Should a service business put its cancellation and refund policy on its website?

Ascent Vision · Published October 25, 2026

Usually, yes. A short, plain policy where people book or accept a quote prevents arguments about deposits, rescheduling and no-shows, because the customer saw it before agreeing. Separately, the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives buyers three days to cancel certain sales made at their home, with exceptions, including a repair or maintenance visit the customer asked for. This is a plain summary, not legal advice.

Why put it where people book

As general advice, a policy works best where the customer meets it before agreeing: on the booking page, on the quote and in the confirmation. A policy that only appears after something goes wrong tends to read as an excuse. It usually covers:

Deposits: whether one is taken, and when it is refunded.
Rescheduling: how much notice you ask for, and how to do it.
Late cancellations and no-shows: what happens, said plainly.
Refunds for work done or not done, and how a customer raises a problem.
How to cancel: by phone, by email or with a link.

Plain wording

Write it the way you would say it at the door. The related answer on cutting no-shows covers confirmations and reminders; the policy is the line those messages point to. For example:

"Need a different day? Call or email us and we will find a new time."
"Your deposit is refunded in full if you cancel before we order materials."
"If we have to cancel or run late, we will tell you as soon as we know."

The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule

The FTC's consumer article on the rule says it gives buyers three days to cancel certain sales made at their home, workplace or dormitory, or at a seller's temporary location such as a hotel room, convention center, fairground or restaurant. It also applies when a buyer invites a salesperson to make a presentation at home. The sales the article says it does not cover include:

Sales made because the buyer asked the seller to visit to repair or perform maintenance on their personal property; things bought beyond that request are covered.
Sales needed to meet an emergency.
Sales made entirely online, by mail or by telephone.
Goods or services not mainly for personal, family or household use.
Sales below a minimum purchase price the rule sets.

What a seller must do when it applies

The rule's text, 16 CFR Part 429, says the seller must give the buyer a receipt or copy of the contract with a notice of the right to cancel, two copies of a cancellation form, and tell the buyer orally about that right at the time of the sale. After a valid cancellation, it says the seller must refund all payments within 10 business days. The FTC's article says the right lasts until midnight of the third business day after the sale, counting Saturdays but not Sundays or federal holidays.

The article also says some state laws give buyers more rights than the rule, and the rule says it does not exempt sellers from state or local laws on door-to-door sales, except where those laws are directly inconsistent with it. This answer does not cover state rules on deposits, refunds or contracts; a lawyer can say what applies to your business. This is a plain summary, not legal advice.

Sources

Websites, upgraded or built

Most businesses do not need a new website. They need the one they have to load fast, say clearly what they do and ask the visitor to take one step.

See the service Work with us