Let’s say a client contacts me and asks to get pre-screened. I pre-screen him and contact him back letting him know he is good to go and request that he gives me a 1-2 hour notice depending on the type of session he would like. The client then replies back and asks if I am available the next day at 6pm and gives the area he wants and incall in. (No, no actual address is given, lol, but the intersection of 2 highways is requested). I reply back and tell the client that I am available at 6pm and can provide incall at Hwy X/Highway Y. I ask him to please confirm or cancel no later than 4pm the next day. The next day 4pm comes and goes and I have heard nothing from the client. I contact him and ask if we are still meeting or not. He finally responds well over an hour after I originally asked him to confirm or cancel. He nonchalantly informs me that work has been busier that he expected and that we may not be meeting as we planned. No shit, really? Thank you so much for finally letting me know something and for making me miss out on 2 other appointments I couldn’t take because they would have interfered with the time slot you specifically requested.
No, the client actually never confirmed but he didn’t cancel either. The outcome for me is exactly the same as a NCNS-wasted time, aggravation, and lost income. Once a client makes an appointment, whether it’s tentative or not, I still have to plan my day the same way. I have to prepare myself for an appointment and schedule other appointments around his requested time slot. I never schedule back-to-back sessions and usually leave at least a 2-hour space in between them so when someone does this it really screws up my entire day.
My question is at what point does an appointment request become an actual appointment and at what point is it considered an NCNS?