I'm going to dissect your post and put emphasis on a few
bold parts...
I had an ECCIE member I had not seen before schedule an appointment for yesterday at 3:00pm. I had to cancel it because my monthly cycle had not yet ceased which it usually doesn't last as long. I explained why and offered to book him tomorrow and he says he doesn't have time tomorrow and then says, "Last I checked, your monthly visitor is fairly common."
Am I not supposed to be upfront and instead see them and let them gruesomely discover for themselves that I have a potentially undesirable natural female occurrence which may totally sicken them?
How do I have some sort of freedom to take time off, reschedule or cancel sessions due to something beyond my control and not get the client upset? I can't make it stop, rescheduling wasn't good enough and neither was a discount. He was still upset, likely wrote about it on info share, and damaged my reputation because if something beyond my control.
Originally Posted by Persianlilly
First, I read where you indicate, "I had to cancel it" and "I explained why." I disagree that YOU... HAD... to cancel it.
You didn't have to cancel. You chose to cancel. The client was not given the option to still see you. He had his hopes up, and you backing out probably left him disappointed, and rightfully so, if a person has their hopes up and plans change last minute, I think any normal person would be disappointed. If I were in your shoes, I would not have cancelled. I would have left it entirely up to the client. Maybe he is ok with blood dripping from your womanly parts, it might be a turn on to him, he could be open to alternate activities, perhaps shower play, there are many ways to get around canceling when PMS interferes. Easiest way I have found is to just tell the client you are bleeding. Leave it at that. Let him call the shots, let him decide if he still wants to see you.
Second, yes, you are supposed to be upfront.
Letting someone gruesomely discover on their own with no heads up is tacky and greedy. Yes, be upfront, but don't make it sound like, "Sorry, you're out of luck today."
Third, I think if you leave the final decision up to the client, since he is the paying customer, then he is less likely to be upset.
It isn't about whether or not you can make something stop, it's how you handle the situation when it presents itself, which it's bound to happen a dozen times every year, so I'd say get used to it and figure out how you're going to handle it next time. Come up with a better way to handle it for the next go around.
I know the decision is yours on how to handle this type of thing when it happens, but wanted to give some points to consider for down the road. I think being open with the client will go a long way. If you tell him that you're not feeling too well, or that you're cramping really bad, I think most clients would be up for a raincheck; but when it comes across as if you are canceling instead of letting them be the one to say it, that's when it can get sticky.