That one week in 2019 when I had three jobs cancel on me in a row

I was doing flooring installs solo back then and had a Tuesday where a guy told me his wife changed her mind about the tile right as I pulled up with the saw. Then Thursday another customer said they forgot they were going on vacation and needed to reschedule. By Friday I was out 1,200 bucks in lost work for that week alone. Has anyone else had a string of cancellations that just wrecked your income for a stretch?

2 comments

2 Comments

palmer.zara10d ago

So you're saying you lost $1,200 because three people canceled on you in one week. That sounds like you were counting on those jobs too hard without a backup plan. Maybe if you had built in a cancellation fee or required a deposit upfront, that week wouldn't have wrecked your income at all.

allen.cole10d ago

Deposits are a game changer for exactly this kind of thing. Even a small 25% deposit upfront means you've got at least some cash in hand and the client has skin in the game. Cancellation fees work too but they're harder to enforce if you don't have a signed contract. I'd suggest charging a non-refundable deposit that covers your materials or travel costs at minimum, that way if they bail you're not totally out of pocket.