Correct Handling of No-Show & Cancellation Fees Without Discounting Services
Currently, when an appointment is cancelled or a client is marked as a no-show, Boulevard POS handles this by applying a discount to the originally scheduled service in order to reflect the cancellation fee. For example, if a $200 service is missed and a $50 no-show fee applies, the system shows a $150 discount applied to the original $200 service, resulting in a $50 charge.
Problem with Current Logic:
This creates several issues:
Misleading Revenue Reporting:
The system shows the original service as having occurred (e.g., “Hydrafacial - $200”), when in fact the service was not delivered.
Discounting down to a cancellation fee distorts financial reporting and misrepresents actual services rendered.
Service & Staff Attribution Confusion:
The no-show fee is tied to the original service and potentially attributed to the service provider, which creates complications in staff compensation and productivity tracking.
Tax and Accounting Inaccuracy:
Discounts applied to services that were not delivered may create incorrect taxable event records, depending on jurisdictional tax treatment of services versus fees.
Lack of Clear Cancellation Fee Recordkeeping:
No distinct separation exists between earned revenue from service and penalty revenue from cancellation or no-show behavior.
Proposed Solution:
Add a New System Revenue Type:
Create a dedicated revenue type called “No-Show / Cancellation Fee” that:
Is not linked to any specific service.
Can be configured with a default dollar amount or percentage by service type.
Has its own reporting category, distinct from service or retail revenue.
UI Flow Updates:
When marking an appointment as a no-show or cancelled with fee:
Allow the staff to optionally add a no-show/cancellation fee item directly to the sale.
Do not display the original service as performed.
Do not discount the original service to simulate a penalty.
Reporting & Staff Attribution:
The no-show fee should be attributed either to the business (unassigned) or to a general admin account.
Staff should not be penalized or credited for services not rendered.
Optional: Auto-Apply Settings per Service Type:
Admins can configure rules for which services carry a cancellation/no-show fee, the amount, and how long before the appointment the fee applies.

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Ben Stevens commented
I like all of this! I would add that sometimes I would like the service provider to receive commission on the no-show or late cancellation fees, so having this as an option in setup would be awesome.