Why do we have a cancellation policy?

Hello everyone,
I realize it's been a while since I have written anything in the KAWBlog.  The good news is that I have been busy working on growing and expanding Kalamazoo Athletic Wellness to provide our clients with a growing list of options among a cohesive network of specialists.  One thing that has become abundantly clear during that time, is that it is hard to grow when people don't show.  We all recognize that life sometimes happens, and that is why initially we had set a very soft request to give 24 hours notice of cancellation with no repercussions in place.  But there is nothing more annoying than a client who frequently no shows or cancels a massage just hours before their session.  All massage therapists rely on the commissions of clients coming in for services.  For a majority of the massage industry (save for a few "massage factories" as we call them) it is far more important to us that you are getting proper care vs. how often you come in, but we also need to make a living.  Someone not showing for a session can be a big cut into our pay.  That is why after much discussion we have moved forward with a cancellation policy that is similar to what a majority of the industry holds true.  Below is what we are putting in place:

APPOINTMENT POLICY
We recommend scheduling all appointments 24 hours advance, unless otherwise posted or advertised. If you require a same day appointment, you may call 269-373-1000 for availability or check through our website www.kzooathleticwellness.com (Online appointments cannot be made within 4 hours of scheduled time).

TARDINESS
Please respect our time and the time of others. When you schedule an appointment, your appointment is blocked just for you to ensure you receive the full amount of time you have requested. Our therapists are paid on a commission base. Late arrival to an appointment means less time with a therapist. You may stay, but you will only receive the balance of your session and you will still pay the full price. We recommend clients plan to arrive 5 to 10 minutes before their session to ensure there is adequate time for paperwork or unforeseen traffic conditions.

NOTICE OF CANCELLATION POLICY
We request notification of cancellation as soon as possible and must be received by phone if within 24 hours. Clients who cancel their reservations within 24 hours will not incur a fee the first time; subsequent cancellations may be charged a $30 cancellation fee for the first three occurrences after being assessed on a case by case basis. In the event of a no-show (client fails to arrive for scheduled appointment with no notice via phone) the client will be charged full price for the scheduled session. Four or more cancellations and/or no-shows may require a client to pay in advance for services. Therapists are not required to wait longer than 15 minutes for late arrivals who have not called ahead. If you are tardy for your appointment by 15 minutes or more and the therapist has not heard from you, the therapist has the right to leave the site or refuse service and consider you a no-show for your appointment. From there, no-show policies will apply.

Thank you and stay healthy!