Avana lets a salon set its cancellation policy once, and clients see it while booking and in every confirmation and reminder. It's in every Avana plan, so you never have to explain your rules again.
Most arguments about late cancellations come from rules the client never saw. Avana shows yours before they confirm, and confirming means accepting them.
The rules are there when clients book and in their confirmation. When someone rings too late, you can point to what they already read.
Once your deadline has passed, clients can't cancel online any more and have to call you. Nobody quietly cancels at 8am on the day.
If you allow it, clients pick a new time through the link in their confirmation, and only from times that genuinely work for you.
It's in your settings under cancelling and rescheduling. Each choice shows you straight away what the client will read.
Choose any time, 2, 4, 12, 24, 48 or 72 hours before, your own number of hours, or by phone only. After your deadline it can't be done online.
Choose nothing, a fixed amount or a percentage of the price. Clients see it as its own line in your terms, so you don't have to write it into a paragraph.
Decide whether rescheduling is always free, follows the same deadline as cancelling, has its own number of hours, or is phone only. Clients choose from times that are actually free.
While booking, on your booking page, in the confirmation and in the reminder. By confirming the booking, the client accepts your terms.
How it goes with a sign at the front desk or a line in a message, and how it goes in Avana.
| A sign or a message | With Avana | |
|---|---|---|
| Clients know your rules | If they noticed the sign | Read while booking and in the confirmation |
| Cancelling at 8am on the day | A message you read at ten | Not possible online, they call you |
| Moving a booking | Messages back and forth about a new time | They pick from what's free |
| A late cancellation | An awkward conversation | The fee was already in writing |
| The reminder | Never comes, or too late | Arrives before your deadline, with the deadline in it |
| The freed-up time | Often stays empty | Bookable again, and in Business Plus offered to your waitlist |
Avana's cancellation settings are six choices under cancelling and rescheduling, applied to all your services at once.
Want more security on a long service? Switch on a deposit for just that service. Deposits can be set per service.
Three parts of Avana that connect to your rules.
Your cancellation fee is written in your terms but isn't charged. A deposit is different: it stays with you when the client doesn't come.
If clients can cancel up to 24 hours ahead, send the reminder email two days before. Avana warns you if the reminder would come after your deadline.
When a client cancels in time, people waiting for that day get an email straight away. The waitlist is part of Avana Business Plus.
In Avana, open your settings and go to cancelling and rescheduling. Choose how late clients can cancel for free, what a late cancellation or no-show costs and whether clients can reschedule themselves. From then on clients see it while booking, on your booking page, in the confirmation and in the reminder.
No, Avana never charges a late cancellation fee by itself. The amount you set for late cancellations and no-shows appears in your terms, but Avana doesn't charge it on its own. What you can rely on is what the client paid in advance as a deposit. If you still want to charge for a no-show, Avana can create an invoice for part of the price.
No, your cancellation rules in Avana apply to all services at once, which keeps them simple for clients. If you want more security on a long service, switch on a deposit for that service only, because deposits can be set per service.
Inside your cancellation window, clients can't cancel online any more and are shown who to call: the name and number you entered, or your salon's name and number. You then cancel the appointment yourself in your calendar. If they paid online, mark it as cancelled by the client and the payment stays with you.
Clients can reschedule their own appointment in Avana only if you allow it. Choose always free, the same deadline as cancelling, your own number of hours, or by phone only. Rescheduling happens through the link in the confirmation and clients only see free times. With rescheduling off, they see your message and a call button, and cancelling still works.
Avana shows your cancellation rules while booking, before they confirm, on your booking page, in the confirmation and in the reminder. By confirming, the client accepts your terms and cancellation policy. If the time they chose already falls inside your deadline, the booking step says so honestly.
Clients get their money back when you cancel, if you choose to. When you cancel and mark it as cancelled by the salon, an online payment is refunded automatically, minus the service fee. Mark it as cancelled by the client instead, for example because they rang too late, and the payment stays with you.
Yes. Cancelling, rescheduling and late cancellation fees can be set up in every plan, including Avana Business at £15.99 a month. The waitlist, which fills a cancelled slot again, is part of Avana Business Plus.
When a client pays online, a small service fee is part of the price they see from the very first screen: 3% of the booking, at least £1.49 and at most £2.29. You pay nothing on your takings, because Avana charges no commission. That small amount from the client is what lets us pay you out in full, so the whole treatment price stays with you.
Question not answered here? Send it to us and a real person at Avana will answer it.
Avana lets a salon set its cancellation policy once and shows it to clients at every booking. Under cancelling and rescheduling you choose how late clients can cancel for free (any time, a number of hours before, or by phone only), what a late cancellation or no-show costs, and whether clients can reschedule themselves. Clients read the rules while booking, on your booking page, in the confirmation and in the reminder, and accept them by confirming. After your deadline they can't cancel online and are shown who to call. Avana doesn't charge the late cancellation fee automatically; a deposit is how you keep something for sure. The rules cover the whole salon and are included in every plan. For a solo salon, Avana Business costs £15.99 a month, VAT included, which is £0.53 a day.
A good salon cancellation policy makes sure cancellations come early enough for you to give the slot to someone else. For that, clients have to know the rules before the appointment is fixed. In Avana you set them once, and from then on they appear on your booking page and in the widget on your website, in the confirmation and in the reminder.
Your policy is strongest alongside the rest of Avana. A deposit makes the difference when someone doesn't come, because the cancellation fee isn't charged but the deposit stays with you. A reminder that arrives before your deadline gives clients time to cancel properly. And a slot that frees up in time goes to your waitlist in Business Plus. What to do when someone stays away anyway is covered under no-show protection.
Hair salon, nail studio or beauty room, the rules are the same for every service, which keeps things clear for clients. If you want more security on your longest services, switch on a deposit there, since that can be set per service. When clients reschedule themselves, your calendar updates on its own, and with the Google Calendar link so does your own calendar. What it all costs is on the pricing page.
A cancellation policy is what you agree with clients about cancelling: how far ahead it's free, when rescheduling is still allowed, and what happens if someone cancels late or doesn't come. Every appointment-based business needs one, and solo owners most of all, because a cancellation on the morning itself is an hour you'll almost never fill. The details differ for a hairdresser, a nail tech, a beauty therapist or a massage therapist, but in every case the client should know the rules before anything goes wrong.
In Avana you set the policy once for the whole salon: how late online cancelling is allowed, how late rescheduling is free, and if you like an amount or percentage for late cancellations and no-shows. Clients read it while booking, on your booking page, in the confirmation and in the reminder. After the deadline they can't cancel online and are shown who to call. Avana doesn't charge the late fee automatically, so if you want certainty, take a deposit.
Twenty-four hours is a sensible starting point, and 48 hours for long services. A day is enough to offer the slot to someone else, and short enough that clients don't find it harsh. For a three-hour appointment such as a balayage or a full lash set, 48 hours is fairer, because you can't fill that kind of slot in a few hours.
In Avana you can choose any time, 2, 4, 12, 24, 48 or 72 hours, or your own number. You can also choose phone only, if you want to hear about every cancellation yourself. The deadline applies to all your services at once. If you want more security on long services, switch on a deposit for those. And always pick a deadline deliberately, even if 24 hours suits you, so you know the rule is really set.
You can make it part of your terms, and it only works if the client knew beforehand. A fee you mention for the first time afterwards mostly leads to an argument. If it's in your terms and the client read them before the booking was confirmed, you have a clear agreement to fall back on. A fixed £10 to £20 or a share of the price is also easier to explain than the full price.
In Avana you choose nothing, a fixed amount or a percentage of the price for late cancellations and no-shows. Clients see it as a separate line in your terms, while booking and in the confirmation. Avana doesn't charge that amount automatically: it's an agreement between you and the client. If you want to be sure of keeping something after a no-show, take a deposit. If you'd still like to send a bill, Avana can create a no-show invoice for part of the price.
Four things, ideally one line each: how late clients can cancel for free, what it costs after that, whether they can reschedule themselves, and who to call when they can't do it online. Nothing more is needed. Nobody reads a long text about exceptions, but everyone notices a short line at the moment of booking.
In Avana those are exactly the choices under cancelling and rescheduling. Clients see them as separate lines, such as "Free to cancel up to 24 hours before" and "After that, a £15 fee if you cancel or don't come". Above them you can add a short welcome message, for example that clients are always welcome to give you a ring. You can enter the name and number clients should call; if you leave it empty, Avana uses your salon's name and number. With the call button switched on, clients can ring you with one tap from their appointment page.
Make sure same-day cancelling isn't possible online, and that clients get a reminder well before your deadline. People who have to ring on the day tend to cancel earlier instead. And someone reminded two days ahead notices in time that it won't work.
In Avana that's two settings. Set free cancellation to, say, 24 hours, after which clients can't cancel online and are shown who to call. Then set the reminder email to two days before. If you pick a reminder time that falls after your deadline, Avana warns you, because the client would only be reminded once free cancelling had passed. The reminder shows how long they still have, and a cancellation that comes in time goes straight to your waitlist in Business Plus.
A cancellation policy is about cancelling: how late is it free, and what does it cost after that. A no-show policy is about people who don't come at all and don't tell you. In practice they overlap, because a late cancellation and a no-show both leave you with an empty chair.
That's why Avana keeps them in one place. The amount for late cancellations and no-shows covers both. What you do about someone who didn't come happens in your calendar: you mark it as a no-show, and every later booking from that client carries a red label with the count. A no-show doesn't count as a visit, so with deposits for new clients only, that client pays up front next time. The full picture is on no-show protection.
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