GUIDE
When a customer cancels, save the day
A cancelled job can cost you a full day. A few habits make it rarer, and a plan makes it cheaper when it happens.
IN SHORT
Confirm jobs the day before, put your cancellation terms on every quote, and sort access early. Know the rules on customers' cancellation rights. When a slot does open up, call customers with flexible jobs first, then look for work nearby.
Protect the slot before it happens
- Confirm the day before. A short message the afternoon before catches most cancellations while there's still time to fill the slot.
- Put your cancellation terms in writing. Include them on your quote, in plain words, so the customer knows before they book.
- Get access sorted early. Many "cancellations" are really access problems: nobody in, no keys, no parking.
- Check parts before the day. A job that can't go ahead because the fitting hasn't arrived is still a lost day.
Know the customer's side
Consumer law gives customers cancellation rights in some situations, for example when a contract is agreed in their home. The rules also cover what happens if they ask you to start work within the cancellation period. Check the current guidance on GOV.UK or with Citizens Advice, or ask your trade body, so your terms match the law.
Being clear and fair about cancellations up front tends to reduce them. Customers who understand that a slot has been kept for them are more likely to give notice.
On the day it happens
When a job falls through, the first twenty minutes matter most. Decide quickly whether you're filling the time or using it, rather than drifting through the afternoon.
Reply calmly
Confirm the cancellation, offer a new date, and mention your terms if they apply.
Try your flexible list
Message the customers who said any day suits.
Look for work nearby
If the list comes up empty, look for a job close to where you are.
Keep a short list of flexible work
Keep a note of customers with small, non-urgent jobs who've said any day suits. When a slot opens up, they're your first call. Update it every week or two, so you're not ringing about jobs someone else has already done.
Fill the gap nearby
If the list comes up empty, the next best thing is a job near where you already are. Fill My Day, coming soon to Bristol, is built for this: set a window for the time you've lost and nearby jobs that fit come to you. See how it works for plumbers.
EXAMPLE
A customer in Clifton cancels a morning job at eight. You set a window from nine until one, starting from home in Hotwells, five miles. A dripping bath tap in Redland and a running toilet in Cotham come through. You price both and fill the morning.
Or use the time well
If nothing turns up, the afternoon still has value. Our guide on what to do when you finish early has six ideas.
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions,
answered straight.
How do I stop customers cancelling at the last minute?
Confirm the day before, put your cancellation terms on your quote in plain words, and sort access, parking and parts in advance.
Can a customer cancel after agreeing a job?
In some situations, yes. Consumer law gives cancellation rights for some contracts, for example ones agreed in the customer's home. Check current guidance on GOV.UK or with Citizens Advice.
What should I do the moment a job cancels?
Confirm the cancellation calmly, offer a new date, then try customers with flexible jobs and look for work nearby.
FIRST STOP / BRISTOL
Bristol.
You’re up first.
The app is in development and isn't taking bookings yet. Plumbers first, other trades to follow.