Sorry this is long but it is worth talking about. This for the PROVIDERS. Gentlemen, chime in if you wish.
Recently, as a hobbyist, I had an appointment with provider I'd seen before. I drove 1.75 hours, one way, to see her because it would be worth it and the donation she asked for was up there but again, I thought she was worth it; even if it was higher than normal for me. I got to the location 5 minutes early and texted her on time. A few minutes later she texted me back telling me she needed a few more minutes. Twenty minutes after our appointment time was to begin, she called me back to cancel stating she could not meet me and that something came up and she would not be able to meet because of something about her dog. I'm trying to be understanding but yes, I was "disappointed". She apologized and refunded my money through Zelle. OK, that was fare and things to happen, but I want providers to understand a few thing from a clients point of view. At the risk of being cold, I'd say, we are the customer.
--Whatever the issue was, I'm sure it did not start as soon as I got there. Call the client early and cancel. You could even offer to reschedule.
--I spent 4 hours of my day traveling.
--I took the afternoon off work for this.
--I spent additional money on wine and a gift
-- I spent time communicating back and forth planning our meeting
--I Zelled all the money in advance so there was no need to play with an envelop when I would get there. She did refund me immediately.
If I cancelled after the appoint was supposed to start, no matter what the reason, there's a chance I'd get blacklisted. I wouldn't do that to her because I liked her but consider what you would think, and do, as a provider if a client did this to you.
Please consider everything a client has done to meet with you and if you have to, try to call it off asap and don't wait until they get there and hope you'll pull it off. If it's not right, cancel early and explain the situation. Most decent people would understand and still trust you.
As a provider, is there anything you would do for the client if you cancelled after you appointment was to begin ?
