A copy-paste, ready-to-use policy you can drop straight into your booking page, confirmation emails, or Instagram bio. Fill in the brackets and it's yours.
NO-SHOW & CANCELLATION POLICY — [Salon Name] We love seeing you and want to keep our chairs available for everyone. To make that fair for all our clients, we ask you to follow this simple policy: 1. CANCELLATIONS & RESCHEDULING Please give us at least [24/48] hours' notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. You can do this via [your booking confirmation link / by calling us / by messaging us]. 2. DEPOSITS A deposit of [€10 / 25%] is required to confirm your booking. This is deducted from your final bill on the day. Deposits are non-refundable for cancellations made with less than [24/48] hours' notice, but can be transferred to a rebooked appointment made within [30] days. 3. LATE ARRIVALS If you arrive more than [15] minutes late, we may need to shorten your service or reschedule to protect the next client's appointment. 4. NO-SHOWS If you do not attend your appointment without letting us know, your deposit will be retained and full payment may be requested before any future bookings are confirmed. 5. REPEAT CLIENTS We understand things come up. First-time lateness or a first missed appointment will always be treated with understanding — this policy exists for the small number of repeat cases that cost the business real time and money. By booking an appointment with [Salon Name], you agree to this policy.
To secure your appointment, we require a small deposit which will be deducted from your final bill. Cancellations or reschedules made with less than [24] hours' notice, or no-shows, will forfeit the deposit. Thank you for helping us run on time for everyone!
Replace anything in [brackets] with your own salon name, notice period, and deposit amount before publishing.
Publishing a policy sets expectations, but it doesn't stop a no-show by itself. The policies that actually work are backed by something that collects the deposit automatically at the point of booking — so there's nothing to chase after the fact.
Slotivo takes deposits via Stripe as part of the booking flow, sends automatic reminders beforehand, and lets you enforce exactly the policy above without any manual admin.
Yes, provided clients agree to it before booking (for example, by ticking a box or being shown the policy at checkout) and the deposit or fee is reasonable relative to the service value. Charging a genuine deposit that's deducted from the final bill is standard commercial practice and straightforward to enforce. Always make the policy visible before payment is taken, not just afterward.
Most Irish salons charge either a flat fee (€10-€20) or a percentage of the service value (25-50%), with higher percentages for longer or higher-value appointments like colour or extensions. The goal is a deposit large enough to discourage no-shows, not so large it puts off new clients from booking.
Only if they've explicitly consented to it when booking — typically by saving a card on file through a payment processor like Stripe. You cannot charge a card on file for a no-show unless the client agreed to that specific term as part of your booking policy.
Yes. To enforce a deposit or no-show fee, clients need to see and accept the policy at the point of booking — not discover it after the fact. Display it on your booking page, in your confirmation email, and ideally in your Instagram bio or website footer too.
Most salons use discretion for a first-time miss from an otherwise reliable client — waiving the fee builds goodwill. The policy is there to protect you from repeat cases and new clients you have no relationship with yet, not to penalise every slip.
Free forever for 1-2 staff. Take deposits, send reminders, and stop chasing no-shows manually.
No credit card required.
The things that are different for Irish salons, clinics and studios.
Free for one or two staff. Bigger teams pay a flat €6 a month for unlimited staff, billed in euro, so there’s no sterling price to convert.
Add St Brigid’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and the June, August and October bank holidays as closed dates, and clients can’t book you on them. Your booking page runs on Irish time.
Hairdressing moved to the 9% VAT rate on 1 July 2026. You only have to register for VAT once your services pass €42,500 in a rolling 12 months. Set your prices the way you charge them; Slotivo doesn’t add VAT to your clients’ bookings.
Phorest, founded in Dublin, is the name many Irish salons know. It suits larger salons that want marketing built in. Slotivo is for teams that want online booking and deposits without a per-staff bill.
Slotivo vs Phorest →VAT details from Revenue and Budget 2026, checked September 2026. This isn’t tax advice; check your own position with Revenue or your accountant.