Late client and minimizing trearmnet

[Brow freek]

Hello Everyone,
I am finidng hard to solve problem of client coming late.
Eg: a client booked full arm , u/arm and face waxing. She came 10 min late and then telling me if I have less time then only do underarm. Dont worry about full arms.
Now question is how do I tell her that thats going to decrease money for me and she being late making me late for next client.
Do you people charge for late arrival? How do you convey the message to client that this is costing money.

Thank you!

 

[RosieR]

Welcome to the forum,

If you have a good relationship with the client following this late arrival then that really helps. I have in the past contacted the one following to advise that I am running a bit late.
I usually say "Could you help me out please by coming say 15 mins later because of this or that situation blah, blah, blah. "Sorry to inconvenience but I didn't want you waiting and I know how precious your time is." For me as my clients are really great it's usually a yes no problem.
It does work both ways, I am quite sure you will have run over sometimes, and it is give and take.
Failing that just get you skates on and do all they are booked in for at record speed, then you get full payment and no need for any awkwardness about the money.
It is always easier if you are your own boss, and I can only say what I have done.
Others are hard on late arrivals because they are busier than me but as I always have time between clients for a good tidy and clean down, it does allow a little bit of grace. HTH.

 

[CFBS]

Yes, always a problem!
If I have a client who always arrives late then I put her at the end of a morning or afternoon so I just run into lunch / tea break without having a knock on effect to the next client.
I don't pack clients in tightly, always at least 15 - 30 mins between each one to allow for lateness, wanting extra, clearing up and setting up. This seems to keep things ticking over to schedule.
If a client does not arrive within in 15 minutes of their appointment time, I telephone them to see where they are. This way I either know they have forgotten / on their way / think it's at a different time. This way you can at least plan your day and it will probably stop them being late next time!

 

[kamikate]

I used to allow 30 minutes in between clients to allow for lateness so that the late client would still get her full appointment time. I decided to stop this practice because I was getting too many late shows, usually from the same people. I informed all my clients that when they book their appointment, they pay for the full session time, even if they are late or have to cut short the appointment. I include this in my cancellation policy and on my consultation forms. So when someone books for an hour and arrives 15 minutes late, they get 45 minutes and still pay for the hour. Hardly anyone is late now.

I wouldn't dare arrive late for my dental appointment because, after 10-15 minutes they would be seeing another patient and I would be charged a cancellation fee.