[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":144},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-\u002Fguides\u002Fgetting-paid\u002Fwhat-to-do-when-a-client-cancels-last-minute":3,"guide-siblings-\u002Fguides\u002Fgetting-paid\u002Fwhat-to-do-when-a-client-cancels-last-minute":134},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"description":109,"disclaimer":110,"draft":111,"extension":112,"faq":113,"lastReviewed":126,"meta":127,"navigation":128,"path":129,"publishedAt":126,"seo":130,"sitemap":131,"stem":132,"__hash__":133},"guides\u002Fguides\u002Fgetting-paid\u002Fwhat-to-do-when-a-client-cancels-last-minute.md","What to do when a client cancels last minute","Rally",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":101},"minimark",[10,14,19,22,25,48,52,55,76,79,83,86,94,98],[11,12,13],"p",{},"Your contract decides this before the phone rings. A non-refundable deposit plus a written reschedule policy turns most last-minute cancellations into moved dates instead of lost Saturdays. If you're improvising the answer on the call, the policy is what was missing, not the client.",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"what-cancel-usually-means","What \"cancel\" usually means",[11,20,21],{},"Most clients who call to cancel don't want their money back. They want the party, and something got in the way: a sick kid, a rained-out forecast, a venue that fell through. Hear the reason before you quote the policy, because the right answer to most cancellations is a new date, and a client who reschedules stays a client.",[11,23,24],{},"The order of offers goes like this:",[26,27,28,36,42],"ol",{},[29,30,31,35],"li",{},[32,33,34],"strong",{},"Offer the reschedule first."," \"Your deposit moves with you. What weekend works?\" Most calls end here.",[29,37,38,41],{},[32,39,40],{},"Offer a credit second."," If they can't pick a date, the deposit becomes a credit good through the season. The money stays committed to a party.",[29,43,44,47],{},[32,45,46],{},"Refund last, and only where the contract says so."," If your policy is non-refundable and it's in writing they signed, you can hold the line kindly.",[15,49,51],{"id":50},"the-policy-that-does-the-work","The policy that does the work",[11,53,54],{},"Write these three numbers into the contract and repeat them in the confirmation:",[56,57,58,64,70],"ul",{},[29,59,60,63],{},[32,61,62],{},"The free-reschedule window."," One free date change with 7 or more days of notice is common. It's generous enough to feel fair and early enough to resell the date.",[29,65,66,69],{},[32,67,68],{},"The late-change line."," Inside 7 days, the reschedule costs a fee or forfeits some of the deposit, because at that range the date rarely resells.",[29,71,72,75],{},[32,73,74],{},"The no-show rule."," Day-of cancellation forfeits the deposit, full stop. Your crew was scheduled, the gear was loaded, and the date is gone.",[11,77,78],{},"Pick your own numbers. What matters is that they exist, they're written, and they were agreed to before anyone was upset.",[15,80,82],{"id":81},"reselling-the-date","Reselling the date",[11,84,85],{},"A cancellation with a week of notice is a date you can often fill. Keep a short list of leads who wanted that weekend and didn't get it, and text them first. The waitlist is the difference between a cancellation costing you the whole booking and costing you a phone call.",[87,88,91],"rally-aside",{"label":89,"to":90},"See bookings in Rally","\u002Ffeatures",[11,92,93],{},"Rally keeps your deposit and reschedule terms on the agreement the client signs, so the policy is already agreed to when the call comes. Moving the booking to a new date carries the payments and the paper trail with it.",[15,95,97],{"id":96},"the-line-to-remember","The line to remember",[11,99,100],{},"You're not charging people for canceling. You're charging for the hold on the date, which you delivered in full. The deposit paid for every no you said to someone else.",{"title":102,"searchDepth":103,"depth":103,"links":104},"",2,[105,106,107,108],{"id":17,"depth":103,"text":18},{"id":50,"depth":103,"text":51},{"id":81,"depth":103,"text":82},{"id":96,"depth":103,"text":97},"Your contract decides this before the phone rings. A non-refundable deposit plus a written reschedule policy turns most cancellations into moved dates instead of lost ones.","legal",false,"md",[114,117,120,123],{"q":115,"a":116},"Should I ever refund a deposit for a last-minute cancellation?","You can choose to, and sometimes goodwill is worth more than the deposit: a family emergency, a repeat client, a school you want next year. Make it a choice you occasionally make, not a policy clients can count on.",{"q":118,"a":119},"What if the client disputes the charge on their card?","A signed agreement with the cancellation terms in plain words wins most disputes. Respond to the chargeback with the contract, the confirmation message, and the timeline. This is a big part of why the policy goes in writing.",{"q":121,"a":122},"What counts as fair notice for a reschedule?","Enough time for you to resell the date. For most party businesses that's about a week. Schools and large events need more, because their dates take longer to fill.",{"q":124,"a":125},"Should the reschedule policy be different for weather?","Yes, and it deserves its own clause. Weather is nobody's fault, so most operators offer a freer weather reschedule while keeping the standard policy for everything else.","2026-07-13",{},true,"\u002Fguides\u002Fgetting-paid\u002Fwhat-to-do-when-a-client-cancels-last-minute",{"title":5,"description":109},{"loc":129},"guides\u002Fgetting-paid\u002Fwhat-to-do-when-a-client-cancels-last-minute","NZ8tazM95CqHXShdk0Q3OYFla-4FD8DKXjdb73d_hh4",[135,138,141],{"path":136,"title":137},"\u002Fguides\u002Fgetting-paid\u002Fhow-to-handle-a-client-who-wont-pay-the-balance","How to handle a client who won't pay the balance",{"path":139,"title":140},"\u002Fguides\u002Fgetting-paid\u002Fshould-i-offer-payment-plans","Should I offer payment plans for party bookings?",{"path":142,"title":143},"\u002Fguides\u002Fgetting-paid\u002Fwhat-payment-methods-should-a-party-business-accept","Cash, check, card, or payment apps: what should a party business accept?",1783921368418]