You might miss an appointment because you regret making it and now you haven’t got the guts to cancel.
Maybe you think that your time is more important than the person who is waiting for you.
Or you simply forgot.
To navigate the issue of no-shows. Contracts can have late charges and penalties built in to protect both sides from buyer’s remorse, reneged promises, and misinformation.
In the service industry deposits are more common, and they work. The fear with deposits is the creation of an entry barrier for walk-in and new customers and a difficult moment for the usually loyal who have slipped up.
At the heart of the problem is entitlement and it isn’t very helpful. In the end, it comes down to a choice. Take a little loss, punish everyone or seek to understand each other with an honest conversation about expectations.
If you cared would you be there?