JCopeland
Jul 2026
If your organization is going to cancel a client's appointment after confirming it—especially less than two hours before the scheduled time—the professional courtesy is to call the client directly. You have no way of knowing what arrangements they have made or how far they have traveled to keep the appointment.<br><br>This morning, I received a confirmation reminder for my appointment. I arrived as scheduled only to find the office empty. It was not until after I had arrived that I discovered a second email sent less than two hours before my appointment cancelling it. Because I was already traveling to the appointment, I did not see the email until I reached the office.<br><br>Cancelling an appointment with such short notice by email alone, without a phone call or other direct notification, is unprofessional and demonstrates a lack of consideration for your clients' time and effort.<br><br>Response to Blue Skies:<br>The reason for the cancellation was verified before I posted my review. The vendor to whom Blue Sky is shifting responsibility confirmed that someone from Blue Sky requested that all appointments for the day be canceled due to a personal issue.<br><br>Blue Sky's response to my review attempts to deflect responsibility by implying, "It's not our fault." Regardless of the circumstances, it is ultimately a company's responsibility to ensure effective communication with its third-party vendors. Clients should not bear the consequences of internal communication failures.<br><br>If appointments must be canceled on short notice, especially after confirmation reminders have already been sent, the professional standard is to notify affected clients directly by phone—not solely by email. Failing to do so resulted in me making an unnecessary trip to an empty office, despite having received a confirmation reminder that same morning. That experience is what prompted my review, and I stand by it.
