Paid for a service that keeps getting cancelled. AIBU?

[Fedupofthis123]

I’ve name changed for this.

I genuinely don’t know if I’m being unreasonable to be annoyed here or if I should be more understanding.

Booked a very expensive appointment for a service, think along beauty appointment kind of lines. I want to be vague just in case this gets back to the professional in question.
I paid a pretty substantial deposit that was non refundable and then the balance for the appointment was to be paid the day before the appointment. This came to a grand in total.

So day before the appointment (after I’d paid the full amount) I get an email saying the practitioner is unwell, can we reschedule for the day after the appointment. I reply saying if it really can’t be done tomorrow then I’ll take it but I struggle to be available that day. Get a reply the next day saying she’s still unwell so can we reschedule for the week after. I agree to this.
The day before that appointment rolls around and I get another email. She’s now got covid. She really did have covid, verified by her Instagram. Obviously this can’t be helped and so the appointment is rescheduled for a few weeks later.
A few weeks later is tomorrow, low and behold, today I’ve received another email saying that she’s had to go home from work sick today and needs to cancel tomorrow. Can we reschedule for around three weeks away. She’s been in work the last week so it’s not that she still has covid and can’t work. I’m struggling to see how you know your going to be unwell tomorrow.
I’m getting nervous now and losing trust. This is a procedure that requires a lot of trust! I’ve paid a lot of money and this is a procedure that needs two appointments. I’m very wary that even if we get to the first appointment I’m going to have issues booking the second and am going to be left with the procedure being half done.

If I cancel I suspect I’m going to have a fight on my hands to get the deposit back. You can only contact her through emails that go to her PA first so you can’t get answers easily or quickly. I’ve replied asking if there’s no way she can do the first appointment any earlier.

I’m waiting for them to reply and If she says there’s no way it can be done any earlier I’m tempted to reply telling them that I’m getting increasingly uneasy and asking for my money back.
I don’t know if I’m being hasty though and she can’t help being ill. Am I?

Every time she reschedules I have to arrange childcare yet again! I’ve got a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Is it a tattoo? Its very tricky either way, I think I'd hang on, but grumble internally about it. If its a tattoo you are unlikely to get your deposit back. Not saying that's right though

Ask to be refunded and find a different practitioner.

I can’t find a different practitioner. Basically she specialises in exactly what I want and nobody else would be able to do it. That’s why I’m stuck.

TheLovleyChebbyMcGee that’s kind of where I’m at now. I don’t see anyway of getting out of this without losing any money other than waiting it out. Something about it doesn’t feel right though and it’s putting me on edge.

Reply 'sorry, I'm off travelling for 6 months and need it done by x date'

Yeah I'd be getting miffed.
I'd say if it's cancelled one more time you want a refund and will be going elsewhere.
Not sure if you'd get it back though tbh but worth a try.

If you look at it another way, you wouldn't want someone doing a procedure that requires a lot of trust and skill if they are not feeling 100%.

I can't imagine any practitioner deliberately cancelling just for the sake of it as it means losing that income. You don't know what her health issue may be that is causing the cancellations.

I can just about cope with losing the deposit but I can’t just write off the whole amount! I didn’t even consider they would just keep my money.
I really regret booking this. It’s not even about the rescheduling. I’m getting nervous about how uncontactable and difficult it is to communicate with them. It can be days before they reply and I it just feels unacceptable when you’ve been cancelled on with very short notice.

They should really be refunding your deposit after cancelling so many times

Find someone else.

Is it something where the second appointment needs to be a specific time after the first? If it is I’d definitely try to get by money back as I wouldn’t have the confidence that she’d be able to do that.How did you pay her? Is it a way that you can claim the money back without her having to agree as she hasn’t fulfilled her service.

I can’t find anyone else. I’m also concerned that due to how difficult even getting a reply is, what’s getting my money back going to be like!

It’s not time reliant but it is going to look fairly odd without the second appointment so I’d like it done sooner rather than later.
Paid by bank transfer which is standard for this kind of work. Obviously that means I’d need her to transfer the money back though.
She’s very very highly regarded so I’m not worried it’s a scam.

Are you able to give a deadline it needs to be done by? If its cancelled again, you do not wish to reschedule, you would like a refund of your deposit. They might just give the deposit back. If they refuse, you can say you will be seeking legal advice / writing reviews on their Facebook page etc.

At the very least she needs to explain why you’d have to wait THREE WEEKS to reschedule. Surely you’re more ahead in the backlog as your treatment was supposed to have been done ages ago, not just this week?

I’d be happy just to get a reply in a timely manner to be honest!
I feel like I can’t say I need it completed by x date because she doesn’t need the business. I suspect she’d just cancel my booking all together. Although I have wondered if she’d have to refund me in full if she cancels on me.

@Fedupofthis123

I can just about cope with losing the deposit but I can’t just write off the whole amount! I didn’t even consider they would just keep my money. I really regret booking this. It’s not even about the rescheduling. I’m getting nervous about how uncontactable and difficult it is to communicate with them. It can be days before they reply and I it just feels unacceptable when you’ve been cancelled on with very short notice.

You shouldn't have to lose the deposit when they are the ones who keep cancelling.

I would pop them one email. Put a delivery and read receipt on it.

Say in the email that you've been looking for this appointment for X length of time. You've been most accommodating to their rescheduling this far but if it doesn't go ahead on Y date (whenever the next appointment is) you want to cancel the appointment and you'll be looking for a 100% return of fees that you've transferred. You will provide them with your banking details so that they can do the same bank transfer that you did to pay them for the service. You haven't received what you've paid for and under either the distance selling or consumer services act (not sure which would apply here) and seeing as how they have mucked you about so far (these rescheduled appointments are not due to you requesting they be rescheduled, it's them), you want the fees returned.

You would also recommend to them, so that other customers don't get stung like this that they should only ever accept the second payment on completion of the service.

I'm guessing this is a tattoo, sounds very much like it. I wouldn't go ahead with the first appointment and try to get my money back. If she cancels/keeps postponing the second appointment, it's unlikely another artist will complete someone else's work, and even so it would probably look odd as they won't have the exact same style.

I just don’t understand why she’d be doing this unless she is genuinely unwell. Which is why I’m struggling to know what to do.

She’s incredibly highly regarded. When she first cancelled due to being unwell her PA said that it’s highly unusual for her to do this. I do really really want the appointment as well. I know the finished result would be well worth it. Im just concerned we’d never get to the finished result…

I would contact her and say that your appointment has now been cancelled four (? I think, from what I can work out) times now and that none of the cancellations were made by you. Explain that you would like either a firm appointment booking or a refund, since the service you have placed a deposit for has not been provided as agreed.

I think that you're a low priority to them now. They've got your money and if they can see someone else and take their cash they'd rather do that and squeeze you in another time. Time to get tough with them, definitely not unreasonable to do so.

I’ve been offered another date now, a week earlier than the aforementioned date. I’ve also been offered a follow up appointment so I’ve got both booked in. Obviously now they just need to happen without being cancelled.

The fun part was trying to word the email letting them know I’d take the appointments. How do you word ‘yes please’ politely while also making it known that this is an absolute pisstake…

Would seek a refund, and wouldn’t pay such a large ‘deposit’ again without written Ts&Cs.

Dear X
I will take the appointment as I am keen to have this procedure done following several cancellations
Please note that if this appointment is cancelled again, or the practitioner needs to reschedule for any reason, I will be requesting a full refund (including deposit)
Thanks

I would let them know you’re not ducking about and hopefully this will make them less likely to cancel

Can you go in and ask to speak to someone in person?