he's agreed to being paid a few days before or on the day he has always been let down, very frustrating.

Sandra

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2018, 14:47:10 PM »
Oh, Bloobell...this drives me round the bend too.

I know exactly what you mean about halting your day to await a customer.

This is my HOME....not a shop you can just arrive at whenever's convenient  :angry: ...and I always give them longer than is really necessary, just in case of traffic problems/family crisis etc.

It's terrible...such bad manners.

Sandra.
xxx

Stitches

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2018, 15:47:46 PM »
This drives me round the bend as well.
They don't reliase that you have to stop what you are working on .then get it all out again

Bloobell

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2018, 16:38:52 PM »
I've looked back at my records and pretty much all my no-shows have been someone wanting something made for a kid. This pair wanted a pram accessory. A sun shade, that they could probably buy easily but not in their "specially chosen"  fabric. As if the kid cares......

Thank goodness for my excited, giddy, bouncing off the walls brides and bridesmaids.

Sandra

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2018, 17:23:42 PM »

Thank goodness for my excited, giddy, bouncing off the walls brides and bridesmaids.

Yes..They arrive in a pack (herd?) and they're chatty and excited talking about make-up, hair and shoes and gossiping about who they're going to 'have' to invite.  0_0

But it always worries me having beautiful gowns hanging around and hoping I can store them safely until they're collected.

Sandra.
xxx

Bloobell

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2018, 17:50:56 PM »
I'm more relaxed about it than I used to be, mainly because my cats were both much younger when I started the business and a lot more curious about what I was doing! Now, our sole survivor is 17 and only concerned with eating and cuddling and snoozing on our bed. I'll have to think over my security arrangements again when the time comes to add some new furry vandals to our family.

Surest1tch

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2018, 18:48:54 PM »
You did absolutely the right thing unless of course there was a really good plausible excuse, like say a family member being involved in an accident or a bereavement.

UttaRetch

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2018, 21:00:11 PM »
Bloobell, if you don't need the business just turn these time wasters away.

Goth Gardiner

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2018, 10:10:51 AM »
My husband also runs a business seeing clients from home and like you has to set things up (and settle the cats somewhere out of the way). He also rents rooms a couple of half days a week.

He used to get no shows.  Now he asks each new client for their credit card details  when they make an appointment.  If they make excuses not to give cc details over the phone he suggests they send a cheque or do a bank transfer.  Usually at that stage they say they have changed their minds.

He also has a 48 hour cancellation policy.

I asked him yesterday about no-showe.  He told me that the last half dozen no shows he had had where people simply did not show up for a first appointment and never offered an explanation had been where he'd made an exception to the credit card rule.  Now he doesn't make exceptions.

I should though point out that the charging for no-shows or late cancellations rule isn't always enforced - it depends on the reason and the attitude and previous reliability  of the client.

I would do as he does and ask for a non-refundable deposit and explain why.  If people are committed to getting the work done and are themselves reliable and sensible they will understand.
There's no workman, whatsoever he be, That may both work well and hastily

Samantha

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2018, 10:58:37 AM »
Bloobell, if you don't need the business just turn these time wasters away.

You can't always tell who the time wasters are though!  Andy had a conversation with a potential customer and afterwards said to me "I don't think we'll get anything from her".  4 years later and she has done many many courses with him, probably one of his top spending customers and her and her husband are now friends.

@Goth Gardiner yep whenever you make an exception they always let you down.

UttaRetch

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2018, 12:53:16 PM »
By 'timewasters', I was really thinking of what Bloobell said earlier:

Quote
I've looked back at my records and pretty much all my no-shows have been someone wanting something made for a kid. This pair wanted a pram accessory. A sun shade, that they could probably buy easily but not in their "specially chosen"  fabric. As if the kid cares......

If it's not part of my core business, I wouldn't even entertain it.

Bloobell

Re: Dealing with clients who don't turn up for booked appointments
« Reply #14 on: February 26, 2018, 13:02:45 PM »
Sometimes the most plausible people are those who just don't turn up. I've had brides, bridesmaids etc do a disappearing act, too.

I had one bridesmaid who was in desperate need of help. The wedding was only two weeks away, she was maid of honour, and she was pregnant (but hadn't been, when they bought the dress). She was about 6 months along, and getting bigger by the day, and her dress could not be fastened, at all. She begged me to squeeze her in (in all ways) so I found room in my diary that day.

Guess who never showed up? I even texted her to check she was okay, as it was only three hours since I'd spoken to...she ignored me.

She was called all kind of rude and totally unprintable names by me, as I'd had to ask another client to move her appointment around, purely so I could fit this woman in when it suited HER (she had kids she needed to pick up from school).

I no longer bend over backwards for anyone, and I certainly would never ask another client to change their booking again.