No Show, Late Cancellation and Waitlist Rules

Currently, the system handles late cancellations and no-shows by penalising members in two ways:

1. Pass-Paying Customers lose their class pass, and if a fee is introduced, they would also pay this fee.

2. Unlimited Membership Customers are only charged a fee without any additional impact.

This creates an imbalance, as pass-paying customers face a double penalty (loss of pass + fee), whereas unlimited members are only charged the fee. Without the fee, pass-paying customers still lose their pass, while unlimited members face no consequences, which could be perceived as unfair.

The Late Cancellation and No Show feature is a great tool to help automate what is a time consuming process, and has great potential. However for us, in the current form, it creates an imbalance that would be ill received by members.

Feature Request
To introduce separate rules for handling late cancellations and no-shows that ensure fairness between pass-paying customers and unlimited membership customers while preserving accountability.

Potential Solution

Separate Policies Based on Membership Type:

1. Pass-Paying Customers

   • Retain the current penalty of losing their pass for late cancellations or no-shows.

   • Do not charge an additional fee, as the loss of the pass is already a significant consequence.

2. Unlimited Membership Customers

   • Introduce a fee for late cancellations or no-shows to hold them accountable.

   • Optionally, include escalating penalties for repeat offences to encourage responsible behaviour (e.g., a higher fee after three instances in a month).

Benefits

1. Fairness: By tailoring penalties to membership type, the system ensures that all members are held accountable without disproportionately penalising one group.

2. Improved Member Satisfaction: Customers are more likely to view the system as equitable, reducing complaints about perceived unfairness.

3. Retention: Addressing these concerns could improve member retention by demonstrating responsiveness to their needs.

Waitlist Considerations
For members who join a class from a waitlist, the circumstances around cancellations or no-shows may differ from standard bookings.

1. Late Notification of Waitlist Promotion

   • Members may not have sufficient time to plan for attendance if they are promoted into a class from the waitlist at the last minute. Penalizing these members could feel unfair if they were unable to confirm attendance.

2. Passive Waitlist Enrolment

   • Some systems automatically promote waitlisted members without requiring confirmation. In these cases, members might be added to the class without their explicit acknowledgment, leading to unintentional no-shows or late cancellations.

Potential Solutions for Waitlisted Members

1. Notification Period for Waitlist Promotion

   • Grace Period for Late Cancellations/No-Shows: Offer a short grace period (e.g., 2-3 hours) after being promoted from the waitlist. If a member cannot attend and cancels within this window, no penalty is applied.

   • Advance Notification: Send an automated reminder when members are high on the waitlist, encouraging them to confirm or withdraw their interest.

2. Confirmation Requirement for Promotion

   • Require members to confirm their spot upon being promoted from the waitlist. If they fail to confirm within a set time, their spot is passed to the next waitlisted member. This avoids unintended penalties for unconfirmed attendees.

3. Policy Differentiation for Last-Minute Promotions

   • For promotions that occur less than 4-6 hours before the class, apply a reduced or waived penalty for late cancellations or no-shows, as these members had limited time to adjust their plans.

4. Other Potential Penalty Adjustments

   • Pass-Paying Customers: If a waitlisted customer is added last-minute and fails to attend, consider refunding their pass or applying a reduced penalty.

   • Unlimited Members: Apply a lower fee for late cancellations or no-shows for last-minute waitlist promotions.

Benefits

1. Fairness: Members are not penalised for circumstances beyond their control, such as late notice of class availability.

2. Encouragement to Stay on Waitlists: Members may be more willing to join waitlists if they know they won’t face harsh penalties for late promotions.

3. Reduced Friction: Encourages a positive relationship with the booking system by balancing accountability with fairness.

Considerations

1. Late Notification of Waitlist Promotion

   • Members may not have sufficient time to plan for attendance if they are promoted into a class from the waitlist at the last minute. Penalising these members could feel unfair if they were unable to confirm attendance.

2. Passive Waitlist Enrolment

   • Waitlisted members are promoted without requiring confirmation. In these cases, members might be added to the class without their explicit acknowledgment, leading to unintentional no-shows or late cancellations.

3. Member Responsibility and Accountability

   • While fairness is important, members must also be responsible for managing their waitlist status. They should be aware of their chances of being promoted and be ready to attend when a spot becomes available.

Potential Solutions for Waitlisted Members

1. Notification Period for Waitlist Promotion

   • Grace Period for Late Cancellations/No-Shows: Offer a short grace period (e.g., 2-3 hours) after being promoted from the waitlist. If a member cannot attend and cancels within this window, no penalty is applied.

   • Advance Notification: Send an automated reminder when members are high on the waitlist, encouraging them to confirm or withdraw their interest.

2. Confirmation Requirement for Promotion

   • Require members to confirm their spot upon being promoted from the waitlist. If they fail to confirm within a set time, their spot is passed to the next waitlisted member. This avoids unintended penalties for unconfirmed attendees. This time could be dynamic depending on the promotion from the waitlist before the class start time. For instance, 8 hours before the start time they get 1 hour to confirm. 2 hour before the start time they get 15 minutes to confirm.

3. Policy Differentiation for Last-Minute Promotions

   • For promotions that occur less than 4-6 hours before the class, apply a reduced or waived penalty for late cancellations or no-shows, as these members had limited time to adjust their plans.