Why We Don't Charge Cancellation Fees (And What We Ask Instead) | DayMaker Cleaning Co.

Life happens. Kids get sick. Emergencies come up. Plans change.

Most cleaning companies will charge you $50-75 if you cancel without enough notice. We don't.

Here's why—and what we ask from you instead.

The Industry Standard: Cancellation Fees

If you've hired cleaning services before, you've probably seen this policy:

"Cancellations require 24-48 hours notice. Cancellations within 24 hours will be charged a $50-75 fee."

Some companies even charge the full service price if you cancel same-day.

Why do they do this?

Because when you cancel, they lose that time slot. They've scheduled their day around your appointment, and now they have a gap they can't fill. The fee compensates for lost revenue.

From a business perspective, I get it. But from a customer perspective? It sucks.

Why We Don't Charge Cancellation Fees

Here's my thinking: I'm not going to charge you for work I didn't do.

If something comes up and you need to cancel, you're already dealing with whatever caused the cancellation—a sick kid, a family emergency, an unexpected conflict. The last thing I want to do is add financial stress on top of that by charging you for nothing.

If I were the customer, I'd hate paying a cancellation fee. It would make a bad situation worse. So we don't do it.

Your hard-earned money should go toward actual service, not penalties for life happening.

What We Ask Instead: Give Us a Heads Up

We don't charge fees, but we do ask for one thing: let us know as soon as you can.

Ideally 24 hours notice, but we understand that's not always possible. The key is just telling us as soon as you know.

Why it matters:

When you cancel, we need to adjust the schedule for every client that day. If someone was scheduled after you, we can move them up. If we have a waitlist, we can offer the slot to someone else.

We send appointment reminders the day before with your arrival time. If you can let us know before those reminders go out, it makes rescheduling everyone much smoother.

It's not about penalties. It's just about courtesy so we can manage the day for everyone else.

What Happens If You Cancel

You call or text us. Let us know you need to cancel or reschedule.

We adjust the schedule. We move things around, notify other clients if their time is changing, and get everything sorted.

We reschedule you. We find a time that works for your next cleaning.

That's it. No fees. No penalties. No hassle.

The One Exception (That We've Never Actually Used)

I'm going to be totally transparent here.

Technically, if you're a weekly client and you cancel, your home will be dirtier than usual when we come back. If it's been two weeks instead of one, it takes a bit longer to clean—closer to what we'd charge a bi-weekly client.

So our "safety net" policy says we could charge you the bi-weekly rate instead of the weekly rate for that visit.

But here's the reality: we've never done it.

In practice, when a weekly client skips a week, the house usually only takes an extra 15-20 minutes for our three-person team. That's not worth nickel-and-diming you over. We just take the hit and move on.

The policy exists just in case we walk into a situation that's dramatically different than expected. But it's never actually happened in all our years of business.

Why This Policy Works

For you: No stress about cancellation fees. No guilt about life getting in the way. You're not trapped or penalized.

For us: We build relationships with clients based on trust and flexibility, not fear of penalties. People appreciate it, and it shows in how they treat us.

For everyone: A little courtesy goes a long way. You give us a heads up when you can, we work with you when life happens. That's just how good relationships work.

What Other Companies Do Wrong

A lot of cleaning companies treat cancellations like you're trying to screw them over.

Strict policies. Immediate fees. No flexibility.

But here's the thing: If you're a recurring client who's been with us for months or years and you need to cancel once because your kid has the flu? That's not a problem. That's just life.

We're not going to punish you for it.

The companies that charge aggressive cancellation fees are often the same ones using rotating cleaners, hourly pricing, and add-on fees. It's all part of the same "maximize revenue at the customer's expense" mentality.

We'd rather build long-term relationships with people who trust us than squeeze every possible dollar out of every situation.

The Courtesy Goes Both Ways

We ask you to give us notice when you can. In return:

We show up on time (within our arrival window) and let you know when we're on our way.

We don't leave until your home is finished, even if it takes longer than expected.

We don't charge you extra fees for things that should be included.

We work with you when life gets complicated.

It's mutual respect. We treat you well, you treat us well. That's how it should work.

The Bottom Line

We don't charge cancellation fees because we're not going to charge you for work we didn't do.

All we ask: Give us a heads up as soon as you know you need to cancel—ideally 24 hours, but we get that's not always possible. It's just courtesy so we can adjust the schedule for everyone.

No penalties. No fees. No stress.

Just flexibility and understanding, because that's how we'd want to be treated.

Life happens, and we get it. No cancellation fees at DayMaker—just give us a heads up when you can so we can adjust the schedule. That's how good relationships work.