Give her a card, and explain you appreciate her being generous with her time and explain you understand she is giving good will, but her time DOES have value.
I would give her 1/2 or 2/3s her rate in the envelope and a gift card to a gas station / target. Tell her that you are giving her a gift even though she said not necessary, but because you value your time together..

I was once told you value things you pay for more then things being given away.

I look forward to hearing others responses!


Good luck!
SG

-- Modified on 3/17/2013 2:46:06 PM

You could always take her up on the offer and tip well, you might have a better experiance if she knows theres something in it for her at the end though. Maybe tell her you cant take her time for free but would galdly book 2hrs and take OTC time for dinner or drinks or even an extended session.

I feel that the worst thing you can do is to accept her apology offer at face-value.

I have been in a couple of similar situations. The provider missed our meeting due to her mistake. The provider alluded to a manner "to make it up to me" with some variety of discount. The specifics of the discount were never made completely clear.

Therefore, I feel that her offer is a knee-jerk reaction to missing the appointment. I have little doubt that she is genuinely sorry about the situation. However, I don't believe she is that sorry to supply a multiple hour session on the house.

Men and women communicate in a different manner. Unless the terms of her offer are clearly supplied in written form in an e-mail message, I would never assume that either party is on the same page in this matter.

Note:  Good Luck! Words are cheap in the hobby. I was never able to meet the ladies that missed our initial meetings mentioned in the first part of this message.

wants. If you don't pay her or short her I'd be surprised if she didn't make life hell for you or at least more difficult. You'd be smart in just paying her as usual and be happy your relationship is still intact. You didn't lose anything because of the cancellation so, no harm, no foul. When she opens the envelope and insists you overpaid her and stuffs the extra $$ in your pocket, then I'd say you're in the good with her.

           'Relax....no hobbyist or provider ever gets hurt when being kind to one another!'

I think most gentlemen would leave her full donation.    However, since she said "no charge", anything you feel like leaving would be appreciated.

Good customer service, no matter the field, means making up for inconveniences, especially with valued clients. In this case, I'd suggest simply accepting some extra time if indeed multiple hour sessions are common. Related to this, I also think it's OK to be rewarded from time to time for being a regular - and this option addresses both.

To be specific, perhaps suggest something like paying for a full first hour, staying for maybe two and one-half, and leaving a Benjamin tip. (By the end of the session you'll know if the spirit of her initial offer had been sincere or not.)

For some clients, getting ready for an appointment is quite involved and shouldn't be taken lightly.

That way she still gets paid something and you get a discount as a result of her error.

I wouldn't feel right about taking any provider up on a free multi-hour session. I don't even feel comfortable when a provider has offered a discount for an hour. It breaks a boundary and it comes close to changing the context of what's going on, and I think remembering the context is very important in the hobby.

One man's take. You probably already know what you intend to do.

Assuming she charges $300 for a session, I would ask for either a 2 hour session at $300 or three 1 hour sessions at $200.

I would also let the "community" know her name and her willingness to correct her mistake.  I understand we all make mistakes, but it really impresses me when an individual has the strength of character to own up to the mistake and make it up to the client.  I would certainly be checking into seeing her.