No-show and late-cancellation fees for salons in Germany: what is allowed?

Without an agreement it gets difficult

In principle a salon can claim compensation even without a specific agreement if a client misses a firmly booked appointment. In practice that is hard to enforce: you would have to prove the actual loss and deduct what you saved or earned elsewhere (section 615 sentence 2 of the German Civil Code, BGB) — for example when another client took the slot.

So the most important rule is: agree the fee in advance, explicitly and visibly — for example in the online booking, in the booking confirmation and on a notice in the salon.

A flat fee, yes — but not any amount

The fee is usually set as a fixed amount in the terms and conditions. Towards consumers, the German Civil Code sets strict rules:

• The flat fee must not exceed the loss to be expected in the normal course of events (section 309 no. 5 a BGB). The full price of a treatment is usually too high, because you save materials and time.
• The client must be expressly allowed to prove that no loss, or a smaller one, occurred (section 309 no. 5 b BGB). Without this sentence the clause is invalid.
• Word it as compensation, not as a penalty. A contractual penalty for not turning up is invalid in standard terms towards consumers (section 309 no. 6 BGB).

A fair wording

An example that reflects these points — please have it checked before using it:

“Appointments can be cancelled or moved free of charge up to 24 hours in advance. For later cancellations or no-shows we charge a flat 50% of the treatment price as compensation for lost revenue. You remain free to prove that we suffered no loss or a smaller one. If we can give the slot to someone else, the fee does not apply.”

Good practice that avoids trouble

• A clear notice period that clients with children or shift work can meet — 24 to 48 hours is common.
• Make cancelling and rescheduling easy: clients who can move an appointment online let it lapse less often.
• Send a reminder the day before. Many no-shows are simply forgotten appointments.
• Leniency for illness or emergencies — and for regulars who miss an appointment for the first time.
• If the salon itself cancels at short notice, the client should get something too, such as a discount on the next visit. In several EU countries the law explicitly requires such rules to work both ways.

How Bookry helps

Bookry does not collect no-show fees — clients pay at the salon. What Bookry does: your cancellation period is shown with every booking, clients can cancel or reschedule online up to that point, a reminder goes out the day before, and when a slot frees up the waiting list is notified. If needed, you invoice a no-show fee yourself.