Protect your day from no-shows and late cancels.
Publish a cancellation policy on your intake form, collect deposits through your own payment link, and get automatic strike warnings when repeat offenders try to rebook. Built for solo mobile pet groomers — no card processing, no cut of your revenue.
Included in Pro · 7-day free trial · No credit card needed
The problem most booking software ignores
No-shows and late cancels aren't edge cases for solo mobile groomers — they're the single biggest source of lost revenue after gas. Here's what Client Control was designed to stop.
Drove 30 minutes to a locked gate
You blocked off two hours, burned gas, and the client doesn't answer the door. You eat the loss.
Last-minute cancellation, zero compensation
A cancellation two hours before the appointment is effectively a no-show — your slot was never going to be filled that fast.
Repeat offenders keep rebooking
The same handful of clients flake again and again. There was no way to tell future-you that this client has ghosted before.
'Are you going to charge my card?'
Deposit software usually wants to sit between you and your client — and take a cut. You already have Venmo. You just want a deposit.
How it works
Four steps — set your policy once, and the rest is automatic.
Build your policy from a template
Pick a deposit (flat dollars or percent), a cancellation window (24h, 48h, 72h, a week, or custom), what happens to the deposit on an on-time cancel (refund, credit, or forfeit), late-cancel and no-show fees, and an optional reschedule policy. You can toggle the whole policy on and off anytime.
Clients see and agree before submitting
When the policy is on, clients see the exact terms on your intake form and must check a box agreeing to them before they can submit a request. A frozen copy of the policy is attached to their request so it can't be changed after the fact.
Deposit goes through YOUR payment link
GroomerPro does not process payments. You provide a payment URL (Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, a Stripe checkout link — your choice) and we email the client deposit instructions the moment they submit. When you see the deposit arrive, you click "Mark deposit received" and approve the request.
Repeat offenders get auto-flagged
Every no-show and late cancel is recorded as a strike on that client. If they try to book again after too many strikes, GroomerPro automatically forces a deposit on their next request — even if your default policy doesn't require one. Problem clients? Block them in one click.
What's included
Cancellation policy template
Deposit amount (flat or %), cancellation window (presets + custom), on-time cancel action (refund / credit / forfeit), late-cancel fee, no-show fee, optional reschedule policy, plus free-form extra terms. One enable toggle if you want to turn the whole thing off for a while.
Explicit agreement, frozen in time
Each booking request stores a JSON snapshot of the policy the client agreed to. If you edit your policy next month, every past request still shows the policy that was live the day the client booked. Audit-ready.
Deposit tracking — no card processing
You keep your existing payment method (Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, Stripe link, cash at the start, etc.). GroomerPro tracks deposit status (pending / received / expired), emails the client instructions, and nudges you if you haven't saved a payment link yet.
Strike system for repeat offenders
One click records a no-show or late-cancel strike against a client. Active strikes appear on their profile. Set your threshold (default 1) and the system auto-forces a deposit on that client's next booking request.
Client blocking
Block a client with one toggle. They won't be able to submit new intake requests through your link, and the failure is silent so there's no confrontation.
Request event timeline
Every request has an append-only timeline — submitted, policy agreed, deposit instructions sent, deposit received, approved, completed / no-show / cancelled. Proof for any dispute.
Platform disclaimer built in
Clients always see — and acknowledge — that payments happen directly between you and them, and that GroomerPro is not a party to the transaction. Protects you from "they told me to pay you" confusion.
Why this is different
GroomerPro never touches your money.
Most cancellation-policy products want to sit between you and your client and take a processing fee. We think that's backwards. You already have Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or a Stripe link — we just surface your policy, email the instructions, and track what's been received. You keep 100% of the deposit.
Clients acknowledge this as part of every booking, and our Service Disclaimer spells out the legal relationship between you, the client, and GroomerPro.
- No percent fee on deposits
- No payment processor account required
- Your existing Venmo / Zelle / PayPal / Stripe link works
- Clients pay you directly — GroomerPro never sees the money
- Written acknowledgement from every client on every booking
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use Stripe or process cards?
No. Client Control is deliberately payment-agnostic. Your deposit link can be Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, Cash App, a Stripe checkout link you made yourself, or anything else. GroomerPro doesn't take a cut because GroomerPro doesn't touch the money.
What if I haven't set up a payment link yet?
The client's email will say 'your groomer will contact you with payment instructions,' and the request detail page reminds you to reach out. You can finish setup at any time on your profile page.
Can I turn the policy off if I don't want to require deposits?
Yes. Disabling the policy hides it from the intake form entirely — clients won't be asked to agree to anything cancellation-related, and no deposit is required. You can still record strikes and block clients manually.
What happens if a client cancels on time?
You choose: refund the deposit, keep it as a credit toward a future booking, or keep it outright. Whatever you choose is shown to clients upfront so there's no surprise.
What about a cancellation that happens inside the window?
You set the consequences: the deposit can be forfeited, a flat or percent-of-service late-cancel fee can apply, or both. Same for no-shows. All of this is shown on the intake form before the client agrees.
Will a blocked client know they're blocked?
No. Blocked submissions fail silently with a generic 'booking is currently unavailable' message. No drama, no confrontation.
Is Client Control included in Starter?
No. Client Control is a Pro feature. Starter users can still record no-shows manually, but the policy-backed intake, deposit tracking, strike escalation, and event timeline are Pro only.
Is this designed specifically for pet grooming?
The wording is groomer-first (deposit, reschedule, no-show), but the underlying system is generic enough that we'll reuse it for other mobile local-service businesses down the road.
Stop eating the cost of no-shows.
Client Control is included in every Pro plan. 7-day free trial — no credit card, no contract.