How to set a deposit refund policy as a solo beauty pro

June 25, 2026 · 16 min read · back to blog

Most solo beauty pros have two deposit refund policies running in parallel: the one written in their booking link and the one they actually apply. The written policy says non-refundable. The applied policy says: depends on who asks, how hard they push, whether I need the rebooking, and how I feel that day. That gap — between declared policy and actual decision-making — is where the chargebacks live, where the disputes start, and where the financial protection that justified the deposit in the first place quietly disappears. A deposit refund policy is not the same as having refund policy language. This guide is about the decision framework — how to decide, consistently, whether to issue the refund.

What this guide covers and what it does not

If you need help writing the actual policy language — the six clauses that belong in your booking terms, the state-by-state disclosure rules, the chargeback defense language — the refund policy for solo beauty pros guide covers all of that. That guide gives you the text. This guide covers the decision: when a client asks for their deposit back, what do you actually do?

The two questions are related but not the same. You can have well-written policy language and still refund inconsistently. You can have no written policy at all and make defensible decisions on every request. The written policy tells the client what to expect and gives you something to point to. The decision framework is what you do in the four minutes between reading the refund request and deciding whether to issue it.

This guide also does not cover what to do when a client files a chargeback after receiving a refund, or how to win a dispute where a deposit was retained. If you are already in a Stripe dispute, the chargeback response guide covers that. This guide is upstream: the decisions that prevent disputes from starting in the first place.

What "non-refundable" actually means — and what it doesn't

"Non-refundable" is a policy statement, not a legal guarantee. Whether a deposit is legally non-refundable depends on several factors that your written policy cannot fully control: state consumer protection law, the specific terms under which the deposit was collected, whether the service was ultimately delivered, and — in a Stripe dispute — what Stripe's rules say about card-not-present transactions where the service was never received.

At the federal level, there is no general consumer protection law that overrides a written non-refundable deposit policy. But several states have specific rules that affect how non-refundable deposits interact with cancellations, service failures, and consumer protection claims. The 2026 deposit policy comparison by state covers the state-level landscape. The practical summary for a solo beauty pro: your non-refundable policy is enforceable in most circumstances, but not in all of them.

Where non-refundable holds

Non-refundable is most defensible when: the client cancelled voluntarily within the policy window, the service was ready to be delivered, the slot was blocked and you had no opportunity to fill it, and you have documentation showing the client agreed to the policy at booking. When all four conditions are true, your non-refundable deposit is what it says it is.

Where non-refundable weakens

Non-refundable weakens in several scenarios. If you cancelled the appointment (not the client), the deposit is refundable — you blocked the slot, collected the money, and then did not deliver. There is no defensible argument for keeping a deposit on an appointment you cancelled. If the service was delivered but was materially defective — meaning you did not deliver what was booked — the non-refundable argument weakens significantly even before any dispute or chargeback. If the client cancelled far enough in advance (more than 48–72 hours for most single-service appointments) that you could have filled the slot, some practitioners choose to refund because the economic justification for keeping the deposit — the blocked slot cannot be filled — does not apply. This is a business decision, not a legal requirement. And in a Stripe dispute where the client claims they never received any service, Stripe's default position starts from the consumer's perspective — your documentation and the written policy at booking are what move the outcome.

Understanding where non-refundable holds and where it weakens is the starting point for a consistent decision framework. The goal is not to refund every sympathetic request. The goal is to have a defined, consistent threshold so you are not making case-by-case judgment calls that eventually get you on the wrong side of a chargeback.

Three types of deposit refund requests

Most deposit refund requests fall into one of three categories. The category determines the appropriate response. Getting the category right first — before deciding what to do — is the first step in the decision framework.

Category 1: the genuine emergency

The client had an event outside their control that made the appointment physically impossible to attend or ethically inappropriate to require: a documented medical emergency or hospitalization, an accident, a bereavement, a serious unexpected family crisis. These requests are typically easy to identify because the client is not negotiating — they are telling you something real happened and they are embarrassed or distressed about missing the appointment.

The defining feature of a genuine emergency is that documentation exists and the client either offers it or will provide it if asked. A client who says "I was in the hospital last night" and will send you a discharge summary if you ask is in Category 1. A client who says "I had a family emergency" without any specifics and resists any follow-up question is probably in Category 2.

Genuine emergencies are rare in practice — far rarer than the rate at which clients describe their cancellation as an emergency. Most solo beauty pros deal with approximately one genuine emergency per quarter at a full booking schedule.

Category 2: the circumstantial claim

This is the most common category of deposit refund request. The client had something in their life that made the appointment inconvenient, difficult, or anxiety-inducing, and they are now describing it in language that sounds urgent but is not an emergency. Traffic. A meeting that ran long. A sick child (but not hospitalized). Stress at work. Forgot until the night before. Realizing they could not afford the service after all.

Circumstantial claims are distinguished from genuine emergencies by several patterns: the client mentions the refund request before mentioning the situation itself, the explanation escalates in urgency each time you respond without agreeing, the language is borrowed from consumer rights ("I have a legal right to a refund," "you can't keep my money") rather than from someone genuinely distressed. None of these are disqualifying on their own — a client can be genuinely stressed about a circumstantial situation — but the pattern matters.

The correct response to a Category 2 request depends on your policy window, not on how sympathetic the situation sounds. A circumstantial claim inside the cancellation window (where the slot cannot realistically be filled) does not override the non-refundable clause. A circumstantial claim made 96 hours in advance on a single-service appointment in a market where you can fill slots quickly is a different economic situation — and some practitioners choose to reschedule-credit rather than retain in that scenario, not because they are required to, but because the economic justification for keeping the deposit is weaker when the slot fills easily.

Category 3: the tactical request

The client booked, paid the deposit, found a cheaper option or a more convenient pro, and now wants their money back. The explanation may be framed as a Category 1 or Category 2 claim, but the sequence — booked with you, found an alternative, asked for a refund — reveals the category. Sometimes the client is transparent about this. More often they are not.

Category 3 requests are not emergencies, not outside-their-control circumstances, and not errors by the pro. They are the clearest case where the non-refundable policy applies cleanly. The deposit exists precisely because a client changing their mind after blocking your slot should not result in a loss for you.

The tactical request is also where the chargeback risk is highest. A client who wants their money back and does not get a refund has a clear incentive to initiate a Stripe dispute. This does not mean you should refund to avoid disputes — a client who would file a false dispute if denied is exactly the kind of client your deposit policy is designed to filter out. It means your documentation at the time of the refund denial is the most important step in the process.

The deposit refund decision framework

The framework has three decision points and a documentation step that applies regardless of the outcome.

Decision point 1: did you or the booking system cancel?

If you cancelled the appointment, the answer is always refund in full. This is not a policy decision — it is the only defensible position. You blocked the slot, you collected the deposit, and you did not deliver. Keeping the deposit when you cancelled is the surest way to generate a chargeback you will lose. Issue the full refund via Stripe to the original payment method, send a confirmation message noting the refund amount and timeline (3–10 business days), and offer rebooking at the client's convenience.

Decision point 2: when did the client cancel, relative to your policy window?

If the client cancelled outside your advance notice window — far enough ahead that you had a realistic opportunity to fill the slot — your deposit policy is less economically necessary. Many practitioners apply a tiered approach: cancel 72+ hours in advance gets a full refund or reschedule credit; cancel 24–72 hours in advance gets a reschedule credit (not cash, but not forfeited); cancel inside 24 hours is retained per policy. The exact windows are less important than having defined windows that match your typical slot-fill rate. If you typically fill cancellations in under an hour, your window can be shorter. If you serve a specialty vertical where same-day slot-fills are rare (color corrections, microblading, full-set extensions), your window should be longer and the deposit amount should be higher.

Whatever your windows, define them before you receive requests — not in response to a specific client. A policy that was defined before the request is enforceable. A policy that appears after the request looks like retaliation.

Decision point 3: what category is the request?

Apply the three-category assessment from above. For a Category 1 genuine emergency: issue a full refund or offer a reschedule credit at the client's option. Request documentation only if you need it for your own records — do not make the documentation request feel like an interrogation. For a Category 2 circumstantial claim inside your policy window: apply your defined policy. Reschedule credit if you offer it; retain if you do not. For a Category 3 tactical request: apply the non-refundable policy as written. Full stop.

The most important discipline here is applying the category consistently regardless of the client's history with you. A long-term client in Category 3 gets the same response as a new client in Category 3. A new client in Category 1 gets the same response as a loyal client in Category 1. The moment you start making exceptions based on who the client is rather than what category the request falls into, you lose the consistency that makes the policy enforceable and defensible.

Partial refunds: when partial service delivery changes the decision

The standard deposit scenario assumes the client cancelled before the service. Partial service delivery — where the appointment started but did not complete — is a different situation with different rules.

If the service was partially delivered (the appointment started, some work was done, and the appointment ended early for any reason), the non-refundable deposit logic shifts. The deposit was collected to secure the slot. The slot was used, at least partially. The relevant question is not whether to refund the deposit but whether any portion of the service price is refundable for the undelivered portion.

The defensible approach: calculate the proportion of the service delivered, determine whether any material costs were already incurred on the undelivered portion, and offer a partial refund for the undelivered fraction minus unrecoverable material costs. A color correction that was halfway through processing when the client asked to stop: the deposit is not refundable (the slot was used), but a partial refund of the service fee for the uncompleted work may be appropriate if you can calculate it cleanly. For most solo beauty services (lash fills, nail appointments, waxing), partial delivery is rare. For longer appointments (color corrections, full-set extensions, microblading), it is worth having a defined approach before it happens.

When in doubt on partial delivery: consult the language in your refund policy to confirm what you said you would do, and stick to it. A written policy that defines partial delivery outcomes is a rare thing — most solo pros do not have one — but if you do, follow it exactly and document the calculation.

The one-grace exception: when to give it and what it costs you

Some practitioners use a one-grace rule: every client gets one exception to the non-refundable policy over the life of the relationship. First time you cancel inside the window, I'll give you the deposit back. Second time, I keep it per policy. This is a defensible approach in some contexts — particularly for high-value long-term clients in appointment-heavy verticals (lash fills, nail appointments, color touch-ups) where the lifetime value of the relationship is high and the no-show risk over time is lower once the relationship is established.

The one-grace rule has real costs that most practitioners underestimate. First, it creates inconsistency unless you track grace usage carefully — and if you are tracking grace usage by client, you have a client management overhead that grows with your roster. Second, it sets an expectation for new clients who do not know that this was exceptional — the client who received a refund on her first cancel will expect the same treatment the second time. Third, granting a grace exception does not prevent a chargeback from a client who is in Category 3. It just means you refunded them voluntarily rather than having the refund forced via dispute.

If you use a one-grace rule, make it explicit: "I'm going to make an exception to the policy this once. For future appointments, the deposit is non-refundable per the booking terms." That sentence, sent in the same message as the refund confirmation, is the documentation that this was a one-time exception, not a change in policy.

How to issue a Stripe deposit refund: the actual mechanics

When you decide to issue a full or partial refund, the refund should go back to the original payment method via Stripe. Do not offer cash, Venmo, Zelle, or any alternative payment channel as a refund for a Stripe deposit. The reason is not convenience — it is chargeback defense. If a client receives a Stripe refund and then initiates a chargeback, you can point Stripe to the refund record. If you paid them back via Venmo and they initiate a chargeback, Stripe sees no evidence of a refund and the chargeback proceeds against you with no counter-evidence.

Full refund via Stripe dashboard

In your Stripe dashboard: Payments → find the original payment → click Refund → select Full Refund → confirm. The money returns to the client's card in 3–10 business days depending on their bank. Stripe does not return the transaction fee on refunds — on a $75 deposit, Stripe keeps approximately $2.48 (the 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee). This is a real cost of the refund decision, not a rounding error.

Partial refund via Stripe dashboard

Same path: Payments → find the payment → click Refund → select Partial → enter the specific dollar amount. Calculate the partial refund amount before opening Stripe — do not calculate it in the dashboard. Write down the calculation and keep it. If the partial refund decision ever becomes part of a dispute, your documented calculation (how you arrived at the specific amount) is evidence that the partial refund was reasoned, not arbitrary.

Reschedule credit instead of cash refund

For Category 2 requests inside your policy window, a reschedule credit — where you offer to hold the deposit as credit toward a future appointment rather than returning the cash — is a middle ground that preserves some economic protection while giving the client a path forward. This is a voluntary accommodation, not a policy requirement. If you offer a reschedule credit, put the terms in writing: the credit applies only to the client's next appointment, expires after 90 days (or whatever window you choose), and is not transferable and not convertible to cash. A credit that expires and is not used has the same economic effect as a retained deposit without the relationship damage of a flat denial.

Reschedule credits are not appropriate for Category 3 requests. A client who is leaving your roster to go elsewhere has no use for a reschedule credit and will either ignore it or use the offer as leverage to demand the cash instead.

Documentation: the step that makes everything else work

Whether you issue the refund or deny it, the documentation step is the same and it is not optional. The documentation closes the loop on the decision and is your primary defense if the client initiates a chargeback after the fact.

When you issue a refund

Send a written confirmation immediately after processing the refund in Stripe. The message should contain four elements: the amount refunded ("I've issued a full refund of $75"), the reason for the exception (one sentence), the expected return timeline ("it should appear on your card in 3–10 business days"), and — if applicable — the one-grace language ("this is an exception to the policy; future deposits are non-refundable per the booking terms"). Keep this message in your records. It is your evidence that the refund was issued voluntarily, not in response to a dispute.

When you deny a refund

Send a written response acknowledging the request and stating the decision. The message should contain three elements: acknowledgment that you received the request, the policy clause that applies ("per the booking terms you agreed to at the time of deposit, the $75 deposit is non-refundable for cancellations made inside 24 hours"), and if appropriate, an offer of a reschedule credit with expiration terms. Do not include apologies that could be read as admissions. Do not include explanations of your financial situation. Keep the tone professional and the message short.

This message is your first line of defense in a chargeback. Stripe will ask you to provide evidence that the client agreed to the policy and that the policy was applied as written. A written denial message with specific policy language, sent before the chargeback was filed, is the clearest evidence that you applied the policy consistently.

A second documentation note: the booking confirmation that shows the client agreed to the deposit and the terms at booking. If your booking system sends an automated confirmation with the policy embedded — which deposit-first booking via ChairHold does — keep that confirmation. If you collect deposits via Venmo or Zelle with no written agreement, you are building the policy documentation retroactively at the time of dispute. The outcome difference is significant.

How to deny a refund without triggering a dispute

The refund denial is the moment where deposits most often convert into disputes. The client asked, you said no, they went to Stripe. Most of the time this is preventable not by changing the decision but by how the decision is communicated.

Respond quickly

A refund request that sits unanswered for 48 hours accumulates frustration. The client who sent the request on Monday and received no response by Wednesday has already decided you are ignoring them and is one step closer to initiating a dispute. Respond within 24 hours, even if your response is only "I've received your request and will get back to you by [time]." A quick response signals that you are not avoiding the issue. Most clients who receive a clear, professional denial quickly move on.

Use neutral policy language, not personal language

The deposit is non-refundable per the policy — not "I can't refund you" or "I won't give your money back." The first framing locates the decision in a written policy that the client agreed to. The second framing locates it in your willingness, which invites negotiation. "Per the booking terms you agreed to on [date], cancellations made inside 24 hours of the appointment are non-refundable" is harder to argue with than "I'm sorry but I can't issue a refund in this case."

Do not escalate or justify beyond the policy

When a client pushes back on a refund denial, the instinct is to explain more — to describe how the no-show cost you, to detail the policy rationale, to list why you could not fill the slot. This usually backfires. Every additional explanation is an additional surface for the client to disagree with. The policy stands on its own. "The booking terms are clear and were agreed to at the time of deposit. The decision is final" is a shorter and more defensible message than an extended justification.

Do not make exceptions under social pressure

A client who threatens a bad review if you do not refund is in Category 3. Granting the refund in response to that threat does not resolve the situation — it confirms to the client that the threat worked and sets the terms for every future interaction. It also does not prevent the review: a client who was willing to make that threat is not reliably prevented from leaving a negative review after receiving the refund. Apply the policy. Document the threat. If a review is posted that contains false factual claims (not just negative sentiment), report it via Google's removal process. A professional, factual response to a negative review does more for your reputation than a refund that the client will not mention in the review anyway.

This is the same principle covered in the client dispute guide under the Google review threat section: the FTC's November 2024 rule explicitly prohibits conditioning refunds on review retraction. But more practically, it simply does not work as a conflict-resolution strategy.

Vertical-specific deposit refund patterns

The core decision framework applies across all solo beauty verticals, but the specific stakes and common scenarios differ by service type.

Colorists

Color corrections represent the highest-stakes deposit refund scenario in any beauty vertical. A color correction no-show or same-day cancel often means you have already opened and mixed product — supplies that cannot be returned and that are sunk costs regardless of whether the client arrived. The deposit for a color correction should account for this. A $100–$150 flat deposit with a 72-hour non-refundable window is the baseline for corrections; the deposit amount should cover the expected material cost, not just a fraction of it.

For a color correction cancellation inside the 72-hour window where you had already mixed product: the deposit is retained. Full stop. The opened-supplies argument is your strongest evidence in a Stripe dispute — if you photograph and document the prepped product before calling the client about the no-show, you have physical evidence of the loss that occurred before the dispute was filed.

For color appointments where no product was prepped (consultation-only bookings, first-visit appointments where preparation happens in-chair): the standard decision framework applies without the opened-supplies argument.

Lash artists

Lash deposits most often generate refund requests around two scenarios: retention disputes (where the client claims the service was defective and wants a refund of the deposit along with the service fee) and same-day cancels on full-set appointments.

For retention disputes: this is a partial service delivery question, not a standard deposit refund question. Whether and how much to refund depends on the before photos, the aftercare instructions you provided in writing, the service agreement, and whether the retention failure occurred within what a reasonable standard of care would produce. The dispute handling guide covers this in detail. The deposit is not automatically refundable because a client reports premature shedding — the claim requires assessment before any financial offer.

For same-day cancels on full-set appointments (3–5 hour blocks): the non-refundable policy applies clearly. A four-hour block that absorbs on same-day notice is the exact scenario the deposit was designed for. Document the blocked time, note the zero fill opportunity at same-day notice, and retain.

Nail technicians

Nail deposits tend to be smaller ($25–$50 range) on a higher volume of appointments, which means refund disputes are more frequent but lower in individual dollar stakes. The math on whether to fight a nail deposit dispute is often unfavorable — the time cost of responding to a Stripe dispute may exceed the deposit amount you are defending.

For small-amount nail deposits ($25 or under) from clients who are clearly in Category 3 and have signaled chargeback intent: a voluntary refund with clear written documentation ("I am issuing this refund as a courtesy; per the booking terms this was non-refundable") sometimes costs less in time and dispute processing than the Stripe dispute would. This is a business calculation, not a policy capitulation. The refund confirmation message documents that the policy was valid and that you refunded voluntarily, which becomes relevant if the same client ever books again.

For deposits above $50 on gel services, nail art, or acrylic appointments: the full framework applies. The dollar amount justifies the dispute response effort.

Brow artists and PMU / microblading

PMU and microblading deposit refund requests most often arrive in two patterns: pre-appointment cold feet (client books, pays deposit, and then worries about the commitment) and post-touch-up disputes (client claims the touch-up failed to meet the standard of the initial procedure and wants a refund).

Cold feet cancellations inside your policy window: retain per policy. The 24–72 hour window for PMU should be longer than for other services because same-day slot fills for a 2–4 hour blocked PMU appointment are rare. A 96-hour to 7-day non-refundable window is defensible for microblading given the appointment length and difficulty of rescheduling the time.

Post-touch-up disputes are a service quality claim, not a deposit refund claim in the standard sense. Whether the touch-up result meets standard is a separate question from whether the deposit at the touch-up booking was collected properly. Assess the claim on its merits before any financial offer, the same as any other service dispute.

One PMU-specific note: clients sometimes ask for a deposit refund after a color or shape result they are unhappy with, claiming the result was not what they agreed to. Before any financial offer, pull the pre-service consultation notes, the reference photos, and the documented consent form if you use one. PMU is a service with significant individual healing variability — a color that heals darker or lighter than expected is not automatically a service failure. Documentation of the pre-service consent process (including healing expectations) is your primary defense.

Mobile groomers

Mobile grooming has the highest per-incident cost of any solo service category for deposit refund scenarios, because by the time a no-show or same-day cancel happens, you have often already driven to the location. Travel time and fuel are sunk costs before the chargeback conversation begins.

The deposit policy for mobile grooming should account for this: a flat deposit that covers at minimum the expected travel cost plus time cost, not just a percentage of the service fee. On a grooming appointment where travel is 30 minutes each way at $0.67/mile: the minimum non-refundable deposit should cover the travel value even if nothing else — typically $30–$50 flat plus a per-mile recovery component for appointments beyond a baseline radius.

For mobile grooming no-shows: document the travel, the time of arrival, and any communications attempts (call, text, wait duration) before leaving. This documentation is both the evidence for keeping the deposit and the record for any dispute response. A groomer who can show Stripe "I drove 25 minutes, arrived at 10am, called twice, waited 15 minutes, and departed at 10:15am" has a stronger dispute position than one who simply retained the deposit without any documented arrival record.

Common deposit refund mistakes

These are the patterns that generate chargebacks, damage client relationships unnecessarily, and undermine the financial protection that justified collecting the deposit.

• Making exceptions case-by-case without a framework. Every exception made on a case-by-case basis based on client history, volume, or emotional appeal sets an inconsistent precedent that will surface in the next dispute. Define the framework before the requests arrive.
• Issuing refunds via cash or peer-to-peer apps instead of Stripe. Cash and Venmo refunds do not appear in the Stripe transaction record. A client who receives a cash refund can still initiate a Stripe chargeback with no evidence of the refund. Always refund via the original payment method.
• Not documenting the decision. Whether you issue or deny, a written confirmation sent immediately is your evidence. An undocumented decision leaves both outcomes equally defensible in a dispute — which means Stripe defaults to the consumer.
• Refunding under social pressure to avoid a bad review. The review may still come. The refund does not prevent it. And the next time the client (or a client who heard the story) books with you, the leverage is established.
• Applying different windows to different clients without documenting the difference. If your policy says 24-hour non-refundable window but you sometimes allow 72 hours for long-term clients, you have two policies running in parallel. The next dispute will feature the client who received the 72-hour window as evidence that the 24-hour window is not your real policy.
• Waiting more than 24 hours to respond to a refund request. Speed is a signal. A quick professional response — even a denial — defuses most requests before they escalate. A delayed response escalates most of them.

The three-year compound: what consistency costs and what inconsistency costs

Two lash artists with the same booking volume, same deposit amount ($75 per full-set appointment), and the same rate of refund requests (approximately one per month over the year from cancellations inside the policy window).

Lash Artist A makes case-by-case decisions on refund requests. She refunds for sympathetic stories, retains for clients she expects will not push back, gives the benefit of the doubt to long-term clients. Over three years, she refunds approximately 60% of requests that were inside her non-refundable window — not because the policy required it, but because the requests were uncomfortable and the amounts felt small. She receives no chargebacks from the clients she refunded. She receives four chargebacks from clients she retained — three of which she wins (she had documentation on those) and one of which she loses because she had no written denial message and no booking confirmation showing policy agreement. Chargeback fees plus the lost dispute: $180. Voluntary refunds that were non-refundable under policy: approximately $1,620 over three years (36 months × approximately 60% × $75). Total: approximately $1,800 over three years from this one decision pattern.

Lash Artist B applies the three-category framework from day one. Category 1 (two genuine emergencies over three years): full refund in both cases, with confirmation message. Category 2 inside window (seven requests): four retained per policy with written denial message, three offered reschedule credit with 90-day expiration (two of the three were used). Category 3 (three requests): all three retained with written denial; one chargeback filed, won because of the booking confirmation and the denial message. Voluntary refunds over three years: approximately $150 (two Category 1 refunds). Chargeback losses: $0. Dispute fees (one dispute, won): $0 (Stripe does not charge a fee for won disputes). Total over three years: approximately $150.

The $1,650 gap — from the same volume of requests, the same deposit amount, and the same service — is entirely attributable to having or not having a decision framework applied consistently before the request arrives.

Operational checklists

One-time deposit refund policy setup (30 minutes)

• Confirm your non-refundable window is written into your booking terms (not just in your head): the specific advance notice threshold and what happens to the deposit on each side of it.
• Define your three-tier response: outside window (full refund or reschedule), Category 1 emergency (full refund, no questions), inside window non-emergency (retain or reschedule credit per policy).
• Decide whether you will offer a reschedule credit option for Category 2 requests inside the window, and if so, define the expiration period (recommend 60–90 days).
• Write a refund confirmation message template: "I've issued a full refund of $[X] to the original payment method. It should appear in 3–10 business days. [Optional: this is an exception to the policy; future deposits are non-refundable.]"
• Write a refund denial message template: "Per the booking terms agreed to at the time of deposit, cancellations made inside [window] are non-refundable. [Optional: I can hold your deposit as a reschedule credit for [expiration] if you'd like to rebook.]"
• If you use a booking system that sends an automated confirmation with policy terms, verify that the policy language in the confirmation matches your actual decision thresholds.

Per-request protocol (2–3 minutes per request)

• Identify the request category: Category 1 (genuine documented emergency), Category 2 (circumstantial, no documentation), or Category 3 (tactical, no change in circumstances).
• Check the cancellation timing: outside policy window, inside window, or same-day.
• Apply the decision framework: make the decision before opening Stripe or drafting the message.
• Respond within 24 hours with the appropriate message template, customized to the specific situation.
• Log the request and outcome: client name, date, category assessment, decision, refund amount if issued.

If issuing a refund via Stripe (additional 5 minutes)

• Find the original payment in Stripe: Payments → search by client name or date.
• Click Refund → select Full or Partial → enter partial amount if applicable and note the calculation.
• Confirm the refund. Note the Stripe refund ID.
• Send the refund confirmation message immediately with the amount and timeline.
• Update your deposit refund log: date, amount, category, Stripe refund ID.

If denying a refund (additional 2 minutes)

• Send the denial message using the template. Keep it short, professional, and policy-anchored.
• If offering a reschedule credit, include expiration date and terms in the message.
• Screenshot or save the message thread before closing it — this is your chargeback evidence file for this client.
• Update the log: date, category, decision, message sent (yes/no), chargeback filed (update if applicable).

If you want a booking system where the deposit policy is agreed to at booking, the booking confirmation embeds the policy terms, and the deposit transaction record exists in Stripe before any refund request conversation starts — ChairHold is in early access at $9/month: one booking link, deposits to your Stripe on confirmation, and a clean transaction record per appointment that makes every refund decision and denial defensible.