Hi everyone,

Today I had a client who had booked for 1h and when he arrived, he told me he was a bit in a rush and that actually he would like to stay for 30min only instead of 1h.

As he was about to give me my 30min fee, I told him that I had arranged my schedule to accommodate his booking (and also had declined some other bookings to see him), so I asked him to give me the full fee for 1h (initially planned). He accepted without a problem. However after thinking about it afterwards I thought that I maybe shouldn't have done that and be a bit more tolerant (since it rarely happens).

What do you usually do in that case ?

Thanks 

If you take a train and change your mind in the middle of the way, ask for a return. Sometimes it happens, use to agree, depends on how busy I m.

'Tolerant' doesn't mean what you think it means.

For myself it depends.  If its a new client he will be charged.  If its a regular whos never pushing his luck I would be OK.

I tend to stick this type of client in with the early arrivers trying to get free extra time. 

I'd have gone with the lower fee, with the gamble that he may become a regular,  the repeat booking potential for me is worth more than the difference between an hour and a 30 min fee.

I agree with Amy, time set aside is time that must be paid for. I think it's important to expect respect and insist on it. Give people an inch and they'll take the proverbial!

I'd have gone with the lower fee, with the gamble that he may become a regular,  the repeat booking potential for me is worth more than the difference between an hour and a 30 min fee.

None of the new clients I offered money back for reduced time ever went on to become regulars.

Also chopping and changing timings I find tiring and annoying - as if I'm a puppet on a piece of string. An advance booked did this many times, not in the booking but ahead always claiming it was to make things better for me.

Anyway with in session it's the time they have booked. Occasionally with a regular (and my regs tend to stick with booked time) I may if it makes my day easier give back a proportion, but to be fair most regulars do not reduce the booked time and if they do they tell me to keep the money (still gave some back even when someone said this because it did suit me and I knew he'd rebook anyway).

None of the new clients I offered money back for reduced time ever went on to become regulars.

Which is the polar opposite to my experience,  almost everyone I've done this with has gone on to book further sessions with no problem and no chopping and changing.

I find if I occasionally give a little grace for the curve balls life throws at us it is beneficial in many ways, which just goes to prove there are as many ways to work as there are people working.