Cancellation policy template for salons and service providers, ready to copy
Two templates to copy, without and with prepayment, a short version for the confirmation, and the legal points to watch.
In short
A good cancellation policy is short and clear. It says until when and how a client can cancel for free, what happens if they are late or do not show up, and what the client gets if you cancel. Below you will find two templates to copy: one for when the client pays on site, and one for when they pay in advance at booking. Replace the parts in square brackets with your own details.
Legally, watch three things. The client should see and accept the policy before booking, and accept any payment on top of the main price separately and explicitly (Hungarian Civil Code, sections 6:78 and 6:79). It should be mutual: if you cancel, the client gets the full amount back. And the amount you keep should not be excessive (section 6:104). We found no official or court position on whether the 14-day right of withdrawal applies to online bookings, and whether a hairdressing or beauty appointment is an exception to it. If you charge a fee, have a lawyer check it.
What should a cancellation policy include?
- Deadline: until when the appointment can be cancelled for free, for example 24 hours before.
- How: by link, by message or by phone. The simpler it is, the more clients let you know in time.
- Lateness: how late a client can be, and what happens after that.
- No-shows: what happens if a client does not show up without a word.
- Money: if you take payment in advance, how much is refunded for a timely, a late and a missed appointment.
- If you cancel: what the client gets, for example the full amount or a new appointment.
You do not need more than that. A client should be able to read it in a minute, without being a lawyer.
Template 1: when the client pays on site
This is the simplest version. Nobody keeps any money; the consequence is that a client who regularly misses appointments can only book next time after checking with you.
Cancellation policy
You can cancel or change your appointment for free up to [24] hours before it starts, with the cancellation link in your confirmation email [or on this number: …].
If something comes up later than that, please still let me know as soon as you can, so that someone else can book the slot.
If you are more than [15] minutes late, I may only be able to do a shorter service or move you to another time.
If someone misses two appointments without cancelling, I can only book their next appointment after we have talked it through.
If I have to cancel your appointment, for example because I am ill, I will tell you straight away and offer you a new time.
Template 2: when the client pays in advance at booking
If you ask for the price of the service online, by card, the policy also has to cover the money. This text is for paying the full price in advance, because that is how FoglalGo works too. You decide how much is refunded for a late cancellation.
Cancellation and refund policy
When you book, you pay the full price of the service in advance by card.
- If you cancel at least [24] hours before the start, with the link in your confirmation email, I refund the full amount.
- If you cancel later than that, or do not show up, I refund [half / none] of the amount paid. You also see this when you book, before paying.
- If I cancel your appointment, I refund the full amount, or give you a new time if you prefer.
This policy does not limit your rights of withdrawal, termination or any other consumer rights under the law.
If you keep money for late cancellations, the client should see this before paying and accept it explicitly. We explain this in the legal section below.
Short version for your confirmation and your profile
Put the full policy on your booking page; in the confirmation email and on your Instagram profile one or two sentences are enough:
Free cancellation up to [24] hours before the start, with the link in your confirmation email. If you cannot make it, please let me know, so someone else can take your place. Thank you!
How long should the deadline be?
As long as you need to have a good chance of giving the slot to someone else. You can fill a short haircut within a few hours, but a long colouring or a nail extension is harder, so a longer deadline makes sense there. If a cancelled slot goes straight back into your online booking, a shorter deadline is enough.
A stricter rule is not always better. If a client feels they will be punished for cancelling late, they are more likely to stay away without a word. The goal is for them to tell you in time. We have collected the other steps against missed appointments in this article.
What to watch legally
This section is information, not legal advice. If you keep money for late cancellations, have a lawyer check your own policy.
The client should see and accept it in advance
Under section 6:78 of the Hungarian Civil Code, standard terms only become part of the contract if the client could read them before booking and accepted them. Under section 6:79, a term that gives the business money on top of the main price only applies if the client accepted it explicitly after being told about it separately. A cancellation fee is probably such a term.
Clear, mutual, not excessive
In a contract with a consumer, a term that is not clear can be unfair for that reason alone (section 6:103), and an unfair term is void. Under section 6:104, it is presumed unfair if the client gets no money back when they do not perform while you have no similar obligation, or if it makes them pay an excessive amount. That is why both templates say that if you cancel, the client gets everything back. The law gives no figure for what is excessive.
Deposit or prepaid price?
Under section 6:185 of the Civil Code, a deposit (foglaló) is only a deposit if this is clear from the contract. If the service falls through because of the client, they lose the deposit; if it is your fault, you have to pay back twice the amount. In a beauty case in 2020, the Budapest Conciliation Board recommended that the business repay the client’s 30 000 forint “deposit”, because the contract and the role of the deposit had not been clearly recorded. If your policy mentions a deposit, state exactly what it is for and how much it is.
Online booking and the 14-day withdrawal
Under section 20 of Government Decree 45/2014, a client can withdraw from an online service contract concluded at a distance within 14 days, without giving a reason. Under the EU directive, an appointment requested from a hairdresser by phone is not such a contract in itself, but according to the Commission’s guidance a binding booking can be.
Section 29 (1) l) of the decree makes an exception for leisure services on a specific date. According to the Commission’s guidance, this exception must be interpreted narrowly, and its examples include no hairdressers, beauticians or trainers. We found no Hungarian official or court position on whether it applies to a salon appointment. That is why template 2 ends with the sentence that the policy does not limit the client’s legal rights.
How to use it in practice
Display the policy where clients book, and include it in the confirmation too. Apply it to everyone in the same way, but the first time, if someone tells you honestly, feel free to be flexible. After a late cancellation handled kindly, the client will tell you in time next time.
If a client disputes the rule, show them where they saw it when booking, and stay calm. If you cannot agree, the client can turn to the conciliation board for where they live.
In FoglalGo
You set the cancellation deadline in the booking rules, already in the Start plan. Clients cancel with the link in their confirmation email, up to the deadline, and the cancelled slot goes straight back into your online availability.
If you turn on online payment, the client pays the full price by card at booking, into your own Stripe account. For a cancellation within the deadline, and if you cancel, the full amount is refunded. For late cancellations and no-shows, you decide whether the full amount, half or nothing is refunded, and the client sees this before paying. FoglalGo does not take deposits, that is, partial amounts.
Sources
- Act V of 2013 on the Civil Code (National Legislation Database, in Hungarian) (opens in a new tab) – seeing and accepting standard terms (6:78), explicit acceptance of payment on top of the main price (6:79), unfair terms (6:102–6:104), the deposit (6:185)
- Government Decree 45/2014 (II. 26.) on contracts between consumers and businesses (National Legislation Database, in Hungarian) (opens in a new tab) – the 14-day right of withdrawal (section 20) and the exception for leisure services on a specific date (section 29 (1) l))
- Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights, recital (20) (EUR-Lex, in Hungarian) (opens in a new tab) – the example of an appointment with a hairdresser requested by phone
- European Commission guidance on the interpretation of Directive 2011/83/EU, 2021/C 525/01 (EUR-Lex) (opens in a new tab) – a binding booking can be a distance contract (point 4.1), the exception must be interpreted narrowly (point 5.11.6)
- Budapest Conciliation Board, recommendation BBT/03076/2019 (in Hungarian) (opens in a new tab) – repayment of a “deposit” paid for a beauty service, because the contract and the role of the deposit were not clear
Frequently asked questions
Can I charge clients a cancellation fee?
You can set one if the client saw it before booking and accepted it explicitly, and the rule is clear, mutual and not excessive. For online bookings it is unclear whether a salon appointment is an exception to the 14-day right of withdrawal, so if you charge a fee, have a lawyer check it.
What is the difference between a deposit and an advance payment?
Under the Hungarian Civil Code, a deposit confirms the contract: if the service falls through because of the client, they lose it; if it is your fault, you have to pay back twice the amount. An advance payment is simply part of the price paid early. It is only a deposit if the contract makes this clear.
How long a cancellation deadline should I set?
As long as you need to have a good chance of giving the slot to someone else. For a short service a few hours are enough; for a longer colouring or nail extension you need a longer deadline. 24 hours is a good starting point.
Where should I display my cancellation policy?
On your booking page, where the client sees it before booking, and in short in the confirmation email. A rule tied to payment must be visible to the client before they pay.