EU law gives your customers 14 days to change their mind on things they buy or book at a distance. In most cases Salonkee handles the refund for you. You only need to step in for a couple of specific situations, which this guide covers.
What's covered:
The 14-day rule applies to:
Gift vouchers bought online
Subscriptions bought online
Bookings made online or by phone
What's not covered:
Anything sold or booked in your salon — at the till, at the front desk, or as a walk-in
Swiss customers (Switzerland is outside the EU)
The 14 days start on the day of the purchase or booking. After that, your normal policy applies and any refund is your choice.
Bookings inside the 14 days
You usually don't need to do anything. Customers cancel online themselves and Salonkee refunds them automatically.
Online bookings — the customer opens their Salonkee account, taps Cancel booking, and any deposit or card-on-file charge is refunded automatically. You get a notification email.
Phone bookings — there's no Cancel button in the customer's account because the booking wasn't made through Salonkee online. They'll call you instead. Cancel the booking in your calendar and refund any deposit or card-on-file charge free of charge.
The right ends when:
the 14 days run out, or
the appointment starts — whichever comes first
So a customer who books 20 days ahead has the full 14 days. A customer who books for tomorrow only has until tomorrow's appointment starts.
Reschedule doesn't reset the clock
The 14 days run from the original booking date, not the rescheduled one.
When the salon cancels a protected booking
If you cancel a booking with a card on file or deposit, you'll see a small coral pill on the cancellation dialogue when the customer is still in their 14 days — "Customer entitled to free cancellation under EU withdrawal rights."
When you see it: refund. The customer has a legal right to one, so any deduction won't hold up.
Vouchers and subscriptions inside the 14 days
Three possible situations:
1. Not used at all → automatic refund
Customer cancels online → Salonkee refunds the full amount → you get a notification email and a negative entry on your next payout. No action needed.
2. Partly used → customer calls you
The customer can't cancel online. They'll be told to call you to claim a refund of what they haven't used. This is the one situation where you need to step in. See What to do (#what-to-do-when-a-customer-calls) below.
A subscription session counts as "used" the moment it's booked, even if the appointment hasn't happened yet.
3. Fully used → nothing owed
The Cancel button doesn't appear. If they call anyway, you don't have to refund — anything you offer is goodwill.
What to do when a customer calls
You'll only need to step in for two things:
1. Refund a phone booking inside the 14 days
Cancel the booking in your calendar. Refund any deposit or card-on-file charge in full.
2. Refund a partly-used voucher or subscription
First, check it was bought online. Open the customer's POS Transaction History — online purchases have an online icon. No icon means it was sold in salon and you're not legally required to refund.
If it's online, follow the right path below.
Partly-used gift voucher:
Dashboard → Gift Vouchers → find the voucher. The remaining balance is what you owe.
Refund manually — terminal, cash, or bank transfer.
Void the voucher — rubbish-bin icon in the same screen.
Partly-used subscription
Have any sessions been checked out at the POS?
No → cancel the original purchase transaction in POS Transaction History and refund the full amount. Then cancel any upcoming appointments in the calendar.
Yes → calculate a partial refund: (price ÷ total sessions) × unused sessions. Refund manually, then mark the subscription as cancelled.
Example. €500, 10 sessions, 1 used = (€500 ÷ 10) × 9 = €450 owed. For subscriptions with multiple services at different prices, calculate per-service rather than per-session. Contact Salonkee support if unsure.
FAQs
A customer rescheduled — do they get a fresh 14 days? No. The clock runs from the original booking date.
The appointment has already started — can they still withdraw? No. The right ends the moment the appointment starts.
The voucher / subscription / booking was a gift — does the recipient have a refund right? No. The right belongs to the person who paid, not the recipient.
Do I have to refund the customer immediately on the phone? No specific deadline in the moment. Aim to refund within 14 days of agreeing it. Check the details first.
What about Swiss customers? The 14-day rule doesn't apply in Switzerland. No Cancel button for Swiss purchases.
The customer is angry / aggressive. Stay calm and follow the steps. If it's in scope, you have a clear process and the law is on the customer's side. If it's out of scope, politely explain that the rule doesn't apply to in-salon purchases, walk-in bookings, or anything outside the 14 days.
Where do refunds show up for me?
Automatic refunds (online bookings, unused vouchers, unused subscriptions) → notification email + negative entry on your next payout.
Manual refunds (phone bookings, partly-used items) → you handle the money yourself; Salonkee isn't involved in the transfer.
Need help?
Unsure whether a case is in scope, or how much to refund? Contact Salonkee support before refunding. We'd rather you check than over- or under-refund.
Applies in Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and France. Not Switzerland. Updated 19 June 2026.