Short answer
A cancellation policy for a nail salon should say how much notice you need, what a late cancel does to the deposit, and what you do when nobody calls and the chair stays empty. Use one window you will actually enforce. This sample is not legal advice. AIVA can repeat the finished policy on inbound calls — $200 one-time, no free trial. Get AIVA — $200. The book and Google Reserve stay on Calendar at $20/month. Get Calendar — $20/mo.
Copy-ready cancellation policy
Edit the brackets. If you do not take a deposit, delete the deposit lines instead of leaving them blank.
Sample — edit every bracket. Not legal advice.
Cancellation policy for [Salon name].
Please cancel or reschedule at least [your window] before your appointment. You can call or text [shop phone].
If you cancel or reschedule before that window, [we release the deposit / we move the deposit to the new time — pick one].
If you cancel inside the window, or you do not come and you do not call, we may keep the deposit on [full set, acrylic, long fill, or the services you list]. A shorter visit follows [the same rule / a softer rule — say which].
A no-show means we held the chair and we did not hear from you. A late cancel means we heard from you, but inside the window.
The same rule is on our booking page and on Book Online in Google. The deposit details are in our appointment deposit policy.
Late cancel, no-show, and a moved time
On a nail salon Saturday, the painful chair is the two-hour set, not the polish you could have filled from the walk-in list. Say that out loud in the policy if that is how you run. A guest who moves a gel fill to next Tuesday with a day’s notice is not the same event as a guest who never appears for acrylic.
Pick the words your front desk already uses. If you always rebook a late cancel and you never keep the deposit, do not post a threat you waive. AIVA should be trained on the rule you keep, not the rule you wish you kept. Wider tactics — reminders, a no-show list — sit on prevent salon no-shows. This page is the sentence you are willing to say.
How it sits next to the deposit
A cancel policy without a deposit is a request. A deposit without a cancel policy is a surprise. Write them together. The deposit template, including which services and the amount you choose, is appointment deposit policy. How the deposit is taken when someone books is nail salon deposit booking.
Do not publish two amounts. If the card hold is one number on Google and another number on the phone, the guest will quote the smaller one. Book Online is Google Reserve. The nail listing version is Google Reserve for nail salons.
What AIVA is allowed to say
Train the finished paragraph, not a vibe. AIVA can tell a caller the window, whether the deposit moves with a reschedule, and which services the rule covers. She should not invent a fee, a percentage, or a legal threat you did not write. After she books, she texts the appointment. The deposit link, when you use one, is the path in an AI receptionist that takes deposits.
That phone layer is $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial. Pricing includes 100 voice minutes and 1,500 SMS on AI Receptionist. Get AIVA — $200 or hear her at (215) 791-6766.
Calendar does not make this speech. It is the $20/month booking website and Google Reserve, with unlimited staff and unlimited customers. Guests who self-book should still see the same window on the page. If they call because they are inside the window and want an exception, that call is AIVA or your team — not the Calendar plan.
Checkout stays where it is. We do not claim the cancel note writes itself into Square or another POS. Keep your nail salon POS if that is the stack you want to leave alone.
Related guides
- Appointment deposit policy
- Nail salon deposit booking
- AI receptionist that takes deposits
- Prevent salon no-shows
- Google Reserve for nail salons
- Get more bookings with Google Reserve
- Deposit for a hair appointment
- Pricing
Two offers: AIVA on the phone, Calendar on Google
The cancel rule and the deposit rule should be one story. AIVA says it on the call. Calendar should not show a different story on Google.
AIVA — the phone layer — $200 one-time
AIVA is the AI receptionist for inbound calls. She answers the shop number, books the service, and texts the appointment. $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial. Get AIVA — $200. Hear her at (215) 791-6766.
Calendar — the booking layer — $20/month
Calendar is the booking website plus Google Reserve — the Book Online button on Google Maps. $20/month. Unlimited staff. Unlimited customers. It does not answer the phone. Choose it when the public book and Google are what you need, and you are keeping the POS you already have. Get Calendar — $20/mo. Both cards are on pricing.
FAQ
What should a nail salon cancellation policy include?
Say how far ahead a guest must cancel or reschedule, what happens to a deposit inside that window, and what you count as a no-show. Name the long services if the rule is stricter for them. This is a sample you edit, not legal advice.
Is a late cancel the same as a no-show?
Not in the way most shops talk. A late cancel is a message inside the window you posted. A no-show is an empty chair with no message. Your policy can treat them the same or differently. Write the choice down so the phone and the front desk match.
Can AIVA tell a caller the cancellation policy?
Yes, if you train that text. AIVA answers the shop number and can state the rule you saved. She is $200 one-time, with no monthly plan fee and no free trial. She does not invent a window you did not write.
Does Calendar cancel appointments by phone?
No. Calendar is $20/month for the booking website and Google Reserve, with unlimited staff and unlimited customers. It does not answer the phone. Reschedule and cancel tools on the AI Receptionist plan are part of AIVA, not part of the Calendar card.
Should the cancellation policy mention the deposit?
Yes, when you take one. Guests want one sentence: how the deposit is treated if they cancel in time, and how it is treated if they do not. Point them at the appointment deposit policy so the two pages do not disagree.
Is this a legal or state-board form?
No. It is plain language for the front desk and for AIVA. It is not legal advice and it is not a board document. Check the window with someone who knows your local rules before you treat it as final.