By Tanner Weyland
How to Avoid the Drama!
“I don’t like her lifestyle.”
This is how one bride on Facebook justified canceling her appointment with a well-reviewed, skilled makeup artist, NyRee Ausler explains in a Your Tango article. The “lifestyle” she referred to was that the makeup artist was unmarried, without kids, and seemed happy with it.
While her complaint was surprising and unique, her request was not. She wanted her 50 percent deposit returned to her.
This isn’t the first time someone ignored a makeup artist’s booking policies. Many brides and clients will assume getting a refund is easy. If they’re not getting their makeup done by you, they shouldn’t have to pay you, right?
You know it isn’t that simple. If a client cancels without enough notice, you usually don’t have enough time to schedule someone else in. That’s money walking out the door.
Why are makeup cancellation and refund policies so important?
People cancel appointments for all kinds of reasons, like:
- No more budget for professional makeup, so they decide to DIY.
- Groom no-showed, so the wedding’s off.
- Sister’s an aspiring makeup artist and will never forgive your client if she uses you instead.
- Getting sick.
If you think it won’t happen to you, remember: Big moments like weddings and celebrations spell big pressure, big emotions, and big misunderstandings. To deal with appointments that unexpectedly fall through, you need policies for cancellations and refunds.
According to QC Makeup Academy and Legal Lotus, helpful policies address:
- Deposits, including when that deposit is refundable.
- Your cancellation window.
- Late cancellations, including what they pay–usually 25 to 50 percent of the cost of their service, Carrie Cousins says in a Square article.
- Rescheduling. You might cap how many times they can reschedule within a certain timeframe and charge for additional rescheduling.
- No-show cancellations (some policies charge up to 100% of the service fee if a client ghosts you).
But how can you help clients understand these policies? And what can you do to enforce your makeup artist policy if someone wants to fight it?
Here are some tips.
1. Put your policies in your service contract.
It’s one thing to say something to your client’s face. It’s another to put it in writing. Do yourself a favor, and get some receipts!
When someone books an appointment with you, have them agree to your policies in your service contract. This gives clients time to read them. It’s also proof if a client feigns ignorance later.
2. Get those initials.
While your clients are booking online, make them check a box or initial by your cancellation policy. By making them click something to agree to the terms, you make it more likely your policies sink in.
3. Put your makeup artist policies on your website, too.
Did your bride-to-be book you in a frenzy at 2 AM? Or did a busy mom of four slide into your schedule while wrangling toddlers at the grocery store?
Give them another chance to read your cancellation and refund policies by putting them on your website.
4. Ask a pro.
Beauty school ain’t law school, and Google, Esq. isn’t always right.
So if you’re worried about your makeup artist policies, or you’re struggling to start, call a local attorney. They can help you write a makeup artist service agreement that spells out your cancellation and refund policies and abides by any laws or requirements your state might have.
5. Be prepared for disagreements.
When working with clients, the unexpected happens much more often than you’d think. Maybe today they’re asking for a refund because they “don’t like your lifestyle.” Tomorrow, it could be a client threatening to sue because you “ruined” an important day.
You deserve to feel protected against the unexpected, and WellnessPro Insurance can give you that peace of mind.
Visit their our website and start your coverage journey with WellnessPro.