How do I reduce no-shows with reminders and deposits?

Many no-shows aren’t rude. People forget, book on a whim and change their mind, or feel awkward about cancelling, so they just don’t come. Some would have cancelled if it had been easy, but it meant a phone call during working hours.

So the fix comes in layers: remind people, make rearranging easy, then give them a small reason to keep the slot. Want to see what empty slots are costing you first? Try the no-show cost calculator.

Start here, because it costs little and annoys nobody. Send a confirmation straight after booking, then a reminder the day before. For long appointments, a second reminder on the day can help. Always include a way to rearrange.

Confirmation

Hi [Name], you’re booked in at [Business] on [day, date] at [time] for [service]. Need to change it? Use this link: [link], or reply to this text. See you then.

Reminder the day before

Hi [Name], a reminder of your [service] tomorrow at [time] at [address]. If you can’t make it, please rearrange here: [link], so we can offer the slot to someone else.

After a no-show

Hi [Name], we missed you today at [time]. Hope everything’s OK. If you’d like to rebook, here’s the link: [link].

Reminders about a booking someone made are service messages, so keep them neutral and leave offers out. The guide to following up a quote explains the difference.

A no-show deposit gives people a reason to turn up or tell you in time. The trick is making it fair, both for your customers and under the law.

• Base it on your real loss. The UK government’s guidance on fair contracts says deposits you keep or cancellation charges should reflect a genuine estimate of what you’ll lose because of the cancellation. It also says you may keep a deposit in full if it’s no more than a small percentage of the price and you make it clear exactly when it becomes non-refundable.
• Take it off the bill. A deposit that comes off the final price feels like paying early, not a penalty.
• Allow a fair notice window. Refund or move the deposit if someone cancels in good time, so you can offer the slot to someone else.
• Treat bigger bookings differently. A long treatment or a full-day booking justifies more than a quick appointment.

The same guidance says terms are unlikely to be fair if they make prepayments non-refundable whatever the reason for cancelling, or let you charge even when you could reasonably fill the slot again.

Keep it short, show it before people pay, and put it in the confirmation. Here’s a starting point to adapt, not a legal template:

We take a deposit of £[amount] when you book, which comes off the price of your appointment. If you need to cancel or rearrange, please tell us at least [48] hours before and we’ll move your deposit to a new time or refund it. If you cancel with less notice or don’t attend, we keep the deposit, because we’re usually unable to fill the slot at short notice. If we have to cancel, we’ll refund your deposit in full.

That last line matters. A policy that lets you keep the customer’s money when they cancel, with nothing equivalent for them when you cancel, is on the list of terms the law says may be unfair.

This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. M1 doesn’t give legal advice, so if a term matters to your business, check it with a solicitor or your trade body.

• Unfair terms aren’t binding. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, an unfair term in a consumer contract doesn’t bind the consumer. A term is unfair if it creates a significant imbalance against the consumer, contrary to good faith. Schedule 2 of the Act lists terms that may be unfair, including keeping money paid when the consumer cancels without equivalent compensation when you cancel, and charging a disproportionately high sum when a consumer doesn’t keep their side.
• Bookings made online or by phone can carry a 14-day cancellation right. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, a consumer who books a service at a distance usually has 14 days from booking to cancel. If they want the service to start within those 14 days, they have to ask for that expressly, and if they then cancel they can be asked to pay a proportionate amount for what they received.
• Some services are exempt. The cancellation right doesn’t apply to accommodation, catering, vehicle hire or services related to leisure activities, where the contract is for a specific date or period. A restaurant table for a set evening is a clear example. Whether your own service falls in the exemption is a legal question, so check it rather than assume.
• You can’t add a card surcharge. The Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012 stop businesses charging consumers a fee for paying by ordinary consumer card, so card fees on deposits are your cost.

Taking a deposit by card costs you a small percentage of each payment plus a few pence. Stripe, one of the big providers, lists its standard UK card fee in the sources below. It also says it doesn’t charge for issuing refunds, but the fee on the original payment isn’t returned. So every deposit you refund still costs you that fee. That’s one reason moving a deposit to a new time often works better for both sides than refunding it.

Booking tools usually charge a monthly fee too. Build both into your prices rather than adding them on at the till.

• Online Booking & Deposits, £1,800 fixed: online booking on your current website, deposits taken when people book, automatic reminders, and your cancellation and deposit rules set up and shown when people book. Paid £900 to start and £900 at launch, typically 2 to 3 weeks. The booking tool’s monthly fee and the card fees on deposits are paid directly by you, and listed before you agree.
• Missed-Call Rescue, £800 fixed: automatic reminders, missed-call text-back, a simple enquiry list and review requests, if reminders are all you need for now. Text and app fees are paid at cost or directly by you, and listed before you agree.

I set up your policy as you decide it. I don’t write legal terms or confirm they’re compliant, so if your policy needs checking, that’s a job for a solicitor or your trade body.

• Writing a fair contract for customers, Competition and Markets Authority, GOV.UK, accessed 30 September 2026
• Unfair contract terms (CMA37), Competition and Markets Authority, GOV.UK, accessed 30 September 2026
• Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 62, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 30 September 2026
• Consumer Rights Act 2015, Schedule 2, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 30 September 2026
• Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 (exemptions, see 28(1)(h)), legislation.gov.uk, accessed 30 September 2026
• Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 (cancellation period), legislation.gov.uk, accessed 30 September 2026
• Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 (services started in the cancellation period), legislation.gov.uk, accessed 30 September 2026
• Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012, regulation 6A, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 30 September 2026
• Stripe pricing (standard UK cards listed at 1.5% + 20p), Stripe, accessed 30 September 2026