No-show policy for braiders
A no-show policy template written for braiders.
Copy the policy, the message that tells your regulars, and the reply for the day someone doesn’t show. Fill in the brackets, and change anything that doesn’t sound like you. The numbers and notice window below are starting points, not rules.
How no-shows work for a braider
A braid install can take most of a day, and you may have turned down other bookings to hold it. If that client doesn't show, you didn't just lose one appointment, you lost a day that could have been spoken for. The longer the service, the more a no-show costs, and the harder it is to refill on short notice.
Braiders also deal with a lot of preparation on the client's side, hair prepped a certain way, hair bought, a style picked, and a lot of that arrives by direct message days earlier. That is why notice matters more here than in most trades, and why many braiders ask for a deposit. If you take one, you collect it yourself; Morningside books and reminds, it doesn't handle money.
What a missed install costs you
Put in what you charge and how many people miss in a normal month. This is plain multiplication on your own numbers, not a statistic about braiders. The starting price is only an example.
$720a month
$8,640a year, in time you held and couldn’t resell
Starting values only. Change both to your own numbers. One install at that price is about 23 months of Morningside’s $7.99/mo.
For example, if one install is $180 and four people miss in a month, that is $720 a month, or $8,640 over a year, for time you set aside and couldn’t give to anyone else. Enter your average install price. Because installs block so much time, one missed appointment can cost more than the whole rest of your week's no-shows combined. The calculator doesn't count the hair or supplies you may have bought for the appointment.
The policy
This version suggests 72 hours of notice, which is a common place to start for this kind of work. Make it longer or shorter based on how quickly you can refill a slot. Paste it on your booking page, in your bio, and in the confirmation text.
Policy for braiders
A braid install holds most of my day, and I turn away other bookings to keep it for you. Please give at least 72 hours notice to reschedule or cancel. Cancellations inside 72 hours and no-shows [lose your deposit / need [amount] to book again]. If you're more than [number] minutes late, I may need to reschedule your appointment.
Anything in [brackets] is yours to fill in. If you charge a fee or take a deposit, you collect it yourself. Pick a number you would actually enforce, because a policy you don’t follow teaches people to ignore it.
Regulars and new clients get different rules
A regular who has done several installs with you has earned a first pass. For anyone new, hold the date with a deposit you collect yourself, and apply it to the service.
This split matches what many solo pros already do by hand: grace for people who have shown up before, and a firmer line for strangers. Writing it down just means you aren’t deciding it again in the moment, annoyed.
Telling the clients you already have
Most braiders stall on this part. The rule feels like picking a fight with people who have been coming to you for years. Send this one message to everyone at once, before the policy applies to anybody.
Message to your current clients
Hi [Name], a quick note. Because installs take most of my day, I'm asking for 72 hours notice to move or cancel, and I'll be asking new clients for [amount] to hold their date. Nothing changes if you give notice. Thank you for understanding. - [Your name]
After someone misses
Hi [Name], I missed you today, and I held the whole day for you. If you'd like to reschedule, here's my book: [link]. For the new date I'll need [amount] to hold it.
Want to adjust the wording?
The no-show policy generator lets you switch between a gentle and a firm tone, change the notice window, and download the policy as an image you can post or print. For what the reminder text itself should say, see reminder texts for braiders. For why reminders matter more than a fee, the research write-up goes through what the published studies do and don’t show.
Questions people ask
Why ask for 72 hours instead of 24?
A braid install is long enough that a short-notice cancellation almost never gets refilled. Seventy-two hours gives you a real chance to offer the day to someone else. Many braiders find that a longer window works with a deposit, since the deposit makes the notice real.
Does Morningside collect deposits for braiders?
No. Morningside is booking and text reminders only; it never takes payments, deposits or stores cards. If you require a deposit, you collect it yourself and note it in your policy. The reminders and the rebook text work the same either way.
How do I handle clients who arrive late or unprepared?
Write the rule down: a lateness limit, and what the client needs to bring or do beforehand. State it in the policy and repeat it in the confirmation note, so the first time they hear it isn't at your door.
Does Morningside collect no-show fees or deposits?
No. Morningside takes bookings, sends reminder texts clients confirm with one letter, and texts a rebook link after you mark a no-show. It never takes payments, deposits or card numbers. If your policy includes a fee or a deposit, you collect it yourself, the way you take payment today.
Can I legally charge a no-show fee?
Rules about fees and what counts as agreeing to them vary by place, and this page isn't legal advice. The habit that helps in most situations is the same: write the policy down, put it where clients book, and repeat it in the confirmation, so there is a record that they saw it before the appointment.
A policy only works on the people who read it.
Morningside is a booking page for one person. Clients pick a time, get a text, and confirm with one letter. When someone misses, you tap once and they get a text with a link to rebook. It books and reminds. It never takes payments, deposits or card numbers.
Free for 14 days, then $7.99/mo · Card up front, first charge on day 15. Cancel before then and you pay nothing. Founding spots are claimed when the first payment lands.
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