COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
Cancellation policies
In order to protect yourself against last-minute
problems that may result in changes to the
booking, it is recommended that you include
a cancellation clause in your standard terms
and conditions at the time of quoting for a
job. Common cancellation procedures are
either to charge a cancellation fee that varies
according to the amount of notice given or
to require a deposit at the time of booking,
which is forfeited in the event of a cancellation.
Your cancellation clause could be included
in the body of an email when quoting for a
project, or it could be attached as a document
to be signed when the client books you. If a
signature is not required, you should ask them
to acknowledge and accept your conditions
in writing, as you may need proof of this if
disputes arise later on. A clear cancellation
policy should specify whether reimbursement
will be offered, or a percentage of the fee
charged, depending on the circumstances of
the changes to the agreed assignment.
So what type of policy could an interpreter
adopt? It is important to note that any
cancellation terms and conditions need to be
fair to the client. For example, demanding full
payment in advance or having a cancellation
policy that would see the customer forfeit the
entire payment, regardless of when the job is
cancelled, would be deemed unfair. The
policy should state the notice period
required to cancel a job or make changes to
the agreed hours or nature of the booking.
Such a policy will mean that your clients
endeavour to stick to the agreed conditions,
instead of asking you to carry out unexpected
tasks or work extra hours. Depending on the
types of request your clients tend to make,
and on the relationship you have with them,
you may be willing to offer a certain degree
of flexibility regarding possible changes.
If there is a dispute and the client refuses to
pay a cancellation fee despite your attempts
to resolve the issue, you can use a mediation
service to try to avoid any sort of court claim.
Mediation is a voluntary process and no party
can be forced to take part (see civilmediation
.org/for-the-public/about-mediation). CIOL
members also have access to a free helpline
with a team of legal advisors, who can help
to find practical legal solutions that
interpreters can implement themselves.
Clear policies about payment and
cancellation procedures are needed to ensure
the success of all business relationships, but
some consideration should be given to the
circumstances that affect each client and
assignment. In view of the uncertainty caused
by the Covid-19 crisis, it would be helpful to
hear about any cancellations that have
affected your business recently, and the ways
in which you have responded to the situation.
Share your experiences @Linguist_CIOL or
email linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk.
ESTABLISHING A DIALOGUE
Discussing the nature of an assignment
with clients in advance is important
