Clients who book several slots “just in case”: how to stop it

01Three bookings, one visit

Tuesday 10:00, Wednesday 17:00, Friday 12:00. The same client, the same treatment.The client doesn't know yet which day will work, so they take all three. They come to one. The other two get cancelled the evening before, at the last minute, or not at all.

From the client's side, it's convenient and even sensible. From yours, two slots looked taken all week, and other clients who would have booked them went somewhere else. This article covers why it happens, how to spot it, how to talk about it and how to prevent it without treating every client like a suspect.

02Why clients do it

Usually not out of malice. The most common reasons:

• An unpredictable schedule.Shift work, children, business trips. The client genuinely doesn't know which day will be free.
• Fear there won't be a slot.If you're hard to get into, the client “reserves” several options so as not to end up with none.
• Booking is easy and free.Three online bookings take a minute, and nothing suggests it gets in anyone's way.
• There's no clear rule.The client doesn't know it isn't okay, because nobody said so.

That matters, because the fix isn't punishment but clear rules and a system that enforces them for you.

03What it costs you

The cost of extra bookings isn't only the time left empty. It's time nobody else could book, because it looked taken:

• A client who wanted Wednesday 17:00 saw it was taken and booked elsewhere.
• If the extra booking is cancelled the evening before, finding someone new by morning is hard.
• If it isn't cancelled at all, you wait for a client who was already with you on another day.

04Example: one week with one such client

Say a treatment costs €40 and takes an hour. The client takes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Here is what happens to each of those slots:

In one week that's €80 straight from empty slots and another €40 from the client who left. But the last row is the most expensive one, because it doesn't stop after one visit.

And there's one more cost no table shows. If your calendar regularly looks full, you start turning new clients away, stop promoting yourself and think you can't take on more work. In reality, some of those “taken” slots are empty.

05How to spot it

Signs that repeat:

1. The same treatment several times within a few days, when it's done once a month.
2. All the bookings made at once, within a few minutes.
3. After one visit, the rest get cancelled, often at the last minute.
4. It happens again, not just once.

A new client who takes three slots straight away is especially risky: you don't know them yet, and they have nothing to lose yet.

06How to talk about it

The first time, assume the client didn't know. Write calmly, explain why, and ask them to keep one slot. Most people get it straight away once they hear their “spare” slot was something another client needed.

07Rules that prevent it

1. A limit on active bookings per client.For example, no more than five upcoming bookings. It doesn't get in the way of a series, but it stops anyone taking half the week.
2. A stricter limit for those who abuse it. A client who regularly takes extra slots can be allowed just one booking at a time.
3. A cancellation deadline. If an extra booking must be cancelled at least 24 hours ahead, the slot frees up in time for others.
4. A deposit.When a booking costs something, three bookings “just in case” stop looking like a good idea. How to ask kindly is covered in How to ask for a deposit without upsetting clients.
5. An alternative to “just in case”. A waitlist lets a client wait for a better time without holding any.

08Don’t punish everyone for one client

The simplest fix would be one booking per client. But then your best clients suffer: the ones who plan weeks ahead, come regularly and never cancel. They like booking their next three visits at once, and that's exactly the behaviour you want to encourage.

So the best approach has two levels: a sensible limit for everyone, and a personal limit for those who need something different. Stricter for the client who takes extra slots, looser for a trusted regular.

09How it works in RINDIQ

In RINDIQ settings, under booking rules, there is a maximum number of active bookings per client: how many upcoming bookings one client may hold at once (five by default). Once the limit is reached, no new booking can be made online, and the client sees a clear message.

Every client's page also has a “Booking limit” that replaces the default for that one client:

• 1 for a client who regularly takes several slots: they can book again only once the last visit is done or cancelled.
• More than the default for a trusted regular who plans visits ahead.
• 0 if you want to stop online booking for that client entirely. You can still book them yourself, and they see a request to contact you.

The limit applies at every location and can be set back to the default at any time. Clients can cancel extra bookings with one tap from the link in their email, and the time becomes available to others straight away. A cancellation after the deadline is recorded as a late cancellation. On Business, clients can also join a waitlist, and freed slots are offered to them automatically.

If the extra slots still end up empty at the last minute, read A client cancelled at the last minute. What now with the empty slot?.