Late Cancellations & Reschedules (Less Than 48 Hours) — Internal Policy

Purpose

When a client cancels or requests to reschedule with less than 48 hours’ notice, the originally scheduled cleaning must be treated as a Lockout. This protects the scheduled Cleaning Technician(s) from lost income and keeps the client’s regular recurring schedule intact.

Client Policy

Clients who cancel or reschedule less than 48 hours before their scheduled service are charged a $100 Lockout Fee.

For Monday appointments, notice must be received by 9:00 AM on the preceding Friday to avoid the fee.

Use clear, professional language:

Because your cleaning technicians were scheduled in advance, changes made with less than 48 hours’ notice are subject to our $100 Lockout Fee. This helps compensate the team for the reserved appointment time.

Process: Late Cancellation or Late Reschedule

1. Confirm the client is giving less than 48 hours’ notice.
2. Inform the client of the $100 Lockout Fee before making the schedule change.
3. Keep the originally scheduled appointment in place and mark it as a Lockout.
4. Apply the $100 Lockout Fee to the original appointment/job.
5. Add a clear internal note documenting:
   • Date and time the client contacted us
   • Original appointment date
   • Whether the client is rescheduling or skipping
   • That the $100 Lockout Fee was explained
   • Staff member who handled the request

Example note:

Client requested to reschedule on [date/time] for their [original appointment date] cleaning. Less than 48 hours’ notice provided. $100 Lockout Fee explained and applied. Client rescheduled to [new date] / chose to skip.

If the Client Wants to Reschedule

Rescheduling is highly recommended whenever possible.

1. Do not move the original recurring appointment.
2. Mark the original appointment as a Lockout and apply the $100 Lockout Fee.
3. Go to the client’s profile and create a new one-off appointment for the replacement cleaning date.
4. Schedule the one-off at the appropriate service price, date, and time.
5. Keep the client’s future recurring appointments unchanged.
6. Add notes to both appointments so the office team can easily understand what occurred.
7. Post the update in #schedule-updates if the change affects technician assignments, scheduling availability, or the client’s regular schedule.

If the Client Chooses to Skip

1. Mark the original appointment as a Lockout.
2. Apply the $100 Lockout Fee to that job.
3. Leave the client’s future recurring appointments in place.
4. Do not charge an additional skip fee.

The Lockout Fee covers the skipped appointment. A client should never be charged both a Lockout Fee and a separate skip fee for the same cleaning.

Important Reminders

• Always explain the fee before processing the change.
• The original appointment becomes the Lockout; do not simply delete or move it.
• If the cl