Should you be charged a no-show fee for missing an appointment?
In Canada, it is typical to be charged a no-show fee for missing a dentist’s or doctor’s appointment. Other kinds of businesses often also charge a fee for clients not showing up.
A survey conducted by Research Co. shows what Canadians think about having to pay no-show fees at restaurants, appointments, and other kinds of bookings.
The survey found that over half (59%) of Canadians think charging a fee is justified when appointments are missed at the dentist. Respondents were also supportive of no-show fees when failing to attend appointments with a doctor or medical specialist (57%), a hair stylist or barber (53%), or a pet groomer (51%).
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However, Canadians seem to be split on charging no-show fees for missed restaurant reservations, as 44% of respondents said that the charge is justified, while 48% said they didn’t support the policy.
How often do Canadians miss an appointment?
Over one in four Canadians (26%) said they missed a reservation in the past year, while 74% said they did not.
Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., highlighted that younger Canadians aged 18-34 were more likely (43%) to miss appointments in the past year, compared to those aged 35-54 (27%) and those 55 and over (9%).
The most commonly missed appointments were for the doctor or medical specialist (15%) and the dentist (11%).
However, fewer respondents said they were missing their reservations or bookings for restaurants (9%), hair appointments (8%), and pet grooming (3%).
It seems like Canadians have plenty of excuses for not showing up.
Two out of five respondents (40%) said they could not make a reservation or appointment due to personal issues, 27% said they couldn’t make it due to transportation issues, and 25% used work as an excuse.
Most Canadians (85%) said they hadn’t paid a no-show fee in the past year, while 15% said they were charged for missing an appointment.
Doctors and dentists rack up the most no-show fees (7% each), followed by restaurants (6%), hair salons and barbers (4%), and pet groomers (4%).
Research Co. conducted its online survey from July 5 to 7 among 1,001 Canadian adults.
What are your thoughts on being charged a no-show fee? Let us know in the comments.
This article was originally published on August 8, 2024. It has since been updated.