Missed reservation? Canadians divided on paying restaurant no-show fees
Canadians appear to be supportive of paying no-show fees when it comes to missing certain appointments and bookings over others.
That’s according to a new survey conducted by Research Co.
The survey asked respondents their opinions on when no-show fees should be charged.
The results found that over half (59%) of Canadians think that 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%).
However, Canadians seem to be split on charging no-show fees for missed reservations at restaurants, as 44% of respondents said that the charge is justified, while 48% said they didn’t support the policy.
How many Canadians are missing appointments and reservations?
According to the survey’s results, 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 they’re using for not showing up.
Two out of five respondents (40%) said they were unable to 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.
The majority of Canadians (85%) said they haven’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.