20/06/2026
This morning has been incredibly disappointing.
I opened the salon especially for our Saturday "Caturday" appointments, giving up time with my own family and pets, only for the first two appointments of the day to simply not turn up.
That's £170 of lost income that can never be recovered. More importantly, those appointments could have been offered to other clients who are waiting for availability. And there are many.
One of these was a new client, while the second one, rather frustratingly, was an existing client who had been to us previously and rebooked. Of course I trusted her. Of course, that person is now ignoring my phone calls.
The overwhelming majority of our customers are absolutely fantastic, and we're genuinely grateful for every one of you. ❤️ Unfortunately, a small number of people who don't turn up - and then ignore payment requests or simply disappear, such as the lovely person who no-showed earlier this week (another £90) who, when I spoke to her, informed me that she "doesn't read text messages" and then hung up and blocked me, you can understand my frustration - are making it increasingly difficult for small businesses like ours.
Because of this, **all** appointments will now require a booking deposit, including existing clients. This isn't because we don't trust our wonderful regulars; it's because we have to protect the business from the growing number of no-shows.
Upon booking you will receive a text message requesting a small deposit. Your appointment will be held for 48 hours after which it will simply be cancelled if your deposit remains unpaid. Once paid, you can then choose to either leave your deposit with us and roll it over each time so you don't have to keep repaying it, or simply deduct it from your appointment charge on the day.
When you book an appointment, that time is reserved exclusively for your pet. If you don't attend without sufficient notice, we can't simply fill that slot at the last minute.
Thank you to everyone who turns up on time, gives us plenty of notice if plans change, and treats our time with the same respect that we treat yours. Your support means more than you know. ❤️