Cancellation "free" language + more

Hello there,

I wanted to clarify what I’m running into with the new cancellation policy feature because I don’t think my current retainer policy maps cleanly to the system.

My cancellation policy is not based on charging a cancellation fee. I collect a booking retainer when the service is booked, and the outcome of that retainer depends on whether the client cancels or reschedules and how much notice they provide.

My current structure is: (drop-in part is new)

Drop-in Care
• More than 24 hours before service: if the client requests a reschedule, the booking retainer can be held as a service credit for a future booking.
• Cancellation: the retainer is retained.
• Within 24 hours: the retainer is retained and is not eligible for service credit.
• Day of service / missed service: the full remaining balance is due.

Staycation Collection
• More than 10 days before service: if the client requests a reschedule, the booking retainer can be held as a service credit for a future booking.
• Cancellation: the retainer is retained.
• Within 10 days: the retainer is retained and is not eligible for service credit.
• Day before or during service: the full remaining balance is due.
• Missed service: the full balance is due.

Service credits, when applicable, are valid for one year from the original booking date, are non-transferable, and cannot be redeemed for cash.

The problem is that the cancellation-policy feature appears to be designed around a fee/penalty being charged when a client cancels within a certain window. That doesn't accurately represent my system.

Ideally, I would like to be able to mark the amount collected as a retainer/deposit, have the system recognize that amount as part of the client's balance, and have the ability to convert that retained amount into a service credit when a qualifying reschedule occurs.

If Scritches cannot currently support that workflow, I would rather not use the cancellation-policy automation than create a policy that doesn't accurately reflect my business.

There is one additional issue that is especially important to me. I understand that I can turn off “Let clients cancel visits from the portal,” which would require clients to contact me directly. However, the chat box said that if a service does not have a cancellation policy assigned, Scritches will still publicly display:

“Services without a policy allow free cancellation at any time.”

That language is not accurate for my business.

If I disable portal cancellations, I need the client-facing language to reflect that clients should contact Peach Paw Collective directly for cancellations and rescheduling, rather than telling them that cancellation is free.

So, if the retainer + service-credit workflow cannot be added, is there a way to remove or replace the “Services without a policy allow free cancellation at any time” language?

Ideally, I would like it replaced with something along the lines of:

“Cancellation and rescheduling requests must be submitted directly to Peach Paw Collective and are subject to the cancellation policy for the applicable service.”

I want to make sure that all client-facing language in Scritches accurately matches my actual terms, whether the cancellation feature is enabled or disabled.

Thanks!