A parent cancels 20 minutes before the lesson because their child has homework. You charge them anyway under your “24-hour cancellation policy”. They challenge the charge. What does UK consumer law actually say?
The relevant law
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 governs B2C transactions in the UK. For services (which riding lessons are), terms must be:
- Fair (Schedule 2): no exorbitant penalties for trivial breach
- Transparent (Section 64): written in plain language
- Prominent (Section 64): brought to the customer’s attention before contract
Plus, for distance contracts (online bookings), the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give a 14-day cooling-off period for some services — but riding lessons are typically excluded if delivered within 14 days of booking.
What this means for your cancellation policy
A reasonable policy
- 24 or 48 hours notice: full refund or rebook within X weeks
- 12-24 hours notice: 50% charge, rebook with 25% discount
- Less than 12 hours / no-show: 100% charge
This is generally enforceable if you brought it to the customer’s attention before the booking.
An unfair policy (likely unenforceable)
- “Any cancellation: 100% charge, no rebook”
- “Cancellation requires 7 days notice or 100% charge”
- Penalty fees like “£50 admin charge for late cancellation” without justification
Pack/forfait cancellations
Pre-paid 10-lesson packs: courts have ruled forfeiting unused lessons is likely unfair unless there’s a clear expiry that the customer was made aware of. A 12-month expiry is generally OK; a 3-month expiry might be challenged.
How to make your policy survive a challenge
1. Make it visible at booking
Tickbox: “I have read and accept the cancellation policy” with the policy text or link directly available, not buried in a generic T&Cs link.
2. Send a confirmation summary
Email with: lesson time, fee, cancellation cutoff, what happens if missed. Auditable, timestamped.
3. Be flexible for genuine emergencies
Illness with note, family emergency: discretion. Document it (“waived charge as parent confirmed illness with photo of GP appointment confirmation”).
4. Don’t double-charge
If you re-fill the slot with another rider, you’ve recovered the cost. Don’t charge the original cancelled rider too.
5. Don’t escalate to debt collection casually
A £25 lesson fee escalated to a £150 debt collection cost looks predatory and is likely to lose in court.
How Hovera handles this
- Clear cancellation cutoff per booking, visible at every step
- Auto-charge or hold based on the cutoff
- Discretionary waiver button with reason logged
- Slot re-fill: if a cancelled slot is taken by another rider, original charge is automatically waived
- T&Cs version control: every booking is linked to the version of T&Cs in force at that moment (helpful in disputes)
Get a UK-compliant policy template — write “cancellation policy” in subject.