Angry and demanding a refund !

[LolaRosieBoo]

I am a self-employed PT, very well known in my area, have been doing so for 10 years and as such I am expensive (£60 per session). A few years ago, I had to change my T&Cs so that sessions were paid for monthly in advance and sessions cancelled on the day would still be charged.

Before I implemented this policy, people would cancel their sessions with extremely short notice - on the day of - and sometimes only an hour beforehand. I’d also had people just not turn up! This was costing me both time and money, and this income supports my family.

Last month a new client started, she paid upfront and I sent the T&Cs. She cancelled her session yesterday (6 hours before it was due to start), saying her child was sick so she couldn’t make it. I wished her child to feel better and said I would see her next week. This morning, I’ve had a message saying ‘please deduct yesterdays session from next months invoice’. I replied saying that as per the T&Cs, I cannot give her a refund as she cancelled with less than a days notice, making it very difficult for me to recoup that money by finding someone else to fill her space.

She has now sent me a very angry text message demanding a refund or she will post about me on our local Facebook community board. She has accused me of being unethical, as people (especially those with children) will sometimes need to cancel at short notice and she cannot afford to spend £60 for nothing. I replied that this is my income and how I support my family, and I equally cannot afford to not be paid when it’s very short notice with no possibility of me finding someone else.

AIBU?

@enchantedsquirrelwood what do you think they'd be being compensated for, exactly?

Tell her to post away - anyone with any sense will understand this is a business, and if you cancel less than 24 hours you pay.
Now if she was a long standing client, I'd give a bit of leeway at your discretion. But s new client? You've been fair and upfront (though in future I would definitely verbally tell them about the 24 hours notice),

YANBU. But as a gesture of goodwill I would have offered her a one off rescheduling - that's how you build relationships with your clients.

Maybe if the complainer had a problem with the Ts and Cs she could have, you know, not accepted them?

@Viviennemary The reason I don’t charge half the fee is because I have bills, mortgage, childcare, and I do a set number of hours at £60 per session so that I can cover all of my costs. If I started giving people half off every time they cancelled, I’d need to take on more clients to compensate.

YANBU. That's your T&Cs. Maybe point out if she posts, it will be slander.

You said she paid, then you sent her the T&Cs.

That's the wrong way around really, you should be sending the T&Cs before any payment is taken surely?

I'd have given her a one off cancellation "freebie" but used it as an opportunity to remind her that any future cancellations will be charged for.

She will just make herself look the arse that she is.

I would also remind her of libel laws as you have not done anything wrong. And that all her other sessions are paid for to let you know within the required period if she will not be attending, or she will not be getting refund for these either.

5pm the day before is fine, in terms of cancellation.

If I had a a client doing multiple PT a week, and they'd been coming for a while, and I was confident they weren't a pisstaker, I'd consider a softer cancellation policy (i.e. a carry over.) But not for one session a week only and not for a new client whose behaviour you can't read well yet.

I'm in the same position. Self -employed PT who charges 60 an hour. I have a clear cancellation policy of 24 hours and I stick to it by and large. I've made a couple of exceptions - when a client's father died and another who had to go to hospital with an ectopic pregnancy. However, it's standard to have that policy so you aren't in the wrong. Stick to your guns and let the client go. If she posts, so be it. Most people would be on your side.

As a business owner I can tell you for a fact you want to build a relationship with good clients, and you want to avoid at all costs dishonest nasty clients who accept your terms and conditions, then threaten you because they don't like the agreement they signed.

In my business a small proportion of potential clients ask "is that your best price?" or "that's expensive can you do it for less?" I don;t have a hard and fast rule, but about 75% of the time my reaction is "sorry, I am going to decline the job".

In my experience people who moan about the cost, or think they can agree terms and then demand better terms are a pain in the neck and you're better off without them. They tend to be the people who don;t want to pay, or pay late, or demand that trivial mistakes are rectified (eg demand a report is re-issued because of a typo even though the typo makes no difference to them, the only one going to read it), of want repeated follow-up advice free etc etc

I’d just keep the money from the cancelled session and refund the rest of the month. Lose her as a client.
She’s just going to be threatening you with bad reviews every time something doesn’t go her way.
Why on earth is she booking a pt at £60 ph if she’s struggling anyway?
if she leaves a bad review, use it as an opportunity to remind people of your t&cs with a factual response.

I would also, if you don't already, put the cancellation term in covering emails so that other customers cannot argue that the onerous term has not been drawn to their attention.

YANBU this is standard in many places.
My dd has riding lessons and you have to give 48 hours notice or be charged. They are expensive and I have been stung a couple of times when dd was sick.

Vet - last minute cancellations always charged (very annoying when cat does a vanishing act on the morning of the visit)

It is pretty normal practice.

I do agree with this. T&Cs need to come with or before the request for payment.

Sorry - I did send the T&Cs before payment was made and the sessions were booked - realise my OP was open to misunderstanding.

I think as well as sending the T&Cs you should also explain them verbally - as I imagine a lot of people won't read them - and it might avoid issues.

What @titchy said is basically how I would word my reply to this delightful client.

I would offer to reschedule personally, that is the goodwill gesture.
Where as technically you are right, it doesn't help to be flexible in some circumstances. My PT is flexible to some extent. We might change the dates/time to fit my schedule but the one time I overslept I forfeited my session (that was my choice out of respect for her time)

Stick to your guns. Why should HER child being sick cost YOU £60?

I would tell her go for it and then calmly post your terms and conditions on the post when she does it.

You have nothing to be ashamed of and she should not have booked if she didn't like them term

I'd simply tell her I don't respond to blackmail, and ditch her. Clients like that are more trouble than they're worth. By the sounds of it, you are very in demand, and I'm sure can replace her with ease. Probably with someone who's far more pleasant as well!

Good for you OP, you must be very good at your job being fully booked with a waiting list so people clearly think you are worth the money you charge. I don't agree with people saying you should have a more lenient policy - you've got no need to! And as you say, you work set hours to cover your costs. Stick to your guns on that session, and consider cancelling her as a client. You can give her spot to someone on your waiting list who won't be so disrespectful.

Stick to your guns, no refund. If you have any sessions free in the next few days, you could offer, as a gesture of good will, to do the session then instead. She chose to have children, that reason doesn't give her a priority over any other last minute illnesses, set backs others have.