Life happens. Here's exactly how cancellations, reschedules, and no-shows are handled — for non-members and members.
Standard policy for non-members covers a reasonable cancellation window with deposit forfeiture inside it. Members get meaningfully more flexibility — that's most of why people join.
Fastest way: open your customer portal, find the appointment, and use the reschedule or cancel buttons.
If you don't have a portal account, text or call (608) 804-8333, or email info@amesautodetail.pro with your name and appointment date.
The cancellation timestamp is set when we receive your message — not when you sent it. If you're cutting it close to the window deadline, the portal is fastest.
The 24-hour window means 24 hours before your scheduled appointment start time. Examples:
Inside the window — cancellations submitted less than 24 hours before the appointment forfeit the $50 deposit (if one was charged). The deposit covers the time we've already blocked for you and the lost ability to book another customer in that slot.
No-shows — if you don't appear at the scheduled location for your appointment and we can't reach you by phone or text after a reasonable wait (typically 15 minutes), the appointment is recorded as a no-show. No-shows forfeit the deposit and add a $25 rebooking fee that's applied to your next booking with us. Repeated no-shows may result in us declining future bookings.
Booking changes (not cancellation) — adding or removing services, changing the vehicle, or adjusting condition expectations don't count as cancellations. Just message us before the appointment and we'll re-quote.
The 4-hour window means 4 hours before your scheduled appointment start time. Examples:
This is structural, not promotional — it covers the realities of childcare changes, work emergencies, and Wisconsin weather.
Deposits never forfeited — even if you cancel inside the 4-hour window or no-show, members do not forfeit deposits. We may follow up to understand what happened, but there's no automatic penalty.
Same-day rescheduling — if our calendar has room, we can move your appointment within the same day or to a nearby day. Subject to scheduling reality (the truck can only be in one place at a time).
Priority on rebooking — when a member rebooks, you go to the front of the queue for the new slot, ahead of new bookings.
What's NOT covered by member status — repeated last-minute cancellations (more than 3 in a quarter) may prompt a conversation about whether the membership tier is the right fit. We're not going to penalize anyone, but if member benefits are being heavily used in ways that suggest the tier doesn't match how you actually use the service, we may suggest adjusting.
Wisconsin weather is what it is. We reschedule for:
Weather reschedules are always free regardless of timing. You'll typically get a text the night before if the forecast looks rough, and we'll work out a new time together.
Light rain we work through — most rain doesn't stop standard detail work, especially under our portable canopies. We use professional judgment about when conditions actually require a reschedule.
Force majeure — beyond weather, we may cancel or reschedule for road closures, accidents, family emergencies, illness, or other unforeseen circumstances. We'll communicate as soon as we know and rebook you promptly.
Sometimes we have to cancel — equipment failure, illness, scheduling conflicts. When we cancel:
When deposits are refunded:
If you don't see a refund within 14 days, contact us and we'll investigate.
Fleet customers operate on different terms — see your service agreement for specifics. In general:
Fleet customers: contact us directly to discuss any scheduling change. There's no penalty system on fleet accounts — we work it out together.
We may update this policy. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Changes apply to future bookings; bookings made under the previous version of this policy keep their original terms.
Material changes (changes to windows, fee amounts, or member benefits) will be communicated to active customers and members via text or email at least 30 days before they take effect.
Fastest way is through your portal. Or just call us — that always works.