Incidents, no-shows and banning

Private notes

Open a client, go to the Notes tab, and the first box is Private Notes. It is free text, it carries a "Hidden from client" badge, and that badge is literal. Nothing you type here appears in an email, in the client hub or in the message thread. Write, then tap Save Notes.

Use it for the things worth knowing before they sit down: how they handled the last session, what they are allergic to, that they always run twenty minutes late. It is one box per client, so it reads as a running note rather than a log.

The compliance log

Under the notes box sits the Compliance Log, which is dated rather than free-form. Each entry is one thing that happened on one day. It is the record you want if a client is becoming a pattern rather than a one-off, and it is also only visible to you.

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   Step 1: Open the form

   Tap the plus button on the Compliance Log header, or pick Compliance Log from the three dot menu at the top of the profile.
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   Step 2: Name it

   Title is free text, so describe what actually happened: "No show", "Arrived 40 mins late", "Cancelled on the day".
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   Step 3: Date it

   Date defaults to today. Change it if you are catching up on something from last week.
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   Step 4: Add the detail

   Notes is optional and is where the context goes. Then tap Add Entry.

Entries are listed newest first with how long ago they were. The bin icon on an entry removes it, and it asks you to confirm first.

No-shows write themselves

You do not have to log a no-show by hand. When you cancel a booking, the cancel panel asks for a Cancellation reason, and two of the three options land on the client's compliance record automatically:

• No-Show always records.
• Client Cancellation always records.
• Other does not, unless you tick Add this to the client's compliance record.

That split is deliberate. Cancelling for your own reasons, because you are ill or the studio flooded, should never quietly count against the client, so the tick box is off by default. The reason itself is for your records only. The client never sees the label, only whatever you write to them.

Logging a no-show charges nothing. To charge a fee for one, switch on Charge a no-show fee in Settings, Payments, Deposits & Fees. Clients agree to it when they pay their deposit, and you charge it from the booking. See handling a no-show.

Blocking a client

Block Client is in the row menu on the Clients list and in the three dot menu inside a profile. A blocked client cannot submit new requests to you. Anything already booked stays exactly as it was, so blocking is not a way to cancel work.

The confirmation asks for an optional Message to the client. That message is shown to them if they try to send you a request, which is your chance to say something useful, such as asking them to contact you directly instead. Leave it blank and they simply get told they cannot book with you online.

The block matches on their email address and on their phone number, so opening a second mailbox does not get around it. Their profile then carries a red Blocked tag, and Unblock Client in the same menu puts everything back. You can block and unblock as often as you like.

Archiving instead

If the problem is a messy list rather than a difficult client, use Archive Client. It hides them from every filter except Archived, changes nothing about them, blocks nothing, and reverses from the same menu with Unarchive Client. It is the right tool for a client who moved away, and the wrong tool for one you never want to hear from again.

Deleting a client record

Delete Client is the last resort. It is the option to use when someone asks you to erase what you hold on them, rather than a way to tidy up. The confirmation spells out what happens: the client disappears from your dashboard, you have 30 days before their personal details are permanently anonymised, and their messages and appointment history are kept.

Maelo tells you the exact anonymisation date when you confirm, so make a note of it if it matters. Keeping the booking history without the personal details is what lets your Financial figures stay correct after a deletion.

For what to do when a client formally asks for their data or asks to be removed, see Client data requests.