Carolyn's Cat Grooming Policy on Deposits, Pre-booking, Rescheduling, Cancellations and Cat Bites
Hey, Life happens, we know that. We have sometimes very messy lives too. Sometimes life gets the better of us and we might have to reschedule an appointment. Or, maybe one of our other clients has an emergency, and we have to postpone an entire day. This is, in no way, ideal. We will NEVER cancel an
appointment. If life happens to one of our teams, we will always strive to get back to you as soon as possible. These new policies are meant to firm up, what is, an ever growing and evolving business plan. Its not meant to sound angry, but it is also a reaction to problems that effect our ability to offer excellent customer service to all of our clients. We thank you, in advance, for your cooperation. Deposits: As of February 1, 2022, we will be following in the footsteps of our colleagues, medical professionals, and other hair salons by requiring deposits for all appointments. This is to offset the cost of supplies, gas and cancelled, rescheduled, and no show/no call appointments. When your appointment is completed, your deposit will be deducted from your final payment amount. If you cancel or reschedule your appointment less than 48 hours before your appointment day, your deposit is forfeited. If we have to call you to reschedule because of something on our side, your deposit is NOT forfeited. Standing or Pre-Booked Appointments: We understand that it can be difficult to get an appointment with Carolyns Mobile Cat Grooming. We can book out up to 2-3 months, although the average is 4-6 weeks. For that reason, we offer you the opportunity to pre-book your appointment. This program is encouraged because it helps us build the schedule, and helps you to know that you are on the books around the time your kitty is due for their next groom. You will receive, probably, more than one phone call as your appointment nears to settle on an exact time.
*** Because we will be reaching out to you to organize the right time for you, if you are not able to keep the appointment, we will no longer offer you this opportunity. Please keep in mind that if you reschedule your pre-booked appointment, it could be 3 to 4 weeks or more before we can make it out to you again.****
Rescheduling: We will happily reschedule with you any time up to 48 hours before your appointment, although we would prefer at least a weeks notice so that we have time to refill the spot and adjust that day accordingly. Again, please keep in mind that, especially in the warmest months and the holidays, it can be a 3-4 week or more wait before we can find another spot for you. Reschedule requests made under the 48 hour limit is considered a cancellation and will forfeit any deposits or downpayment made towards the originally scheduled appointment. Cancellations: if you reschedule or cancel within 48 hours of your appointment, you forfeit your deposit. The first time in a year is otherwise, a freebie because life happens. The second time within a year, you will forfeit your deposit and we will charge a $30 cancellation fee. On the third occurrence within a year, you will forfeit your deposit, we will charge you a $60 cancellation fee, and we will have to ask you to find another cat groomer. No Show/No call: We will take these on a case by case basis, but generally we will assume that you are trying to waste our time. And we will definitely be keeping your deposit. Also... We maintain a waiting list for those who want to be notified of cancellation openings. You’ll be contacted first by where you are in relation to our route that day, and second on a first come, first served basis. This list is better for those who have more flexible schedules, as cancellations tend to happen on short notice. Cat Bites: Cat grooming is a dangerous, and dirty job. We are experienced at safety in regards to our job, and do not want to get injured. It is a very rare occurrence, but sometimes we do get injured. Most of the time it is a minor scratch or nip that ends up being nothing to worry about. But sometimes thats not the case. A typical urgent care visit costs between $300 and $500. (Of course that doesn’t include loss of income due to having to cancel the rest of the day.) We feel that it is fair to request that if a team member of Carolyns Mobile Cat Grooming requires a visit to urgent care due to a bite or a scratch, you agree to pay $150 towards their care. We call it the cat bite fee. If we have to charge the cat bite fee, we will happily provide the urgent care receipts for your home owners policy.
