Running late or a no-show
Call the shop. Do not rely on the booking link when the clock is short.
If you are going to be late, call the shop directly. The number is on your confirmation and on the shop's page. Staff can decide whether to hold the chair, shorten the service, or move you.
Do not use the reschedule link on your way in. Reschedule releases your slot immediately, and someone else can grab it before you arrive. It will also refuse a time that close, because moving a booking inside the shop's notice period would leave you unable to change it again.
Do not text CANCEL either
Replying CANCEL to an appointment text does not cancel the appointment. Carriers require CANCEL to be treated as an opt-out keyword, so it stops all future messages instead — reminders included — and your booking stays exactly where it was. The auto-reply says so, but by then you may have assumed it was handled. Use the link, or phone.
No-show policy
If you do not show and do not call, the shop's no-show policy applies. Common outcomes are:
- Deposit forfeited, if you paid one and the shop's refund cutoff has passed.
- A note added to your customer record inside the shop.
- Restrictions on future online booking, set by the shop.
Every shop sets its own policy. Ask the shop if you are unsure.
Why shops care more than you might expect
A missed appointment is not an empty hour a shop can use. It is an hour that was closed to everyone else, in a diary the shop planned staffing around, and it cannot be resold after the fact. Ten minutes' notice is often enough for a shop to offer the slot to someone waiting; no notice never is.
That is the whole reason deposits exist, and it is why a phone call is worth making even when you are certain the answer is no. A shop that hears from you will usually work with you. A shop that does not hear from you has nothing to work with.