Reducing no-shows in your salon

Websites for salons › Guides for salons · Published 1 November 2026

What do the rules say?

A no-show or cancellation rule counts as a term and condition (or house rule). In the Netherlands:

The client must know that terms exist and be able to read them before the sale; otherwise they are not valid. Terms must also not be unreasonable (source: ondernemersplein.overheid.nl, accessed 1 November 2026).
The KVK (Netherlands Chamber of Commerce) advises a link to your terms in logical places, such as order forms. Client acceptance is not required, but useful as proof, for example with a tick box on your website (source: kvk.nl, accessed 1 November 2026).

Two rulings about hair salons

The salon did not succeed (District Court of Zeeland-West-Brabant, 26 July 2023). A client booked online and did not show up. The salon charged €81.40 under its house rules. The court dismissed the claim. For an online appointment, the court said, the client must beforehand be pointed to the terms in a clear and prominent way, be able to view them via a link, and be able to accept them with a tick box. Putting the house rules in a newsletter and on social media was not enough (source: rechtspraak.nl, accessed 1 November 2026).

The salon did succeed (District Court of Overijssel, 8 August 2023). At the bottom of this salon’s booking module it said you had to cancel at least 24 hours in advance. For a later cancellation or a no-show the salon could charge €15 per booked quarter of an hour. There was also a link to the terms and conditions. The court found those terms applicable and the amount not unlawful: it was a fixed amount per quarter, and it had not been shown to exceed the salon’s costs. The client had to pay (source: rechtspraak.nl, accessed 1 November 2026).

What this means in practice: put your rule in the booking step itself, with the amount and a link to your terms. Keep the amount reasonable and in proportion to what an empty slot costs you.

Practical tips to reduce no-shows

These tips are practical advice, not figures or promises:

Confirm every appointment immediately, with date, time, treatment, address and your cancellation rule.
Send a reminder before the appointment, for example the day before, with an easy way to cancel or reschedule.
Make cancelling easy. A client who calls or sends a WhatsApp still gives you a chance to fill the slot.
Keep a waiting list of clients who would like to come earlier.
State your rule in the same way everywhere: next to the booking button, in the confirmation and in your terms.
Consider a deposit for long or expensive treatments, and mention it in advance as well.

Add your booking link to your Google Business Profile

This explains what Google itself allows; it is not a service in which we edit your profile. According to Google’s guidelines, hair salons can let clients book through their Business Profile (source: support.google.com, accessed 1 November 2026):

Your profile must be verified before you can add a link.
The link must let the client actually book and must go to a page of your business.
Links to social media and messaging apps (such as a WhatsApp link) and shortened links are not allowed as a booking link.

A booking page of your own, with your cancellation rule next to the button, therefore fits well. More (in Dutch) is on klik-shop.nl.

How Klik&Scale can help

Klik&Scale builds a website with online booking for your salon. The client chooses a service, a staff member and a time, and your cancellation rule can sit in a clear place at booking. The booking system costs €349 one-off + €25 per month for the standard features, excluding 21% VAT. See Online booking for salons.

Frequently asked questions

Can my salon charge a client who does not show up?

Only if your no-show rule was part of the appointment beforehand. In the Overijssel case (8 August 2023, ECLI:NL:RBOVE:2023:3343) a hair salon was allowed to charge €15 per booked quarter of an hour, because the rule was shown below the booking module with a link to the terms. In the Zeeland-West-Brabant case (26 July 2023, ECLI:NL:RBZWB:2023:5433) a hair salon got nothing, because the client had not actively accepted the house rules when booking online.

Is my cancellation rule on Instagram or in my newsletter enough?

No. According to the District Court of Zeeland-West-Brabant (ECLI:NL:RBZWB:2023:5433), mentioning house rules in a newsletter and on social media was not enough. Put the rule in the booking step itself, with a link to your terms.

How much can I charge for a no-show?

Dutch law sets no fixed amount. Ondernemersplein says terms must not be unreasonable. In the Overijssel case the court found €15 per booked quarter of an hour not unlawful, because it was a fixed amount per quarter and it had not been shown to exceed the salon’s costs. That is one ruling, not a general rule.

Does the client have to tick a box to accept my terms?

According to the KVK, acceptance is not required but useful as proof; a tick box on your website is one way. In the Zeeland-West-Brabant ruling the court described, for online bookings: clearly pointing to the terms, making them viewable via a link and letting the client accept them with a tick box.

Can I use a WhatsApp link as the booking button in my Google Business Profile?

No. According to Google, a booking link in your Business Profile must let the customer actually book; links to social media and messaging apps are not allowed. Your profile must be verified before you can add a link. Use the booking page of your own website or booking system. We do not make that change in your profile for you.

Free concept sketch

Send a WhatsApp with your salon’s name. You first get a free concept sketch of your homepage (one design sketch, no obligation, not a complete website). If you then choose a salon package, you pay after delivery.

WhatsApp Call +31 6 11188391