The Best Virtual Meeting Policy to Protect Against Last-Minute Cancellations and Refund Requests

Are you offering paid virtual meetings or one-on-one calls? I’m telling you why you need a virtual meeting policy and what you need to put in it to protect yourself against last-minute cancellations, endless rescheduling, refund requests, and liability risks.

Offering paid one-off virtual meetings or one-on-one calls is a great way to offer your services, but if you’re anything like me, you want to ensure you do not run the risk of losing precious time and money. As a lawyer myself who drafts contracts for coaches and other service-based entrepreneurs like you, I am telling you exactly how a virtual meeting can protect you and how to implement it.

You will learn everything you need to know about the virtual meeting policy and the clauses you should include to protect against issues like last-minute cancellations (regardless of how many times you send virtual meeting reminders for participants).

After learning all about creating the ultimate virtual meeting policy, your time and money will be fully protected, and you no longer need to worry about cancellations, reschedulings, or refund requests!

This post is all about the ultimate virtual meeting policy you need to implement to protect against liability risks, losing money, a messed-up schedule, and precious time wasted.

Ultimate Virtual Meeting Policy

What is a virtual meeting policy? What should you use it for?

First of all, let’s get into what a virtual meeting policy is. A virtual meeting policy is a document laying out the rules for your virtual meeting that your client or attendee must agree to. 

The virtual meeting policy can apply to any type of virtual meeting, including the following: 

• Online consultations for providing expert advice.

• Paid one-on-one calls people can schedule with you for your mentoring services or advice on any subjects through your website or Stan Store.

• One-off coaching calls clients can book through your online scheduler.

When your client legally agrees to your policy, it becomes a legally binding contract between you and the client. In the last part of this blog post, I’ll explain how to implement a virtual meeting policy to make it legally binding upon everyone who books a virtual meeting with you.

But first, let me explain why you need to implement it.

Why you need a virtual meeting policy: 5 key components to protect against last-minute cancellations and refund requests

There are many reasons why you need a virtual meeting policy, such as the following:

• The policy will protect your from getting sued by your client for negative outcomes they experience by applying your advice.

• A proper virtual meeting policy will also protect you from being disparaged or getting your reputation damaged by your client.

• The right policy will also outline the virtual meeting etiquette dos and don’ts for a smooth meeting and client relationship.

• The right virtual meeting policy will also include all the disclaimers you need to protect yourself, including, for example, that it’s your client’s responsibility to have the software and internet connection needed to attend the meeting.

• The virtual meeting policy will also include the right payment policy, ensuring you get paid prior to the meeting and that clients can’t request a refund when they do not attend your meeting (without cancelling it in advance).

• Ideally, your virtual meeting policy should also include comprehensive cancellation and rescheduling policies so that clients can’t cancel meetings at the last minute (and ask for their money back) or keep postponing scheduled meetings.

In this blog post, I’ll only briefly explain why you need a virtual meeting policy to protect yourself against last-minute cancellations, endless reschedulings, and refund requests.

1. To allow or not to allow cancellations and rescheduling

The first thing you need to decide is whether you’ll allow people who have scheduled a meeting with you to cancel or reschedule their meetings.

Maybe you do not want to allow cancellations, but you do want to provide the option to reschedule a meeting once or twice.

Or perhaps you do want to allow cancellations as long as they are done far enough in advance, and they’ll get their money back.

Even if you do not allow for cancellations or rescheduling, this must be explicitly stated in your virtual meeting policy. Otherwise, your clients will have the right to request their money back since you have not provided the service they paid for.

2. Setting a deadline for cancellation and rescheduling options

You want to avoid last-minute cancellations, of course. Your time is valuable, and that is time you could be spending on another paying client. But if a client cancels or reschedules far enough in advance, then that might not be such an issue for you. 

If you have decided that you do want to provide the option to cancel and/or reschedule meetings, then your virtual meeting policy must include the following deadlines:

• If you allow for cancellations, until when can your clients cancel and receive (part of) their money back? Will that be until 24 hours prior to the scheduled meeting? Or 36? Or 48?

• If you allow your clients to reschedule meetings, the same thing applies; until when can your clients reschedule the meeting? 

3. Limitations on the number of cancellations and reschedulings

The next crucial element you must include in your virtual meeting policy is a limit on the number of times a client may cancel or reschedule a meeting.

If your client reschedules a meeting once, you might not find that to be such an issue. However, if your client reschedules meetings two to three to four times, that starts to become annoying. 

Therefore, a proper virtual meeting policy will include a limit on the number of times a client may (1) cancel a meeting or (2) reschedule a meeting. Set a limit for both!

4. Make their technological difficulties their problem, not yours

So, let’s say your client shows up on time for the virtual meeting (or so they claim to have shown up on time). But, for whatever reason, they just can’t seem to get into the meeting. Either their internet connection is wonky, or their Zoom is not updated, or they don’t even have Zoom on their computer or phone (while your scheduler and virtual meeting policy clearly state that you will use Zoom as the communication tool).

So, you are wasting your time waiting, and then eventually, you receive an email with whatever excuse they have. Then, that client may ask either of 4 things:

• The client wants you to give them your phone number. Uhm, no, that client is in London, and you are located in Florida. You do not want to rack up your phone bill. And even if it’s through FaceTime or WhatsApp, you might not want to share your phone number with any random person.

• The client wants you to use another tool that you would then need to download, and you know this client is going to drag out your time to “make up for the lost time.” Uhm, no thanks.

• The client may want to reschedule for another date. Well, that’s way too last minute.

• The client wants to receive their money back. Uhm, you just wasted my precious time!

You want to avoid all of that, and that is why you need to have a virtual meeting policy that includes the following:

• The proper disclaimers stating that the client is responsible (1) for having the software tools in place to participate in the virtual meeting and (2) for having an internet connection.

• A refund policy stating that the client is not eligible for a refund in these types of cases.

5. Payment and refund policy to limit or even exclude refunds

Speaking of refunds, one of the major reasons why you need a virtual meeting policy is to lay out your refund policy.

In your refund policy, you must specify the following:

• You must state whether (under certain conditions) you provide for refunds. Maybe you do not want to offer refunds under any circumstances (that are not your fault). Once the virtual meeting is booked, it’s the client’s risk. That’s fine, but even that must be explicitly stated in your refund policy.

• If you do provide for refunds, like if the client cancels the appointment prior to the deadline, then you must state that. 

• Also, state what percentage of the payment the client will receive. Will it be 100% of the fee paid? Or 80%? Or 50%?

• Lastly, it’s also important to state that any transfer costs will be for the account of the client, so you don’t lose money.

These are all the reasons why you must have a virtual meeting policy to avoid last-minute cancellations, endless rescheduling, and refund requests.

How to implement a virtual meeting policy to make it legally binding

A virtual meeting policy has no legal ground and is, thus, worthless if it is not properly implemented to become legally binding upon your clients when they book a meeting with you.

First of all, in order for your virtual meeting policy to become legally binding, it must include the correct wording stating that it will form a legally binding agreement between you and the client when the client checks a checkbox or clicks the booking button of your scheduler.

You must then upload your virtual meeting policy to your scheduler. If you are using Google Calendar or Calendly, they have an option for you to upload your terms. That is where you upload your virtual meeting policy. Your client will then see a link and a checkbox. The text next to the checkbox must state something like “I understand and agree to the virtual meeting policy and understand that I am legally bound by the virtual meeting policy” or “By booking this virtual meeting, I agree to the virtual meeting policy, which is legally binding.”

With all these mechanisms in place, you can rest assured that your time and money are fully protected!

Need a virtual meeting policy template?

Are you looking for a proper virtual meeting poly that includes all the essentials discussed in this blog post to protect yourself from last-minute cancellations, endless rescheduling, and refund requests?

My template includes all these boundaries and protections and more! Grab my virtual meeting policy template on this page of my contract shop. 

This post was about the ultimate virtual meeting policy, which you need to protect yourself against last-minute cancellations, endless rescheduling, and refund requests.

Are you also selling digital products? Then, you should read this blog post on the 10 Must-Haves for All Terms and Conditions for Digital Products.

Are you selling one-on-one coaching packages? Then, you must read this blog post on the 7 Crucial Protections Every Coach Needs in a Coaching Agreement Template.

Need a virtual meeting policy that includes all the protections you need? Find out more about my virtual meeting policy template on this page of my contract shop!