If you've hot a gut instinct that he's messing you around you're probably right. If you do want to see him again then take a deposit. You could get back to him and say "That's fine, thank you for letting me know. But due to the fact you have cancelled our last three appointments I will require a non-refundable deposit to confirm our next one. I'm sure you can understand and appreciate this, as this time I have turned away two potential clients because we were scheduled to meet." If he's reasonable he will understand this. I would expect my hair salon to start asking for a deposit up front if I kept cancelling on them, so it should be the same for our services too.

I would never take a cancellation fee, it's part and parcel of the job unfortunately.

Whether he's a regular or a new client, they always get to cancel on me once without any problems even although it is frustrating when you turn away other work as we all know clients are like busses, they all come at the same time but I do note the fact the have cancelled but give them the benefit of the doubt, if they do it again then I won't take another booking from them for a third time.

If it's a real regular client then I might be a bit more understanding.

What lots of clients fail to realise is that this is what we do for a living, we don't do this as a hobby so they don't realise that our meetings are as important to us as their meetings or work is to them.

xx

You are not likely to get a cancellation fee. I have a 3 strikes and you are out policy with persistent cancellers. After the 3rd time I just put them down as a timewaster. However you can politely tell him this but I highly doubt he will pay up or turn up.

The thing is not everyone will pay a cancellation fee.

[Almost] no one will pay a cancellation fee. Its a chalk it up to experience thing.

I'd simply not accept any more bookings and move on.