About being charged for missed appointment?

[Buttercupdaisies]

For several months I’ve had a weekly appointment somewhere. This week, I had to go into hospital as am 33 weeks pregnant and had an injury (all was fine.) I rang up and explained and apologised.

They have just charged my card the full amount. I suspect a lot or people will say I am BU but I don’t feel great about it, tbh. Just wondered what the consensus was.

Perhaps if the OP had called and expressed how unhappy she was at being charged for an appointment she unavoidably missed, the business may have been sympathetic and waived the fee. As she hasn't, she'll never know.

This is why I store a prepayment card on these websites as never any money on it.

But she didn't actually tell them - she left a message, that may or may not have been received and even if it was received it may or may not have been after the OP was charged automatically when she no showed her appointment.

The problem is that she seems to be refusing to call them on principle to find out if they would waive the fee but instead is pissed at them not just knowing that she wants them to give her some goodwill and refund the late fee.

Nonsense. Small business would have in t&cs about charging for missed apointment. Hilarious, do take the scenario to a solicitor and see what they woukd say. You would be laughed out of the building.

Terms and conditions ARE legally binding if you choose to go ahead (whether you read them or not, they are there and expected to be read)
If you didn't read them that's your fault, not theirs. I would have thought that a back massage entailed lying on my front and that could be awkward at 33 weeks pregnant. Not something I'd have wanted to do, to put pressure on a growing foetus. It's not worth crying over ,£30.

I'm with you OP, if you ring up and you say that you have an urgent hospital appointment, and let's face it, they must know you are pregnant, then you have cancelled late. You pay, because that is their T&C, and had you not had to pay, you would have returned, but as it is, it is irritating to the extent that given that it's not a particularly unusual or difficult to find service, you may as well go elsewhere. I'd do the same, it'd put me right off going back, they are not wrong to follow their policy, but I'd be linking going with stress and bad feeling.

Just out of interest - have you ever signed a 'permission to store card details' form with this business? If you haven't, the business is absolutely breaking a huge GDPR requirement and if you point that out to them, I'm sure you'll suddenly find you get your £££'s back!

I'm not a lawyer, but I do run a business which issues contracts with cancellation clauses. I really don't think they should charge you for something like this: it was an emergency and you tried to reach them. If it were me, I'd take the cancellation fee but waive the charge for the next booking.

Another vote for YABU, I'm afraid.

I've never signed anything with Amazon, but they have my card details stored...

She booked online. The card details will be stored securely on the booking system that will have all these things covered.

Amazon have my card details, BUT, I have to add in my CVV everytime.

I don't know the legality, but would also worry about a beauty salon/shop etc storing my ENTIRE card details on some system!

I don't have to add my CVV to order from Amazon. I do for many places, but not there.

If you are not happy for the details to be stored by a salon, don't input them into a booking system that will most likely specifically state that they can take full payment in the event if a late cancellation or no show.

Maybe. Again, and repeating others, it depends on if it is clearly stated in their terms and conditions. If it is not, then challenge the charge with your card company. If it is, you'll have to eat this one, and keep it in mind.

OP, I forgot about my private dentist appointment. I was a customer of several years and even though it was in their Ts and Cs that they would charge, they waived the charge.

This was with me simply forgetting rather than having a medical emergency

In your shoes I would withdraw my custom as they have discretion to not charge, which they are choosing not to use. They don't value you

It's a case of them storing the card details securely unless you opt out. If you ALWAYS shop at a particular store or have your food delivered, most businesses store your card details, I know Tesco and Waitrose and Amazon etc do keep mine. You can change card details or remove a card or opt out and just give details each time you make a purchase but whoever wrote that it's illegal is wrong. If you leave your card details with the seller, then, in the absence of you taking action, they're allowed to take what you owe on the day.
If you left a voicemail, it may not have been heard before the transaction took place.

...and I don't have to input my details or CVV every time on Amazon either. There are robust measures in place which prevent fraudulent withdrawals by businesses.

I think you should talk to them. My eyelash girls move my appointments a lot, and their salon policy has a 7 day non refundable cancellation policy if I cancel or change my appointment. But my girl told me if I ever have an issue to directly message her. But also if this person is self employed then they are loosing money they had factored into their weekly earnings

But the OP doesn't know that they don't value her or that they won't waive the charge as she hasn't actually asked them to do so.

For all we know the salon may not have received the OPs voice message until after her appointment was missed, at which point the booking system had automatically charged her card the no-show fee so they didn't have the opportunity to stop the charge before it was made.

They know the late fee is in the Ts and C's so have probably just assumed that since the OP has not contacted them since the missed appointment message that she has accepted the late fee without argument. However, if she had contacted them then they would be willing to waive the fee as a goodwill gesture, whether that is by processing a refund or letting the OP use the fee as credit towards a future appointment.

Bloody hell
This is a lot

@Buttercupdaisies you are unhappy as you feel it wasn't your fault you missed the appointment; but neither was it the fault of the business. If you were then and had multiple cancellations then you would understand why they can't look at this emotionally and have to look after their business.
they also can't win as there are people out there that would complain if the business tried calling them when they had said that they were going to hospital.
I work in a hotel and people are always booking non- refundable rates on booking.com and then trying to cancel and get a refund.
You cancelled at short notice op, and the business shouldn't have to
swallow that cost. There will probably be an insurance policy for this sort of thing soon as it is normal practice to have cancellation charges these days.

Can I just say having read the thread, there are at least two of you on here who are deliberately being vile.
@Buttercupdaisies I was in a very similar position with a massage therapist in that I gave notice of not being able to attend and was charged regardless.

I actually gave over 24 hours notice but was charged £75. The same as you I had had no notification or given permission for my card details to be kept on file. In my case I had already decided to not return because I went twice and wasn't impressed with their skills. In fact, the second time the person hurt me! When I complained I was fobbed off

I was then unwell and unable to attend and called them two days before.

I rang to complain that they charged me and said I will no longer be using the service. She said because I had three further appointments scheduled that I would no longer be attended she would charge for these too.

I would be cautious if you also have a block booking if you quite rightly won't be going back

In my situation, I contacted my bank and had them put in a chargeback. I also reported them to trading standards regards them illegally storing my banking details without permission.

Alot of these companies aren't upfront and don't have written Ts & Cs. It backfired for the one who tried it on with me as trading standards found other irregularities and the whole place shut down within six months.

I would get your bank involved. They've fraudulently taken money without permission and if you weren't made away they were storing your card details they can get in the shit for that too.

I can understand the general policy to be to charge for late cancellations. I can even understand that “sob stories” aren’t accepted otherwise everyone will have a medical emergency/sick granny to get out of paying. But I also thing for a regular, reliable customer it is common sense to make exceptions.

I’ve twice cancelled a physio appointment at short notice, one due to covid and another to feeling unwell. They didn’t charge me…..I spend well over 1k a year with them. And yes, I probably wouldn’t have returned if they had charged me.

are you going to tell the massage therapist why you’re not returning?

I would get your bank involved. They've fraudulently taken money without permission and if you weren't made away they were storing your card details they can get in the shit for that too.

I would be very careful chucking the term fraud about, it will be in their terms and conditions and by booking the OP will have agreed these this giving permission.

Also you don't know if the OP ticked a box to say they were okay to save the card details.

But seeing as the OP can't be bothered to contact them and may even potentially get the money back if she did we will never know.

I completely understand why OP has got fed up with some of the people posting on this thread actually, it’s frustrating just reading through it as an outsider! You in
particular (who has maybe got a little bit too involved in this thread and possibly should have stopped typing a while ago…) have made various points about ‘no shows’ despite op and OTHER posters pointing out that op had clearly said multiple times she DID phone and DID leave a message!
And all the ridiculousness comments about the fact she left a message because the business didn’t answer her call; It should be absolutely ok to expect an appointment run business to check their messages!!
The main thing that people seem to have missed on this thread though (especially the ones like the poster above who just seem to want to come for op….) is that this was a medical emergency! Op is heavily pregnant, had been injured at work and was having bad cramps as a result of the injury and was told to get to hospital, that must have been terrifying and she may very well still be recovering from this! In her position I’m not sure I’d have even remembered a pre standing appointment, let alone given it enough thought to still phone and cancel! Yet some want to berate her for not taking the time to make sure she got through to someone in person… 🤔
Sorry to hear about your injury and your scare op, hope you and baby are recovering ok x

After reading most of the thread I’m in the minority but I voted you are not being unreasonable. Having been asked to attend MAU due to an injury which caused cramping when heavily pregnant is outwith your control. I was asked to attend mau quite a few time in the latter stages of pregnancy and if I had to cancel appointments (normally hair) then I was never charged. I understand they are a business but I think there should be some instances where the t&c’s shouldn’t come into play and this is one of them. In their defence maybe they didn’t get the voicemail and treated it as a no show. when you call to ask for your card details to be removed just say you want to double check if they received your voicemail that you were at the hospital so couldn’t attend if they say yes then just say you are disappointed that they still charged the full amount under the circumstances as you feel it was something out with your control and as a result you will not be continuing with your weekly appointment. I’m glad you and baby are ok though. I hope the rest of your pregnancy is straightforward. X