Deposit

A deposit is a part-payment taken when an appointment is booked and set against the final price. It gives the client something to lose by not arriving, which is why deposits reduce no-shows more reliably than a stated policy does.

Also called: booking deposit, prepayment, holding fee

Deposits are best applied selectively. Long or expensive services, new clients, and the Saturday slots everyone wants are where an empty chair hurts most. Routine appointments for regulars rarely need one.

The amount matters less than its existence. A modest deposit is enough to make someone cancel properly instead of vanishing, and small enough that it does not deter a genuine booking.

In Booked, deposits are configured per service, so a shop can require one on a colour correction and nothing on a fifteen-minute trim.