Cancellation Policy
The Cancellation Policy for Melissa Howie Consulting provides clear direction and expectations regarding the service and those who use the services (i.e., the ‘client’) in the event of late cancellation, late rescheduling and/or missed appointments.
This policy is provided at the time of booking and the act of booking an appointment with Melissa Howie Consulting means that the client agrees to this policy in full.
the purpose of this policy is to:
- reduce the number of late cancellations, late reschedules and/or missed appointments
- minimise disruptions and the therapist’s loss of time in preparation due to late cancellation, late rescheduling and/or missed appointment
- prevent the therapist’s income due to client’s late cancellation, late rescheduling and/or missed appointment
- ensure that other clients do not miss out on the opportunity to access therapy.
The client is expected to attend each scheduled session on time. It is impractical to fill a psychology appointment at short notice. A late cancellation, late reschedule, or missed appointment hurts at least three people: the client, the therapist, and another client who could have potentially utilised the time slot.
Therapy sessions are scheduled in advance and are exclusively time reserved. When a session is cancelled without adequate notice, it is not possible to fill this time slot by offering it to another current client, a client on the waitlist, or a client with a clinical emergency. In addition, a private practice encounters substantial overhead costs, and thus this policy will ensure that these costs can be met despite a cancelled, rescheduled or missed appointment.
cancellation schedule
If the client needs to cancel or reschedule their appointment, a minimum of three business days (72 hours) is required; otherwise, the client will incur a fee. Cancellation fees are calculated at the following rates:
An email on business days is the acceptable method to notify of a cancellation or reschedule, with clients welcome to email at any time on business days; a fee will not be incurred if they provide 72 hours’ notice. Emails notifying of cancellation or rescheduling at any time after 5:00 pm on Friday and before 9:00 am on Monday will not be accepted. For example, if a client’s appointment is scheduled for 9:00 am on Monday, the client must notify of cancellation or reschedule by 9:00 am on the Wednesday prior; otherwise, they will incur a fee.
Cancellation fees are payable at the time of cancellation or will be directly charged to the client’s credit card or invoiced accordingly. Outstanding accounts (maximum terms = seven days) will be referred for debt collection and will incur an 18% + GST debt collection fee. Please note that Medicare or health insurance rebates cannot be used to pay for cancellation fees.
The client will receive an email/SMS reminder 72 hours before their appointment. While Melissa Howie Consulting endeavours to notify clients of their appointment through this reminder, it is ultimately the client’s responsibility to remember their scheduled appointment.
cancellation requirements
In the event that an appointment is cancelled or rescheduled without 72 hours’ notice or missed altogether, the following requirements apply:
We trust you will agree that this is a fair and reasonable policy, and we thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Melissa Howie Consulting looks forward to beginning this therapeutic journey with you!
