Booking confirmation and cancellation policy templates: the policy in Word, the messages ready to send.
A one-page booking and cancellation policy written to the unfair contract terms rules, then the confirmation, reminder, running-late, rebooking, late-cancellation and we-cancel messages with the brackets to replace. PDF and editable Word. Free, no email required.
What should a cancellation policy for a service business say in NZ?
When a booking is confirmed and what it includes; what notice earns a free change (24 hours is usual); what a late cancellation or no-access visit costs, in dollars; what happens to deposits and ordered materials; and what you do when you are the one cancelling. The fees must reflect your genuine cost, not punish the customer: since 16 August 2022 the unfair contract terms rules in the Fair Trading Act 1986 cover consumer contracts and standard-form small trade contracts under $250,000 a year, and a term that goes beyond protecting the business’s legitimate interests can be declared unfair and unenforceable. State it on the quote, repeat it in the confirmation, and it is a policy. Across 20,286 publicly posted NZ trade reviews, punctuality is praised in 40 to 44% of positive reviews and not turning up is a top-three complaint theme in negative ones (about 4 to 5%). Confirming, reminding and warning early move a customer from one list to the other.
The job this document is doing.
- —The customer is not home, the morning is lost, and there is no agreed fee to point at
- —A ‘cancellation fee’ of a full day’s labour, which no tribunal will enforce
- —No reminder the day before, so the no-show rate is whatever it is
- —You run late and the customer finds out by waiting
Open it and use it today.
- 01Policy: booking and deposit, notice table (more than 24 hours, less than 24 hours, no access, deposits on cancelled jobs), when we cancel, weather and site not ready, acknowledgement
- 02Six messages: booking confirmation with window and price, reminder text, running-late text sent before the window, rebooking reply, late-cancellation notice with the fee stated, we-cancel apology with the fix
- 03Editable Word version
Free to use and adapt for your own business. Not legal advice: check contract terms against your own terms of trade and, where it matters, with a lawyer.
The law behind it. Fair Trading Act 1986, unfair contract terms (extended to standard-form small trade contracts under $250,000 a year by the Fair Trading Amendment Act 2021, in force 16 August 2022). Checked on legislation.govt.nz and comcom.govt.nz on 9 October 2026. Not legal advice.
Why this document, and not another one.
| Trade | Punctuality praised | Not turning up, negative reviews | Responsiveness praised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | 44.2% of positive reviews | About 4% | 38.0% |
| Electricians | 41.9% of positive reviews | About 5% | 34.5% |
| Painters | 39.7% of positive reviews | 20.4% |
From 20,286 publicly posted reviews of 369 NZ electricians, plumbers and painters, collected August 2026. Positive reviews score 80 or more out of 100. Negative reviews score under 50 on any dimension; those samples are small (56 to 167 reviews), so negative-review figures are rounded and reported as rank order, not precision. Full corpus, method and thresholds: the trades methodology page. Full findings: the trades research study.
The questions this document answers, in full.
How to Stop No-Shows in a Small Service Business (Both Directions)
Read the answer →Cancellation Policy for a Service Business in NZ: What to Put in It
Read the answer →Use it alongside
Client intake form and process for trade businesses
The five steps from enquiry to booking with a clock on each, what every new client is told in writing before booking, and a one-page intake form for the first call.
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